It's hard to imagine a Sacramento King in a more precarious position than De'Andre Hunter. His first season with the Kings was short and unimpactful, and it kind of feels like the team has already moved past him. There's a real chance he ends up being traded at the 2027 deadline.
Sacramento was the NBA team fans expected the biggest moves from last season, both during the 2025 offseason and leading up to the 2026 trade deadline. As it turned out, neither scenario popped up, and all of the most important trades the Kings needed remain undone even now.
In the defense of the current front office, trying to move players like Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis with their massive contracts is a chore, to say the least. The team will eventually move on from LaVine and Sabonis, but it will take time to get there, though they will get there.
The only move the Kings got done prior to the 2026 trade deadline was shipping off Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis, and Dario Saric while bringing in De'Andre Hunter. It also made room to sign Dylan Cardwell to a full contract. Regardless, Hunter quite literally lasted one and a half games before being injured.
The NBA moves quickly, even in Sacramento
Hunter's injury benched him for the rest of the 2025-2026 season due to eye surgery. As it stands right now, he is fully recovered and has been cleared to return to the court. He should be good to go for training camp and will be ready for the next season, which should help with depth.
While Hunter will be a King when the season begins, it's harder to say what will happen around the trade deadline. The last 20 games of 2025-2026 saw significant improvement with the rookies and sophomores on the court. Hunter was on the bench for all of that, which wasn't his fault.
With the 2026 NBA Draft rookies now in the mix, the Kings are fully engulfed in their youth-centered rebuild process. The question will be how Hunter fits into that, if the Kings even want or need him do. Trading for him addressed problems last season, some that will look a lot different in 2026-2027.
The reality is that the Hunter trade was more about making room for Cardwell than anything else. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Kings use Hunter as part of another trade deadline move in 2027. Once the new season starts, Hunter will only have a few months to prove he belongs.
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