Kings' Jalen Duren Pursuit Hints at Maxime Raynaud's Future

The Sacramento Kings have been pursuing Jalen Duren this offseason, even though they have both Domantas Sabonis and Maxime Raynaud still on the roster.

Apr 10, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Sacramento Kings have not been shy about their pursuit of Jalen Duren. As the Kings and Domantas Sabonis creep towards their imminent breakup, it makes sense that Scott Perry is actively searching for Sabonis' replacement to man the center position.

But at the same time, the center spot is one of the few areas that the Kings seemingly shored up last season with the addition of Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell.

With Sabonis missing so much time due to injuries last year, it was Raynaud and Cardwell who split the center duties for the majority of the season. Raynaud was rewarded with an All-Rookie second team selection, and Cardwell earned himself a standard NBA contract after outplaying his two-way deal that he was on to start the year.

Bringing in Duren to replace Sabonis is one thing, but Raynaud and Cardwell both feel like they are part of the younger core that the Kings are assembling, and it could hint at the Kings plans for Raynaud, especially.

Two-Big Lineups?

Apr 3, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell (32) during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the biggest questions heading into the new season is how the Kings are going to handle their crowded center rotation. Not only do they have Sabonis, Raynaud, and Cardwell, but Precious Achiuwa and Jonathan Mogbo can both man the five-spot as well. Whether it ends up being Sabonis or Duren, the Kings will have the same questions.

There just aren't enough minutes to go around for all of those players, which means Doug Christie is going to have to get creative with his rotations. The choices are to either cut players out of the rotation or play two bigs at a time in the trendy two-big lineups making their way back into the NBA.

Achiuwa will mainly play the four spot, but another likely candidate to pair with Sabonis or Duren in the frontcourt is Raynaud, who flirted with the idea in Summer League during the offseason. He and Cardwell started games when they were both playing, and while it didn't go great, it is an early indication that the Kings are going to at least flirt with the idea of having Raynaud slide down to the power forward spot.

The All-Rookie's three-point shooting and defense will be crucial to the experiment, but in a year where the Kings are finding out as many answers as possible, as compared to trying to rack up wins, it's worth finding out.

Duren's Pursuit

Jan 21, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) reacts to a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At a glance, the Kings going after Duren suggests they might not trust Raynaud to become an All-Star-caliber big, but on the flip side, it could mean they trust him even more than we think to become a true stretch four.

A frontcourt of Duren, Raynaud, and Keegan Murray would give the Kings more size than they've had in years. Are there defensive and shooting concerns? Absolutely. But at the very least, the Kings seem to have a plan in place for their prized young big. Much like the other dozen questions surrounding the Kings' future, we'll just have to wait and find out what the plan is once the season gets underway in a few weeks.

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