With two new teams looming, Sacramento faces tough choices. From high-priced veterans to promising sharpshooters, see which players the Kings might leave exposed in an expansion draft.
League expansion is gaining momentum, as ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the NBA is targeting the 2028-29 season to add two more teams.
An expansion draft will likely take place in 2028, and teams can protect eight players, leaving the rest in the draft pool.
The question for the Sacramento Kings is: who will they not protect? Bleacher Report's Dan Davale and Grant Hughes predicted which players the team would not protect if an expansion draft happened this year.
Zach LaVine
LaVine on this list is no surprise, given Sacramento failed to find a trade suitor for him and he has a $49 million player option.
Injuries bested him last season, as he underwent season-ending surgery to repair a tendon tear in his right pinky, limiting him to 39 games. He's had season-ending surgery for the second time in the last three seasons.
The first happened in the 2023-24 season on his right foot, and he played 25 games.
His skill set has also become slightly redundant with the Kings drafting Darius Acuff Jr. seventh overall in June.
Malik Monk
Monk has reportedly been on the trade block since last offseason, when Sacramento attempted to acquire Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors.
He carved out a successful tenure in Sacramento as one of the NBA's best sixth men. Monk lost a historically close Sixth Man of the Year award race to Naz Reid by two first-place votes.
The 6-foot-3 guard is owed $40 million over the next two seasons. Perry has attempted to move his contract off the books for more financial flexibility, making him one of several Kings veterans whose futures are at stake.
Alex Karaban
Not protecting Karaban, the 29th draft pick, is a tough decision. There is too much young talent on the roster worth protecting, like Maxime Raynaud and Acuff, which makes him an odd man out in this scenario.
Daeqwon Plowden
Plowden is a victim of a similar situation to Karaban, as you'll see in the final non-protected selections. He is at the back end of the team's rotation, having played 32 of the 50 maximum games for two-way players.
Emanuel Sharp
Sharp would be another tough loss, especially with his comments about wanting to be in Sacramento. He brings a championship pedigree from college and is a sniper from beyond the arc, basically a shorter Karaban, but with more defensive prowess.
Ben Simmons
Simmons is a gamble signing from Perry, as he is returning to the NBA after taking last season off to recover from injuries.
He signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract two weeks ago, and the 6-foot-10 forward brings the perfect mold of size, playmaking, and defense. Simmons is far removed from his prime, creating a mystique about what his impact will be.
