Update: 8:30 p.m.
This was another basketball game the Sacramento Kings lost. The 13th in a row in fact. This time to the 14th place New Orleans Pelicans, 120-94. The 15th place Kings shot 13% from three, 67% from the free throw line, gave up 29 points off turnovers and lost fast break points by 18. Solid loss.
Maxime Raynaud had a nice game though, finishing with 21 points and 19 rebounds (!), in 38 minutes. Dylan Cardwell added 11 rebounds, 6 points, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 32 minutes. Nique Clifford cooled off from his last game, scoring 10 points in 37 minutes, but he did get 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Devin Carter played 30 minutes and finished with 12 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
The Kings are 12-43.
From Earlier Preview:
The Kings have 28 games remaining in the 2025-26 NBA season, and this is certainly one of them.
Who: Sacramento Kings (12-42) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (14-40)
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
When: 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET
Watch: NBCSCA / League Pass
Under regular circumstances we could be looking at an all-time tank-off tonight in New Orleans. Both teams are dreadful and desperately in need of top-flight draft talent, however the Pelicans might be one of the few teams in a worse position than the Kings. They do not own their 2026 first round pick, meaning they have every reason to not tank. And yet, all they seem to do is lose.
The Kings are once again without a large portion of their veterans – De’Andre Hunter, Zach LaVine, Doug McDermott, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis have all be ruled out. No complaints here.
I think this is the first time I’ve ever said this, but it’s true: Devin Carter is the player I’m most looking forward to watching right now. Carter is finally getting consistent playing time, and has scored in double figures (10, 14, 18) in each of the last three games. This is the first time Carter has reached three-straight games of double-digit scoring in his NBA career.
I don’t want to oversell it, but Carter looks… alright? Better late than never, but it’s a minor crime that it has taken the Kings this long to give him an extended look. Let’s hope the momentum continues tonight, but not enough to secure the win.
Prediction: Kings 119, Pelicans 109.
These teams are just two games apart;
Winning games for neither is smart.
The Pels could sit Zion.
Who will Doug rely on?
With Vivek we’re doomed from the start!
+1 The losses continue!
I’m still bullish on Carter, as I have been since before the 2024 draft. I’m just glad we are finally getting a chance to see what the Kings have in him. The guy will (imo) become an elite defender and he rebounds at a high clip for a guard. If his shot falls and / or he learns how to effectively drive to the basket, he could still justify his draft position. I just think that he hasn’t had a fair shake within the offense. And I don’t have to squint to see the potential.
How come good things can’t happen like this for our team?
I wonder what it would cost him. He’d have to buy it back at a higher price than he sold it for. That’s not very “shark tank.”
I don’t how connected he is to Dallas, but dude would be a legend if he purchased an expansion team and put in Seattle.
i’d contribute to a statue if he bought out Vivek
Yeah, where are the Maloofs when you need them?
I doubt anything comes of this. They can’t want to buy the team back but it doesn’t mean the current owners are going to sell.
Carter is a good way to remind me how poorly I can recognize NBA level talent. I’ve seen guys in Summer League who look pretty darn good and never amount to anything.
There is so much that goes into being “a playa”. Talent, of course, speed/quickness, athleticism, skills at something in particular and at a high enough level overall, and the head that can put together “a game”. Ben McLemore had all of the tangibles and none of the intangibles. Alex Caruso, Lu Dort are two that come to mind that didn’t look like they would ever be an important part of an NBA championship run.
Devin Carter – I dunno. It’s easy to criticize his moonball. It’s even easier to look at Kel’el Ware, DaSilva, etc. who were drafted after him and wonder why he was so high on draft boards. But those who are brighter and smarter and more experienced believed in him. The Kings didn’t need another guard and that has a lot to do with his playing time and opportunity, but still, if he is good, he is good (and if he is not, he is not).
This is the first time I’ve seen the Pels play this season. Can someone explain why they are so bad? Mismatched parts? Coaching? Shooting? Injuries?
I feel they look good on paper, so what gives? I say that in thinking the Kings never looked good on paper.
Injuries mostly, their roster construction is generally decent (way better than SACs), but they lack quality team-management, coaching, and a winning culture, just like the Kangz.
Joe Dumars leads their basketball operations so that probably plays a part as well.
There were 5 terrible teams at the bottom: Kings, Wiz, Pacers, Nets and NOP. That’s crowded. The Kings have the most remaining games against these opponents- 6 at start of tonight, Now 5. Playing them is good because you can lose.
Pels look too good for this bunch of cellar dwellers and they play the kings twice more. Wiz have a better roster if they play Trae and Day to Day. Nets are a wild card but they did win tonight. Pacers are serious about losing. They have to in order to keep their pick
I think Pels start to win, leaving 4 and either Nets or Wiz win a few. Pacers will finish last , Kings second or third
There is a top 4 in the draft- Peterson, AJ, Boozer and Caleb. But there are at least 2 PG’s right below that- Brown and Flemings. I would be happy with either of them
Just keep losing. Max got 19 boards! And Clifford has to find consistency.
Plus Pels have no incentive to tank. Their pick is gone.
Don’t forget the Jazz. Ainge considers tanking an art form and still wants to add to his roster this draft even though he got JJJ.
It will be difficult for them to catch us with our five game lead. But Kangz…
I just started watching the game and I’ve heard Kayte say “listen” three times. We need a Kayte Christensen “listen” drinking game.
Listen, we’d all get alcohol poisoning!
Let me tell you something, I’d enjoy these games more blacked out.
You’d black out by the end of the 1st quarter… which now is not sounding all that bad. You may be on to something here.
Listen, I know!
drunk
Listening to her when she’s on the Carmichael Dave show makes me want to drive off a bridge. She somehow manages to be both condescending and incredibly defensive simultaneously.
Instant station changer for me.
The Kings are infinitly more entertaining with DeRozan, Westbrook, and LaVine off the floor.
Wish Coach Christi would tell Westbrook to load manage a few games !
But he’s the tank commander!
It looks like DeRozen got old overnight.
He’s clearly tired and should be on the bench.
The definition of stupidity: Westbrook and DeRozan have taken nearly half the total shot attempts.
And the Kings are down by nearly 20. It’s working.
I know right? They might actually catch up if they pull the vet tank leaders.
Naw, the Kings rookies are barely a notch above G-Leaguers. It doesn’t matter who they play.
Russ just jogs back on defense. He doesn’t deserve the playing time he gets.
March 1st is the deadline, I believe, that teams can add players for the playoffs. I wonder if the Kings will release him before them.
It will be a question of timing because they will need to add a regular rostered player within 14 days of releasing him to get bay to 14 players. The longer they wait, the cheaper the pro-rated replacement will be. It’s relevant because the Kings are so close to the tax line. I get the feeling the Kings are just biding their time.
If it’s a financial decision to be made, I have faith in this organization doing the absolute cheapest option in all circumstances.
I would expect the Kings to release him if a team is interested in him. Maybe the break will give Russ time to search for a match.
But he’s the tank commander!!
Said it before, I’ll say it again: Nobody wanted or wants Westbrick. If they do then they’re incompetent. Kings are going to keep him all year.
What a great night, we’re streaking like never before and are now out to a full 2 game lead on 2nd place; 3.5 games ahead of 3rd. A couple more Ls and I’ll start to believe in this team again. For the first time all season, I almost felt the glimmer of a wink of a sliver of a desire to stop boycotting this team! Almost.
I think the play-in is out of reach.
Youngsters gelling with their future teammates and getting reps in. I’m all for that.
I don’t hear it mentioned much, but could the players, especially the veterans, be tuning out Christie?
It has been known to happen on bad teams. It even happens on good ones now.
I’m sure he tries hard, but I don’t think that there is much that Christie can do that he hasn’t already done.
Keep playing the young guys more and more. It doesn’t really matter if the vets aren’t listening. What they are doing is taking a lot of shots in this now historically bad season and it’s not working. Bench Zach and tell him he ain’t playing next year if he opts in.
Or be a passive aggressive leader and ask Zach “have you considered playing somewhere else next year? We’d be happy to discuss this with your agent”
Doug strikes me as a good teacher, but a lousy coach. He has a place on an NBA bench, but I think he has proven that it isn’t the head coach’s seat.
Heh, well someone on the Kings sure doesn’t seem happy.
I feel bad for DeRozan because he seems like a genuinely great dude. His 2024 book Above the Noise is really good. However, he should have rested tonight and that’s partially on the coaches and staff.
It’s the moment DDR realized he should have never listened to his agent when he advised DDR to sign that contract with Sac.
It took him this long to realize that???
That was some ugly basketball.
Tank on!
Today, February 10th marks the 3 month countdown to the most important day of the Sacramento Kings season!
The NBA Draft Lottery happens on May 10th!
(Draft Day has yet to be announced)
Pipe the (ping pong) balls down!
Am I the only one who would be comfortable with the Kings having around the 4th pick?
I’m looking at this Peterson guy and all I think of is Pervis “Out of Service” Ellison?
I know all his injuries aren’t career threathening, but something feels off with him. He makes me nervous and I’m never nervous. I’d rather someone else finds out.
PS I have been wrong once or twice.
At this point Ive signed up for this type of tanking to get the best draft position possible. Will Vivek mismanage the pick regardless of where it falls? More than likely.
Red flag for sure with Peterson.
Harken back to the NBA 2008-09 season.
Kings Head Coach Reggie Theus was replaced by Kenny Natt on the way to a League worst 17-65 (!) record (Washington Wizards were next at 19-63), in this modern version of no matter how much things appear different, the stay much the same.
The Kings suck and so do the Wizards. The Kings hired a legacy Head Coach and are having a horrible season. The owner(s) are imbeciles.
The Kings, despite the best odds of getting the first pick in the draft, ended up 4th. With the 4th pick, Sacramento selected U. of Memphis guard Tyreke Evans. The draft went Clippers (Blake Griffin), Grizzlies (Hasheem Thabeet!), OKC (James Harden) and then Evans. Ricky Rubio, then Jonny Flynn to the Timberwovles (Khan!!!!!) with Wardell Stephon Curry to the Golden State Warriors.
For this draft, Kings are the odds on favorites to select Thabeet or Evans or Jonny Flynn.
Counterpoint: Jalen Johnson.
You have a valid concern, however. It’s not a given with Peterson. That said, he seems like the premier talent in this draft, and I’d hate for the Kings to overthink this, pass on the talent for a safer pick, and wind up regretting it for a decade.
If his mom cuts his steak and/or his agent is mean to Vlade, then we should pass though. Right?
And of course, Pervis was the only Kings #1 pick in their history, in what would be hard to argue against as the worst draft in NBA history.
(Though LaRue Martin might be the least successful #1 pick in NBA history, his draft class had Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal, Julius Erving among others. Kwame Brown 2001 is another bad #1, but again, many All-Stars in that draft. That is not the case for the Pervis Ellison draft class though it did feature three HoF-ers Tim Hardaway is one, Dino Radja is a wild one, but in there.. the other is an advisor to the Kings and former GM).
Markelle Fultz is failed, fragile #1, Greg Oden is another I can think of. Blake Griffin fractured his knee cap and missed his rookie year.
Darryn Peterson, at times, does look, Jordan-esque. I would be delighted if the Kings drafted him. He probably would not be. And the result of his physical are yet to be determined or announced.
I don’t love any of the top guys. They all have some big issues, for me at least.
Peterson – health
Boozer – defense, especially on the perimeter, leaves a lot to be desired.
Wilson – does he have an offensive game outside of paint touches and transition? Is he Jonathan Isaac 2.0?
Dybantsa – has struggled against the better teams in college.
I haven’t seen much of Flemings or Wagler. Brown Jr. can’t shoot or play defense.
Flemings or Brown, almost no matter what.
Peterson just does not play, why is he always “injured”?
Boozer lacks foot speed, AJ fails against top competition. Wilson Is Jonathan Isaac.
Brown hit a ton of 3’s the other day, scored 45.
Boozer looks mighty appealing at #3
Boozer looks might appealing at #1. As does AJ.
Peterson #1, AJ #2, Boozer #3 is how I see it going
My theory is that Peterson sees the Kings as the team most likely to draft number one, and is tanking to avoid being taken first.
worst team never gets first pick
If you have reservations draft him then trade him, that’s what smart team would do
Just wanted to point out that a lot of the NBA is still active in shaping their rosters. Teams have released players, signed others, filled empty 2-way spots, etc. The Kings…crickets.
Two-way’s don’t count against the cap, so the only reasoning I can think of not filling the empty-two-way is either apathy or being really fucking cheap. I was thinking about this last night when the Kings only had 10 bodies dressed to play.
FWIW, two-way deals typically are half of the rookie minimum, so around $600K for a full season. The season is well over half way, so any 2-way contract offered by the Kings right now would be less than $300K.
Maybe they are waiting to see if another team releases someone so the Kings can fill the two-way spot? Idk, I find it to be insignificant at this point in the season.
Well sure, it’s not gong to have an effect on the season, but I feel it’s worth handing out some 10-days and a 2-way to try and find a diamond. As a team in dead last place, it doesn’t hurt to try and find some cheap talent, even if it is end of the bench talent.
see:
Achiuwa, Precious
(and I guess also, Westbrook, Russell)
What do you mean by those guys? They don’t qualify for 2-way deals. My only point was try out some guys because you might find the next Dylan Cardwell or Keon Ellis. Lock them in on a 2-way and control their rights for next season as a RFA.
Also, I believer a team cannot add a 2-way to the roster after March 1st, so the Kings basically have 20 days to kick some tires.
I think the point was that Precious is a good example of a player signed after typical deals would be done more then an example of a 2 way player. An example of a diamond so-to-speak
Oh, ok. It would be nice to use the last roster spot on a vet, but I don’t think the Kings have the cap space to do it on a pro-rated vet minimum salary, especially if they do end up buying out Russ. Adding a vet is also just wasted money unless you give them a second year. Why pay a guy for 30 games if he’s just going to walk this summer?
A 2-way, however, doesn’t count against the cap and the rights of a 2-way can be converted into a RFA.
Basically, it’s an opportunity for the Kings to try…something…anything. Sure it’s a very long shot, but a team like the Kings needs every shot it can get.
I think the Kings can’t as they are really close to the luxury tax line, so any players they picked up would put them into the tax. Its ok as Scott Perry has a plan
There is a way to add a regular rostered player. Here’s how I would do it if I were running this shit show.
1) Kings are just a hair over $1m below the tax, but why waste that money on a pro-rated vet for 30 games who will bail this summer.
2) I say give a standard deal to one of the remaining 2-way guys. I don’t care which one.
3) It should be about $800K for the remainder of the season, which fits under the tax. For reference, Cardwell’s deal was for around $800K
4) Add a second non-guaranteed year (26′-27′) to the contract. this give the Kings a cheap roster piece if need be, a tradable offseason asset, or a cost free summer cut. This also gets them a camp invite.
5) Now at 15 rostered players, cut Russ and let him join a contender. Kings now sit at the 14 required players.
6) Kings now have two open 2-way slots. Fills those with anyone you want to kick the tires for the rest of the season. Each should cost $300K and don’t count against the cap.
The only things stoping this is a cheap ass owner who refuses to cut the checks, but it’s a way to mine for a diamond…in fact, two shots at a diamond. I feel it is something smart franchises would do, so it probably won’t happen because Kangz.
why improve the team?
Id go with “really fucking cheap”. Vivek isnt going to get any of that sweet sweet 1 game play in revenue he has grown accustom to.
Don’t forget for some reason we sent out a 2nd round pick + Keon to move the Shroder contract and save the Cavs close to $50 million in Luxury tax payments.
That money gets split among the non tax paying teams. Vivek has to recoup that money somewhere.
Guys good news! One more loss in row and we can tie a franchise record… but two more losses and we can set a franchise record this season.
The all time franchise record is 14 consecutive losses, set twice in 1960 and 1971-72 when the team was known as the Cincinnati Royals.
Mmm, interesting.
Wow, I with there were a way the Kings could add him.
How could they not trade him at the deadline? Saric and McDermott for him would have been perfect! The dude is only making $7M this year and was about to hit RFA.
Made a suggestion about a month ago:
Jman1949
January 8, 2026 2:20 pm
Reply to Jack
I’d rather take a look at Sochan and the rights to the Utah 2026 2nd rounder for Keon and Saric.
^^^
and Jman can rhyme too!
Suggestion: start working on some version of a weekly affirmation, they neednn’t have to be Mondays, but could be. I would be very supportive of your taking the reins as Sacramento Kings GM (maybe change your name to GMan)
That would have been solid.
Other being a defender, what does he do well?
He is a theoretical good passer, but he doesn’t seem to actually do much on the court, especially offensively.
Someone will pick him up, but I don’t see him being a difference maker.
I am always wary of players that leave the stables of either the Spurs, Heat or Warriors. These teams do a wonderful job of highlighting the strengths of their players and their on court showings seem to pale at their next team (Gabe Vincent, Jordan Poole)
Not sayin’, jus’ sayin’
I counter you a Beno. No one expected that!
Poor man’s Draymond Green. I feel he has a role in the NBA and he doesn’t turn 23 until next month. He’s exactly the kind of tire this franchise needs to kick. It sounds like he could have been had for a box of rocks.
Non-shooters that don’t really excel at other things tend to not last long in the league.
On the Kings, he probably gets minutes though.
I think there are plenty of dudes that are non-shooter that make in the NBA, as long as they have superior skills in other categories. I already mentioned Green, but there are guys like Dyson Daniels and the Thompson Twins. Paolo Banchero and Scottie Barnes can’t hit the side of a barn, but they are legit.
To be clear, I’m not saying Sochan is among those kind of guys, but if he can embrace the role of defender and playmaker, there is definitely a role for him in the league.
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