Biggest Flaw in the Kings Roster They Can't Afford to Ignore

The Sacramento Kings enter the 2026-27 season with a roster that is part rebuild and part veterans who are on deals inching to an end. That leaves them with a mismatch of players from a position standpoint that will make the upcoming season interesting, to say the least.

Zach LaVine will continue to get major minutes at the two-guard spot, but there's not a glut of guards behind him as we've seen in years past. But the same can't be said for Domantas Sabonis and the young bigs behind him on the depth chart.

One of the biggest question marks coming into the season is what the Kings center rotation is going to look like. Not only do they have Sabonis returning from injury and stepping back into his high-usage role, but Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell are right behind him as the young building blocks on the team.

The Center Rotation

The best thing for those two players is going to be as much playing time as possible, which is easier said than done while Sabonis is still on the roster. There's a high possibility that the Kings will run a two-big lineup this season, and while that may work in spurts, it's hard to imagine that being the future of the team.

It's the constant battle that the Kings will be facing this year as they struggle between the old and the new. The good news is that if Sabonis plays well and gets back to an All-NBA level, he should be much easier to move either at the trade deadline. But how much is that going to hinder the development of the guys behind him who are waiting to take over?

Small-Ball Center

Apr 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Precious Achiuwa (9) looks to shoot while defended by Golden State Warriors guard Pat Spencer (61) in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's not just the three centers mentioned above that make up the logjam. There's also Precious Achiuwa and Jonathan Mogbo, who can steal some minutes at the center position. Both would be small-ball center options, but it's something that worked well at the end of last season with Achiuwa taking the center spot for stretches at a time.

Mogbo, much like Raynaud and Cardwell, is a young player who would benefit with as much time as possible on the court. He's on a two-way deal and could theoretically get that time in the G-League with the Stockton Kings, but he already looks like he's outplaying his two-way contract and deserves more minutes on the big league squad.

It ties in with the idea of the two big lineups between Sabonis, Raynaud, and Cardwell. If two of those players are on the court, it's going to have a trickle-down effect on everyone else on the roster. Not only Achiuwa and Mogbo, but also Keegan Murray and De'Andre Hunter, and even Nique Clifford who could lose minutes at the small forward spot.

In the end, it might not be a huge flaw for the Kings since it's a (hopeful) short-term issue. But it's something to keep an eye on heading into the season. Rotations are always criticized by fans and the media, but the Kings' rotations will be under a keen eye, as Doug Christie has a nearly impossible job balancing the mix of younger players with the veteran talent.

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