The Sacramento Kings were ranked last in the latest projections that takes a look at the future for each NBA team.
The Sacramento Kings seem to be in a decent spot to be better during the 2026 season than they were in 2025, however, the latest future projection does not expect the Kings to make much improvement long term.
Recently, several NBA insiders put out a piece on ESPN that projected the future for each NBA team, and in that projection, the Kings ranked last.
In this projection, NBA insider Bobby Marks talked about the fact that the Kings essentially have two timelines, as they have a group of veterans that includes Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, and DeAndre Hunter, but they also have a younger timeline led by rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr., who looks to be a young star.
With that said, the Kings are in a very tough spot, as they have solid veteran players, but they also have young players who need to progress. Ultimately, head coach Doug Christie has to make the call on how to develop the young players versus the veterans.
Even though the Kings do have different timelines, Marks did note that there is some good news in that Sacramento ranks top 12 in the NBA when it comes to draft picks and financial flexibility, so that should give the Kings an opportunity to build for the future if the veterans do not elevate the ceiling of this team.
Now, when it comes to looking at this team across the board, these NBA insiders do not seem optimistic that the Kings can succeed as Sacramento received the worst overall ranking, but it does not stop there.
For the overall rating on the future power rankings, the Kings received a 27, and the next closest team received a 34. That is a pretty sizable gap. NBA insider Dean Oliver actually noted that the difference between the Kings, last with a rating of 27, and the Los Angeles Clippers are second to last with a rating of 34, is the largest gap seen at least since the 2017 version of the power rankings.
So, clearly, the Kings do need to figure out a way to progress Acuff to be one of the top players for this team somewhat quickly, and additionally, Sacramento must decide what is going to happen with the veterans, whether that be using them to develop the young talent or using them in trades to acquire more draft capital as well as young and up-and-coming players.
While the NBA insiders do not seem to be very optimistic on what the Kings will be, consistent progression from Acuff and second-year guard Nique Clifford as well as big moves from general manager Scott Perry could move the needle and put Sacramento in a position to become one of the more interesting teams to watch moving forward.
