Kings' 2026-27 Win Projection Sends Clear Message to Sacramento

There are not many people out there who believe the Sacramento Kings will be a winning basketball team next season, but how bad will they really be? Last season, they finished with a 22-60 record, headlined by extensive injuries to Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Zach LaVine, and De'Andre Hunter. Four of their five projected starters for the 2026-27 season played less than half of last season, so it is easy to imagine the Kings improving their record, right?

Actually, the Kings are projected to still be worse next season than they were in 2025-26. FanDuel Sportsbook has set Sacramento's total win projection at just 20.5, the lowest mark of any NBA team.

Mar 17, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) looks on after a play during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What this says about the Kings

Simply put, the Kings are expected to have their second-worst season in the Sacramento era. Yes, even worse than last season. Frankly, though, it does not make much sense.

As noted above, the Kings were one of the most injured teams in the NBA last season. Their projected opening-night starting lineup didn't play a single minute together all season, as three-time All-Star Sabonis led the way with 63 absences. One of the league's best and most consistent centers barely suited up, yet we should expect the Kings to regress next season?

We can assume that Sacramento's injury luck will not be as bad as last season. On top of that, they added three high-level rookies in Darius Acuff Jr., Alex Karaban, and Emanuel Sharp, re-signed Precious Achiuwa, and notably lost DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook. If anything, the Kings' roster should be more cohesive next season, and the star duo of Sabonis and LaVine should be effective.

"They are in almost every facet better than they were last season, if for no other reason than injury."@CarmichaelDave is STUNNED at how low the Sacramento Kings' win projection is for the 2026-27 season (21.5 wins).

Are the Kings better than a 21-win team?… pic.twitter.com/0FljtG8fXJ
— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) July 27, 2026

Still, despite everything, the Kings are only projected to win around 20 games. For reference, the next-lowest projections are the Brooklyn Nets at 24.5, the Milwaukee Bucks at 26.5, and the New Orleans Pelicans at 28.5. It is hard to imagine the Kings being four games worse than the Nets, let alone eight games worse than the Pelicans.

A source of motivation

If anything, this low projection should send a clear message to the Kings: nobody believes in them. They are projected to be the worst team in the NBA, and if they cannot use that as motivation, they deserve to be the league's bottom feeder.

There should be no reason head coach Doug Christie cannot get this new-look group fired up for next season, especially with an incoming group of hungry rookies. Sabonis and LaVine might not have much experience winning, but they need to be valuable veterans for this team. Put in the effort, and the rest of the roster will follow.

This Kings team certainly still has plenty of question marks, with concerns on both sides of the ball, but I would be surprised if this group does not improve from last year.

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