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Sacramento Kings GM Reveals 'Ideal' Lineup Change
Mar 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) battles for position with Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Sacramento Kings GM Reveals 'Ideal' Lineup Change

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Will Zimmerle  |  Last updated Jul 25, 2025 5:14 PM ET

For years, the Sacramento Kings have struggled due to a lack of size and athleticism, especially at the forward positions. But new GM Scott Perry has a goal to address that team need this offseason to help move Keegan Murray to a different spot in certain lineups.

The Kings came into the offseason with two main goals: to add a lead point guard and to add length and athleticism. They brought in Dennis Schröder to solve their point guard needs, but haven't fully addressed the need to add wing depth.

They drafted Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud, who both bring good size, but neither fits the 3/4 prototype of a 6-foot-8 to 6-foot-10 wing that could help Keegan Murray on the frontcourt.

But it appears that the need is still on Scott Perry's mind, as he stated when he joined Sactown Sports 1140 on the Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross.

"It's always on my radar to get better. That position, the four position, if a team has a good four-man, they're holding on to him," Perry stated. "In an ideal world, I'd like to be able to get Keegan more opportunities playing the small forward to allow us to play bigger as a team. "

With the roster as currently constructed, the Kings' only backup power forward options are Dario Saric, who may be more of a center at this point in his career, and second-year big Isaac Jones. Doug McDermott could fill in, but he's a little undersized for the power forward spot and the Kings shouldn't go into the season relying on him for more than a shooting spark off the bench.

It's also possible that Raynaud gets some time at the power forward spot, as he has the potential to be able to play next to Domantas Sabonis thanks to his outside shooting. But again, he's not the switchable wing that is so valuable in today's NBA.

The Kings are still tied to restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, with the two sides meeting for the first time in recent days, with the meeting going well between Perry and Kuminga. Bringing in the 22-year-old wing would certainly solve the problem that the Kings are facing and give them extra size on the wings.

A duo of Kuminga and Murray would be the best forward duo the Kings have had in recent years, potentially passing Harrison Barnes and Murray.

What will be interesting to see what happens if the Kings strike out on Kuminga and are unable to get a sign and trade done with the Warriors. Perry seems to be patient going into next season, taking his time to build the roster in a way that fits his long term vision.

There are a few options out there, including Precious Achiuwa and Kai Jones, or they could look to bring Trey Lyles, who they can go over the cap to sign since they have his bird rights.

For now, we appear to be stuck in a wait-and-see situation until the Kuminga deal is resolved, but it's at least good news that Perry still has the power forward spot on his mind as the offseason continues.


This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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