Sacramento Kings 2025-26 season preview: West playoff contender or Beam Team pretender?

The 2025-26 NBA season is here! Over the next few weeks, we’re examining the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and win projections for all 30 franchises — from the still-rebuilding teams to the true title contenders.

2024-25 finish

• Record: 40-42 (9th in West, eliminated in play-in tournament)

Offseason moves

• Additions: Dennis Schröder, Nique Clifford, Dario Å arić

• Subtractions: Jonas ValanÄiÅ«nas, Jake LaRavia

Can Zach LaVine help lift the Kings in the loaded West? (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

The Big Question: Which direction are the Kings headed?

It seems like just yesterday that the Kings were Lighting the Beam, riding good vibes to a 48-34 record and their first playoff appearance since the 2005-06 season. Domantas Sabonis was an All-Star for the first time in the Western Conference, and De’Aaron Fox was an All-Star for the first time ever. They were surrounded by young talent, and their trade of Tyrese Haliburton had not yet come to haunt them.

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Two seasons have past since, and though they have made the play-in tournament each time, they do not have another playoff appearance to show for it. Gone is Fox, who they traded for Zach LaVine, someone who has played four playoff games in 11 seasons. Following that midseason deal in February, Sacramento finished the season with a 15-18 record — owners of a bottom-10 defense — and lost its play-in opener.

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Then, the Kings watched as Haliburton made a miraculous run to the NBA Finals for the Indiana Pacers.

Sabonis, the prize in return for Haliburton, is still there. He is still a great offensive player, capable of posting a triple-double on any given night, and he is still a detriment to fielding a title-caliber defense.

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Likewise, LaVine is an incredible individual scorer, but he offers little in the way of defensive resistance. The same could be said of a 36-year-old DeMar DeRozan, another great individual scorer. Problem is, when last LaVine and DeRozan shared the wings together on the Chicago Bulls, they won only 39 games.

In Fox’s stead there is newcomer Dennis Schröder, the EuroBasket MVP. His performance as the point guard for Germany this summer was the latest reason to believe in his ability to make a similar impact on the NBA level, but we have 12 seasons of evidence that suggests otherwise, and he is no defensive savior.

This team is not without talent. Everyone mentioned above is a good player — three All-Stars and the best player in Europe this summer, to be fair. There are also recent first-round picks Keegan Murray, Devin Carter and Nique Clifford, all of whom carry with them considerable promise. Keon Ellis is a 25-year-old member of their core. (It seems they are looking to trade Malik Monk, though he is there, too.)

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And together this group could generate a top-10 offense, but, man, that defense is going to be hard to overcome, especially in this West. They currently have the 11th-highest projected win total in the West, according to BetMGM, which would put them outside the play-in picture for the first time in four years.

So, which direction are they headed?

Best-case scenario

Everyone jells and plays to the best of his ability, and the Kings are a surprisingly exciting offense — one that moves the ball and scores from all three levels, including the midrange, where DeRozan is still king. They remain committed to defense, even if they are not that talented on that end, and they squeeze out another play-in tournament bid, with a real chance to emerge for a first playoff appearance since 2023.

If everything falls apart

The defense is so bad that the Kings stop playing the sort of offense that can win games and start playing hero ball. Everyone is vying for his next contract, only we can all see that, and none of their top pieces — Sabonis, LaVine or DeRozan — holds any trade value. They hinder the development of Sacramento’s recent draft picks, and there is little hope next season will be any different, save for another lottery pick.

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2025-26 schedule

• Season opener: Oct. 22 at Phoenix

The Kings, I fear, are the same old Kings again. Take the under. Pray for pingpong balls.

More season previews

East: Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards

West: Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • Los Angeles Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz

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