There are already a ton of indications that the 2025-26 Sacramento Kings campaign is likely to be a lost season. Keegan Murray is out 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury, Domantas Sabonis suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers (severity still unknown), Dennis Schroder isn’t playing like the floor general solution/missing piece the Kings have promised, the team isn’t playing the type of defense head coach Doug Christie has been trying to instill in them, the team has 870 guards and no one who can fill in effectively for Murray, the team signed another guard in Russell Westbrook instead of signing someone to help fill Murray’s role.
Did I cover everything? Probably not, but let’s move on.
Thursday, we got another indication that the rest of the teams in the league see the writing on the wall too, and are circling.
Sam Amick reported Thursday that a ton of opposing team scouts have been in attendance at the Kings games this preseason because they expect Sacramento to be selling at the trade deadline.
“There’s a reason that hordes of opposing scouts have been coming to the Kings’ games in this preseason, and it’s not because they’re dying to see if Dennis Schröder can truly unlock the core of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk and the like. It is, at least in part, because rival teams expect the Kings to be sellers by the time the February trade deadline comes around and need to evaluate their group to decide if their respective teams should come calling.”
Another item of note in Amick’s article is that he reported details of Christie’s coaching contract.
“Per league sources, the deal he signed in the offseason includes two guaranteed seasons and a team option for a third. He’ll earn approximately $2 million annually in the first two seasons, with a significant uptick in salary for the third season should the option be picked up. As first-world problems go, that’s the kind of contract that offers plenty of motivation to earn the next one.”
This article from January of 2025 gives you an idea of the salary ranges of the highest paid coaches in the NBA. Steve Kerr is at $17.5 million per season at the top, and Nick Nurse and Jason Kidd are tied for 10th on the list at $8.5 million.
I definitely am rooting for Doug to succeed, just like many of you though, I worry this is an impossible situation he is in.
One should seek therapy if one is still not past this stage of fandom.
Just $2M per year for Christie? I get that he’s a new head coach, but that’s a cheap ass front office for sure. Is he the lowest paid coach in the NBA?
For reference, Mike Brown was earning $8.5M per year in Sac and the Kings are paying him through 2027. Coach Brown is now making $10M per year in NY. Also, Mike Brown’s first head coaching stint in Cleveland payed him $2.5M….in the year 2005.
I don’t see what DC has done to deserve more than that. If he’s a good HC and the results are good, he’ll get a pay increase. Just my opinion.
I just see it as yet another example of a cheap ownership group taking the path of least resistance by having a new GM hire a Kings hero, without a coaching search, for a bare bones minimum salary. They are a deeply unserious franchise.
Why bring in all these aging star players to pair them with a cheap unqualified coach? It’s just about the names on the back of the jerseys and the face on the sideline in order to make money.
You factor in the California tax and he only taking home about 1.1 million. That pretty embarrassing for a head coach of a professional sports team.
This puts Christie in an awful situation, the players now know he has no real authority, more so that Perry bought Mike Woodson as assistant head coach
Think the Kings if they want to empower Christie as head coach should have demonstrated that more obviously
Rival scouts need to study up on all things Kangz
If things go south expect Kings to trade youth and picks for Kuminga and/or old guys.
We can’t trade Keegan this season, correct?
I would love if we’re sellers and acquiring assets at the deadline, but, as you said, we’ll probably be buyers of Kuzma/Kuminga/etc.
Yep
You’re not excited for the Kuzmanga Kangz??!!??
This would seem to make sense. but when has this Vivek franchise done anything that makes sense? 30% of the time? that seems fair.
OT: Keon is the same age as AJ Green and is better across the board, especially on defense. Kings need to give this kind of deal to Keon ASAP.
But we need to keep him unextended to move him for Kuminga in January.
I agree 4-45 would be great!
I take Amick’s report as a positive. One, it shows that other teams have interest in our players and secondly that FO’s believe there’s a chance the King’s FO comes to their wits and trade away vets once the season goes south.
If you look at the King’s roster and the contracts, there’s actually players that playoff teams would be interested in.
Dennis, Russ, DDR and Monk are all tradeable contracts that have value for playoff teams.
The big question will be if there’s a fire sale whether Domas and Lavine will be put on the table.
The ultimate goal should be playing time for Max, Nique, KE and whatever young players come over in trades and landing a top 3 pick in a loaded 2026 draft. In seven short months from now this roster could easily be in a much more younger, exciting and promising place. It’s going to take Vivek coming to his senses and Perry to be willing to make some big boy trades and not get fleeced the way Monte did so often, especially with the Fox trade.
The Fox trade has Vivek stink all over it. LaVine was on his wish list when Vlade was GM.
In order for one to come to their senses they must have sense in the first place. Vivek doesn’t have any.
Sure, but if they were interested in that, they wouldn’t have signed Westbrook and Schroeder and retained Monk.
Literally no one in the NBA wanted Westbrook at the vet minimum. He’s not here because he thinks this team is going anywhere. He’s here because it was either the Kings, an overseas deal or retirement.
Schroeder was a free agent who signed at about double his value. The only contract in that list that anyone wants is Ellis, and I expect him to go out for the most ball dominant, no defense, chucker wing they can find (Kuzma).
I’m curious as to what do you think Dennis, Russ, DDR and Monk would be worth as trade assets?
I’ve had this team pegged for a 36-46 season. Overnight, Vegas dropped the Kings from 38.5 wins to 34.5 wins. Look at me! I went from being a pessimist to being an optimist!
I’m so proud of you!
Keegan and Domas injuries definitely played a factor in that. Vegas must have watched the preseason, too.
Haven’t you hilariously always been over-estimating your win total predictions since 2006 or something? I think I remember you mentioning that in a nostradumbass thread.
Yep. I think that the 48-34 season may have been the only season where I wound up underestimating the win total.
My 35-47 looks pretty good right now. Then again this is the Kangz we are talking about.
I’m positive the Kings will suck this year.
Looking at the schedule, it is possible that the Kings go 5-17 by the time Dec 15 comes.
I know right? One can only dream
I think 5-17 might be a stretch. Maybe they beat Phoenix 1 game, Utah 1 game, Chicago 1 game? Outside of that, yikes.
The law of improbability will mean that they will win 1 or 2 games vs top 8 teams in either conference.
Reminder that this team either beats or almost wins against good teams and is pretty much trash against average and trash teams lol
how does the 2026 draft class look?
Cam Boozer would be a nice PF, top 3 pick. There is some decent talent from what I have read.
Can he play
SFSG?LOSE FOR BOOZ!
YAYZ FOR BOOZ
I like booze…
Kings fans, get the Booze!
Badge Legend