After being eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the NBA Play-In Tournament, the Sacramento Kings’ 2024-25 season has officially come to an end.
With that chapter closed, the team now turns its attention to preparing for the 2025-26 season. This offseason promises to be a challenging one, featuring a number of difficult decisions for their newly structured front office, now headed by general manager Scott Perry.
Will they officially name Doug Christie as head coach? Could they explore trades involving Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, or Domantas Sabonis? Will they opt for a rebuild or simply tweak the roster?
None of these decisions will come easily. However, there is at least one roster move that should be a clear and straightforward choice for Perry.
The Kings shouldn’t think twice about picking up Keon Ellis’ team option
NBA contracts can include two types of options: player options and club options. A player option allows the athlete to decide whether to play the final year of their deal, while a club option gives that choice to the team.
Currently, Keon Ellis is under a club option for the 2025-26 season, which means the Kings have the authority to determine whether they want to retain him. And as the title of this article implies, this should be a no-brainer—Sacramento should absolutely exercise Ellis’ team option.
Ellis has now delivered back-to-back seasons proving he fits the mold of the reliable three-and-D contributor the Kings have been lacking. On top of that, he’s producing far beyond the value of his current deal.
In 2025-26, Ellis is set to earn $2.3 million. Yet based on his performance this past season, his on-court value is projected at $16.3 million (see the next sentence’s hyperlink for details on that estimate). He already had one of the most cost-effective contracts in the league this season, and that trend should continue if he maintains his level of play.
The only scenario in which the Kings should even consider declining Ellis’ option would be to negotiate a multi-year extension to keep him in Sacramento long term—similar to how the Pacers handled Andrew Nembhard’s contract last year.
Either way, Scott Perry’s simplest decision this offseason will be ensuring Ellis remains on the roster for the 2025-26 campaign.