The Sacramento Kings head into 2026 hoping to be competitive in a very tightly contested Western Conference, but a recent rendition of the NBA tiers does not appear to be as optimistic.
The Sacramento Kings head into the 2026 to 2027 NBA season with the hope of becoming much more competitive than they were in 2025, a recent NBA tiers list may suggest that will not be the case.
On that note, ESPN national NBA writer Zach Kram did his NBA tiers, and it did not favor the Kings. In Kram's tiers, he ranked Sacramento in a category with the Chicago Bulls that was titled 'Noncompetitive, with their own pick.'
When looking at the tiers at first glance, it is not an ideal situation for the Kings to be in, as every NBA team wants to be competitive, but it is important to keep in mind the fact that Sacramento has several young players who could make key impacts.
Speaking of young players, the Kings just drafted guard Darius Acuff Jr. in the 2026 NBA Draft, and Sacramento also has guard Nique Clifford, who could very well take the next step.
Getting back to Kram, he did mention the fact that the Kings and Bulls are a lot different from the next category as they each have incentives to win enough games to boost their lottery odds because of the new rules.
With that in mind, the progression of the young players like Acuff and Clifford is paramount, but additionally, the Kings have to stay healthy, unlike they did last season, which is something that Kram also points out, as the trio of veterans Zach LaVine, Keegan, Murray, and Domantas Sabonis combined to play 81 games.
For a team like the Kings to have three starters combine for 81 games played is something that is absolutely brutal because it makes it even more difficult to compete in the Western Conference that is already very stacked at the top.
When analyzing the situation that the Kings are in, it is pretty clear that this team has a focus on the future rather than the present. It seems that way because of the emphasis on young talent, as well as the fact that there have been trade rumors surrounding Sabonis throughout the offseason, which is something Sacramento could pursue to get more draft compensation or simply additional young talent.
With that said, it feels like a successful season for the Kings looks something like boosting their draft lottery odds, seeing progression of young players, and being able to keep most of the veterans healthy.
If Sacramento can do those three things it is very possible that they could add more talent next offseason and potentially use the 2027 as the first step in trying to become a consistent playoff contender by at least making the play-in tournament at that point.
So, heading into the 2026 season, it is going to be very interesting to see how the Kings perform, the progression of the young players, the status of the veteran when it comes to health, and if Sacramento can get a high-end first-round pick with focus set on the future, which would then start with the 2027 NBA Draft.
