After falling short of expectations in the 2025–26 season, the Sacramento Kings can no longer afford to stick with the status quo. The franchise appears to recognize this, having overhauled its leadership by hiring a new general manager, Scott Perry, and assistant GM, B.J. Armstrong, while also reshaping the coaching staff—retaining only Doug Christie.
But with a roster full of issues, leadership changes alone won’t be enough to right the ship. Fixing the situation may require a complete rebuild or, at minimum, a carefully executed re-tooling strategy.
The challenge? Sacramento lacks the kind of valuable assets needed to spark a dramatic turnaround. As a result, the team may be forced to consider moving on from its most promising young player to jumpstart the next phase of its evolution.
The Kings are at a crossroads—they need to either rebuild or re-tool their roster, but the challenge lies in the limited value of their trade chips.
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are likely the two players Sacramento would most prefer to move this offseason. However, LaVine’s massive contract has severely diminished his trade value, and while DeRozan could draw some interest, his age and inconsistent plus-minus impact make it unlikely the Kings get much in return—though creative deals may still exist.
Malik Monk has some positive value around the league, but his recent struggles when tasked with starting point guard duties cap his potential return. Domantas Sabonis could fetch a meaningful haul, but if the Kings opt to re-tool instead of rebuild, they’ll likely want to keep him as a foundational piece.
If a full-scale rebuild is the chosen path, it would make sense for the Kings to retain 24-year-old two-way forward Keegan Murray. But even if they dealt both Monk and Sabonis, the return may still fall short of what’s needed to jumpstart a true rebuild.
That leaves the front office with a tough question: does Murray’s age and trajectory align with their new timeline, or will they have to make a hard call—similar to what the Wizards did with Deni Avdija—and trade him to acquire additional draft capital?
Despite some inconsistency with his shooting over the past two seasons, Murray has evolved into one of the NBA’s most versatile defenders. He’s the kind of player who could log heavy minutes for a playoff team or be a key building block for a rebuild. How Sacramento handles his future this offseason could speak volumes about their long-term direction.