Is There Any Light Left In The Kings’ Beam?

Taking the Los Angeles Clippers’ title of California’s most embarrassing organization, the Sacramento Kings have now lost a franchise record 16 straight games. That’s a startling level of incompetence, even for an organization with 52 losing seasons in their 78-year history (the Kings dropping at least 50 games in 25 of those seasons). Now the team that made lighting the beam popular has to squint to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Is There Any Light Left In The Kings’ Beam?

Domantas Sabonis wasn’t the offensive fulcrum he’d been in years past. All the same, he’s a skilled and intelligent double-double machine. After undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus, he’s out for the season.

Zach LaVine also saw his usage decline this season, not that it stopped him from being an efficient scorer. He’s also going to be sidelined for the remainder of 2025-26, albeit with a hand injury.

The latest key veteran to go down for Sacramento was De’Andre Hunter, who they acquired at the trade deadline. Requiring eye surgery to address iritis, his recovery timeline effectively ends his 2025-26 campaign.

To make matters even worse, undrafted rookie Dylan Cardwell will be out for the next four weeks. A retro center who eats nails for breakfast, Cardwell recently signed a four-year contract with the Kings. Sacramento’s starter with Sabonis on the mend, fellow rookie Maxime Raynaud has made his presence felt on the scoreboard and backboard. Even so, Cardwell’s rim-protection is unmatched by any of Sacramento’s centers and could have helped them turn their season around.

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Losing Sabonis and LaVine’s offense left a void, especially with Malik Monk‘s playing time stuck in gear. However, it created an opening for better defenders to step into.

In Sabonis’s case, that player was Cardwell. In LaVine’s, it’s Nique Clifford, who’s infinitely more active and focused at that end. The 24th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Clifford is more suited to be a connector than a featured scorer, as the Kings are learning. Yet, entering Saturday’s game, Sacramento’s opponents scored 118.8 points per 100 possessions when Clifford is on the floor. That’s 5.2 fewer points per 100 possessions than when he’s off it (124.0).

Hunter hasn’t been a steady scorer this season, but his defense was being counted on too.

With that in mind, Keegan Murray has returned to the lineup after a month-long absence. Still, they’re one long-limbed perimeter defender short. With an open roster spot, Sacramento could attempt to address at least one of their issues. Jae Crowder, who played for the Kings last season, is still on the free agent market. So is Ben Simmons, who they were connected to last summer.

So far as their temporary lack of a shot-blocking specialist, signing Ibou Badji to a two-way contract would be a rational route. In his lone NBA season (2023-24), he averaged 0.9 blocks in just 10.3 minutes per game (3.2 blocks per 36 minutes). While playing for the Greensboro Swarm this season, he’s averaging 2.4 blocks in 16.6 minutes per game.

Playoffs, Play-In, Or Play The Lottery?

The Kings are currently 15.5 games out of 10th-place in the West right now. With 24 games remaining, they would need a miracle of sorts just to make it to the Play-In Tournament. Suffice it to say, they’d arguably be better served by focusing on the 2026 NBA Draft than the 2026 NBA Playoffs. After all, with the worst record (12-46) in the league, they’re the odds-on favorite to land the No. 1 pick.

With several lottery-bound freshmen facilitators, they might not need Lady Luck on their side to secure a franchise point guard. That’s a blessing for a franchise that’s been far too reliant on a 37-year-old and obviously declining Russell Westbrook. However, if they do get the opportunity to make the first selection in the upcoming draft, they could land a prototypical wing prospect in BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. Hypothetically, he’d replace LaVine, providing Sacramento with a more rounded player. Yet, because he has enough length to play small forward, the Kings will have a few options moving forward.