As is often the case, the NBA rumor is hard at work. This time, the topic of conversation is the Sacramento Kings passing on Trae Young. They weren't interested in signing him to a long-term, expensive contract. It's not the first time the Kings have passed on him, meaning this isn't happening.
The Hawks decided to finally get out of the Young business last season as they picked up steam while he was injured. He had been in Atlanta since a draft-night switch with the Mavericks in 2018 that sent Luka Doncic to Dallas. A trade with the Wizards moved him to Washington at the 2026 deadline.
Reportedly, the Kings were in the mix on this one. There was a proposal on the table that would have brought Young to Sacramento while sending Zach LaVine to Atlanta. The reports indicate the Kings passed as they knew Young would be looking for a big-money extension they didn't want to give out.
Sacramento passes on Young twice
This isn't the first time the Kings didn't add Young to their roster. Way back in that same 2018 NBA Draft, Sacramento had the second pick in the draft. They passed on both Young and Doncic, instead choosing Marvin Bagley III. That draft was completely botched by Sacramento.
The question is why they didn't go for it in 2026. Sacramento has been actively trying to move LaVine for a while and could have gotten out of his contract by trading him for Young's expiring contract. Assuming it wasn't a sign-and-trade situation or Atlanta's price wasn't too high, it's an odd choice.
Additionally, the Kings were in point guard trouble. Westbrook was doing well, but injuries were a problem at that time. Sacramento ended up with a large portion of the team out for the last few months of the season. That being said, not taking Young makes more sense than it seems.
The Kings made the right move on Young again
First and foremost, Young was also injured a lot last season. Even when he wasn't injured, he only played 15 games total between the Hawks and the Wizards in 2025-2026. He wouldn't have been much of an asset on the court, even if he helped the team move on from LaVine.
The other factor was the 2026 NBA Draft. Scott Perry and the Kings' front office had a plan for exactly how they were going to get to Darius Acuff Jr. as their new point guard and how to move forward from there. Simply put, Young likely wasn't part of the long-term rebuild strategy.
Sacramento dropped the ball across the board during the 2018 draft, a well-established fact at this point. It wasn't specifically about Young. This time, the Kings made an active choice to stick to their plan and not potentially jeopardize the rebuild through an unplanned move with few benefits.
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