3 Lineups to Watch in the Kings' Final 26 Games

The Sacramento Kings season resumes tonight after the All-Star break, and while the team doesn't have much to look forward to other than the draft lottery, there are still 26 games left to be played. And after a big flurry of news the last few days, we know the Kings will be without Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis for the rest of the season due to season ending surgeries for the two veterans.

The playoff aspirations are long out the window, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few things to watch for over the final stretch of the season. Dylan Cardwell missing time puts a damper on it, but the young players will be getting plenty of time as the veterans miss time and take a step back.

Watching and looking at individual players is fine, but if the Kings want to turn things around next year, or even just begin their slow upward trajectory, they'll need to start putting viable lineups that could return next year to start building chemistry while these games don't matter. With that said, here are the three lineups to keep an eye out for as Sacramento returns to action tonight against the Orlando Magic.

D. Carter, N. Clifford, D. Hunter, K. Murray, M. Raynaud

Minutes Played Together This Season: 0

If there's any single lineup that could reappear next season, it's this one. The biggest question mark is Devin Carter, who could once again be shopped this offseason, but when looking for the youngest long-term players left on the roster, these five stand out.

The first thing that stands out about this lineup is the size. Having two true wings in De'Andre Hunter and Keegan Murray gives the Kings something they haven't had in years, but even Carter has great size for a point guard (even though he isn't a prototypical point guard in style), Clifford at the two instead of the three as we've seen this year, and Raynaud with his 7-foot-1 frame.

There's no true star evident in the lineup, but it has the potential to be a well-balanced unit that plays well on both ends of the court, and would also give Clifford a chance to be the primary ball handler. We'll have to wait for Hunter to return from his injury, but getting these five together on the court should be a priority for the Kings final stretch of the season.

R. Westbrook, N. Clifford, D. DeRozan, K. Murray, M. Raynaud

Feb 7, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) dribbles around Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dennis Schroder (8) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Minutes Played Together This Season: 17 | Net Rating: -79.45

Flipping from the young player-centric lineup to the veteran-focused duo of Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, we take a look at the possible starting lineup for tonight's game. We still don't know who will be on the court first with all the injuries, but this one would make sense at least until Hunter returns from injury.

This lineup may have only 17 minutes on the court together, which is an extremely small sample size, but those minutes have been a disaster so far, with a net rating of -79.45. But just as wins and losses don't matter this season (outside of the lottery) a lot of numbers should be thrown out the window for the Kings.

DeRozan will likely be in rumors once again this offseason, but there's always a chance he is back for a third season in Sacramento. It would be more surprising to see Westbrook back for another year, but the Kings could slot in their first-round pick in his spot with the other four players here.

At the very least, it will be telling to see how the remaining key veterans in Westbrook and DeRozan handle the final stretch of games that don't matter.

N. Clifford, D. Hunter, K. Murray, M. Raynaud, D. Cardwell

Minutes Played Together This Season: 0

Last but certainly not least is the jumbo lineup that features Clifford as the true point guard and double big pairing of Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell. There's no guarantee that this lineup would work and be able to keep up with smaller, quicker lineups, but the size is intruiging enough to take a look.

We've seen Doug Christie lean into the double big lineup plenty this season, but he hasn't had the chance to pair that with the double wing combo of Hunter and Murray until now. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities for him and the coaching staff, and these final games seem like the perfect time and opportunity to experiment with something different.