Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes recently released his Win-Loss predictions for all 30 NBA teams. Unsurprisingly, Hughes projected the Sacramento Kings to finish this season with a record of 33-49 and in 12th place in the Western Conference, representing a steep drop from last season’s 9th-place finish and Play-In Tournament appearance. This projection is slightly more bleak than what other outlets have put out, but the pessimism is not without merit.
In the 2022-2023 season, the Sacramento Kings won at least 40 games (48) for the first time since the 2005-2006 season and ended their 16-year playoff drought. Despite losing a very tough 7-game series to the Golden State Warriors in the first round, many pundits and fans around the league thought that the Kings had finally turned the corner and were perhaps heading towards a period of solid contention.
Instead, the ensuing two seasons have seen the Kings trend downward, from those 48 wins in 2022-2023, to 46 wins in the 2023-2024 season, and slipping again to just 40 wins last season. The 2024-2025 campaign also saw the organization fire their head coach (Mike Brown) and trade their star point guard (De’Aaron Fox) midseason.
WIN-LOSS PREDICTIONS FOR EVERY NBA TEAM 🚨 🫣
⚡ THUNDER —> 62-20
⭐ LAKERS —> 47-35
💥 KNICKS —> 53-29
🎱 NETS —> 16-66
☀️ SUNS —> 26-56
All 30 teams here ➡️: https://t.co/K8czpL5qqc pic.twitter.com/FHCIXLl2Fz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 4, 2025
Clearly, things were not trending in the right direction for Sacramento. The worst-case scenario for the 2025-2026 season, according to most fans and critics alike, was for the Kings to simply “run it back”, i.e. put largely the same team back out on the floor.
Despite hiring Scott Perry as the new General Manager and signing veteran point guard Dennis Schröder to a 3-year deal, that is exactly what the Kings have done. Technically, the front office also officially removed the “interim” tag and made Doug Christie the full-time head coach, and a couple of players from last year’s squad signed to play elsewhere, but by and large the team is going to look extremely familiar to everyone this season.
Apr 13, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie gestures to the Phoenix Suns bench after the game at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images
Of course, the Kings do have several talented players returning to the team this season. The veteran trio of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan will lead the way despite being unable, thus far at least, to find a way to gel when on the court together for extended minutes.
Could the Sacramento Kings re-engage the Warriors on Jonathan Kuminga trade talks this season? Is Russell Westbrook still a possibility?
Sam Amick joined Carmichael Dave & Jason Ross to talk all things Kings:https://t.co/ZRoQiBJEc9
— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) October 4, 2025
As Hughes correctly notes in his piece, this core has limitations, particularly when it comes to spacing on offense and consistent defensive pressure. Guard Malik Monk is also back after a summer filled with trade rumors.
The Kings do have some young talent on the roster as well, although the front office hasn’t exactly locked that talent down. The Kings exercised their team option on guard Keon Ellis’ contract for this season, meaning that Ellis will become an unrestricted free agent next summer unless the team signs him to a new deal in early 2026.
Forward Keegan Murray has not been extended yet either, although the belief (hope?) is that a deal gets done before the season starts. Second-year point guard Devin Carter returns, although his role with the team remains uncertain.
The general consensus is that the Kings had an excellent draft, selecting Nique Clifford in the first round and Maxime Raynaud in the second. Both players are skilled and expected to contribute immediately.
All things considered, however, this roster does not represent an obvious or meaningful upgrade from last year’s team. The Kings would need just about everything to go right in order to contend for a playoff spot. A more likely scenario sees them catch some good fortune and vie for another play-in berth.
However, it is entirely possible that Hughes’ prediction is close to the mark. One significant injury, or one particularly bad stretch of games, could derail the entire season and see the Kings fall completely out of contention. In such a scenario, the team (and the fans) will be thankful that Sacramento retains the rights to their 2026 first-round draft pick.