With Domantas Sabonis likely hanging around for at least one more season, probably two, there's a lot of conversation about what the Sacramento Kings' rotation at center will look like. Instead of competing, the Kings need to put Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell on the court as a duo.
The five is a little crowded. Considering how much Sacramento is paying Sabonis, he'll likely remain their starting center for the foreseeable future. Keeping in mind that Precious Achiuwa is also in the mix, the Kings have to figure out how to divide their backup minutes among two sophomores.
Their choice is between Raynaud and Cardwell, a pair of breakout rookies from the 2025-2026 season. Raynaud proved to be an excellent scorer and rebounder, racking up the most double-doubles among all rookies. Cardwell became an impressive defender and elite rim protector.
Raynaud and Cardwell could be an elite together on the court
Both guys have their strengths as well as weaknesses to work on. The Kings could help mitigate those issues by running them together as a duo on the secondary. Raynaud could be an effective power forward while Cardwell is the center. This has the potential to be a great double-big pairing.
First and foremost, this is not a suggestion that both players shouldn't be getting minutes at center. That is their bread and butter on a basketball court. At the same time, the size the Kings could run with Raynaud and Cardwell together cannot be ignored. That goes for both offense and defense.
Cardwell is, without question, the better defender of the duo. He could lock down the paint with Raynaud providing support when facing off against someone like Victor Wembanyama. On top of that, Cardwell's dominant rebounding could easily feed Raynaud's increasingly explosive offense.
Sacramento has an embarrassment of riches at the five
Then, you add Sabonis to the mix. As I've previously suggested, he doesn't have to be a center to be useful to the Kings. He's also a more than capable power forward, while Cardwell is more of a traditional center. Regardless, there are several on-court combinations with the three.
The point is that having three centers doesn't have to limit their respective minutes. Doug Christie and his coaching staff should take this opportunity to get creative. Let two sophomores who are still developing in the league run wild on the court together and see what happens.
What's the worst-case scenario? It doesn't work, and the Kings try something else. The Kings are in no danger of making the playoffs this year, so give Raynaud and Cardwell the chance to show you what they've really got. That means on their own and as the NBA's brand new dynamic duo.
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