The Sacramento Kings said goodbye to two former All-Stars this offseason by waiving DeMar DeRozan and not bringing back Russell Westbrook. In their place, the Kings brought in another former All-Star in Ben Simmons.
Simmons was well on his way to superstardom. Before even turning 25, Simmons was a Rookie of the Year, an All-NBA selection, and a three-time All-Star. But alas, injuries and a tragic loss in confidence led to his career taking a nosedive. Last season, he did not even play on an NBA roster, instead choosing to focus on his other passions.
However, the Kings clearly saw something in Simmons that makes them feel confident in giving him a second chance, and they added a handful of other new faces. So, let's take a look at what their starting lineup and rotation will be heading into next season.
Updated 2026-27 Sacramento Kings depth chart
Remember, this depth chart is merely my opinion based on their current roster. We won't actually know what the team is thinking until Media Day, at the very least. Anyway, here is what I had in mind:
POSITION | FIRST STRING | SECOND STRING | THIRD STRING |
|---|---|---|---|
PG | Darius Acuff | Malik Monk | Adam Flagler |
SG | Zach LaVine | Emanuel Sharp | Daeqwon Plowden |
SF | De'Andre Hunter | Nique Clifford | Patrick Baldwin Jr. |
PF | Keegan Murray | Ben Simmons | Alex Karaban |
C | Domantas Sabonis | Maxime Raynaud | Dylan Cardwell |
Two things I want to point out before explaining these selections. First off, I think that depth charts are antiquated because, for a lot of teams, players play multiple positions. For instance, Malik Monk could log minutes at the one or two spot this season. And second, with the NBA's new anti-tanking rules, I'm going to assume that the Kings are going to play their best guys and try to win as many games as possible (while also trying to sneak in some development for their youngsters).
With that second point in mind, I think their starting lineup will be Darius Acuff (who the team selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft), Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, and Domantas Sabonis. I feel pretty confident that these are their five best players (outside of Acuff, who I still think the team will feel the need to start), but I could see a world where they start another one of their youngsters like Nique Clifford and move Hunter to the bench.
The first guy off the bench will be Malik Monk. Throughout his career with the Kings, Monk has always been at his best when he's coming off the bench. Clifford will also garner a lot of tick, as the organization views him pretty highly (trading up to get him in the 2025 NBA Draft), and I expect Maxime Raynaud to eat up most (if not all) of the minutes at the backup five after a promising rookie season.
Simmons and Sharp will probably round out the second unit, but I could see them using Daeqwon Plowden more than Sharp early on, given he has more experience with the team. At this point, I think Dylan Cardwell is a better player than all three of those guys, but have to leave him as a third stringer because the of the log jam the Kings have at the center spot. Adam Flagler, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Alex Karaban, and Jonathan Mogbo (who is on a two-way deal) will round out the rest of the roster.
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