The outlook for the Sacramento Kings is uncertain. They’ve dismissed former Coach of the Year Mike Brown and traded away their franchise cornerstone, De’Aaron Fox. In return for Fox, the Kings received Zach LaVine, a lottery-protected first-round pick from the Bulls this year, and two additional future first-rounders.
While the extra draft picks could help shape their long-term roster, dealing a 27-year-old former All-NBA guard without securing a promising young piece from the Spurs was a puzzling move. Rather than targeting San Antonio’s Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle or a versatile wing like Devin Vassell, Sacramento chose to reunite LaVine with DeMar DeRozan.
That duo struggled to find consistent success in Chicago, largely due to injuries, and expecting them to suddenly thrive in the tougher Western Conference seemed overly optimistic.
Together with Domantas Sabonis, LaVine and DeRozan managed to guide the Kings to the Play-In Tournament, but their run was short-lived. A 120–106 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks silenced the usually electric Golden 1 Center.
In the aftermath, Sacramento parted ways with general manager Monte McNair, replacing him with former Knicks GM Scott Perry. Perry returns to the Kings after previously serving as vice president of basketball operations for a brief stint in 2017.
It’s now official: Scott Perry will lead the Kings’ front office alongside Doug Christie, who has been named the team’s full-time head coach. As reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Sacramento removed Christie’s interim label and signed him to a multi-year deal. The Kings went 27–24 under his leadership following Mike Brown’s dismissal, ranking ninth in offensive efficiency during that span.
Establishing stable leadership—with new perspectives in the front office—was a vital first step toward reshaping the franchise. Now, the next key decision revolves around the future of Domantas Sabonis.
Team owner Vivek Ranadivé has historically shown reluctance toward a full-scale rebuild. That likely explains why the Kings traded De’Aaron Fox for Zach LaVine and draft picks, rather than targeting younger, developmental talent to build for the long term.
Although Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan are all under contract, the Kings’ limited cap space this offseason means they’ll need to find creative ways to add meaningful talent. As things stand, the roster appears poised for a similar outcome to the past two years—another early exit in the Play-In Tournament.