Kings' Three Biggest Questions as Training Camp Approaches

The Sacramento Kings still have a lot of unanswered questions heading into the 2025-26 season.

Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) dribbles against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

As we continue the quietest part of the NBA offseason, training camp for the Sacramento Kings is slowly approaching. The Kings entered the offseason with many questions and a long to-do list, and while they revamped their front office and coaching staff, they are still going to enter the season with more questions than answers.

Scott Perry filled the team's biggest need by bringing in a point guard, but other than that, there were no major moves to the roster compared to last year, outside of drafting Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud.

Between the logjam of guards and lack of depth in the front court, the Kings have a lot to figure out between now and the start of the season, so let's get into three of the biggest remaining questions as training camp nears.

1. Are Extension Coming?

Both Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis are extension-eligible, but there have been few to no updates for the two talented players. Perry sounded confident that they would get deals done, but things have been silent from the players perspectives.

It would make sense for both players to feel a little scorned by the organization. Ellis for the team picking up his team option and not giving him a much-deserved raise, and Murray for the struggles of the team the last two years and the continued lack of wing depth around him.

When it comes to building blocks for the future, the Kings don't have many true young stars to build around, and Murray and Ellis are the two who stand out as building blocks going forward. Ideally, both will ink new deals before or during training camp, but at this rate, nothing seems certain for the duo.

2. Who Is the Backup Power Forward?

The aforementioned issues that the Kings have in the front court are glaring. They've struggled with wing depth in the past few seasons, but there was always at least someone on the roster who stood out as an option to come in off the bench and provide solid minutes.

With Trey Lyles signing with Real Madrid, the Kings have even more questions than they did entering last season. Lyles was able to play both the four and five spot, but mainly backed up Murray off the bench as a stretch-four option.

Now, the Kings will turn to young bigs in Isaac Jones or Raynaud, veterans Doug McDermott and Dario Saric, or be forced to play small with DeMar DeRozan running the power forward spot for stretches. That's a tough spot to be in going into training camp.

Apr 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (3) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

It's possible that Perry has another move or two up his sleeves, or that the Kings still pull off the big trade for Jonathan Kuminga, but there is once again immense pressure on Murray to do a little bit of everything (which all ties back into his extension talks).

3. Which Guard Gets Left Out?

The Kings have been trying to move Malik Monk this offseason, but so far haven't been able to find any deal that sends out the talented sixth man. And even if they did, they are still rumored to be interested in Russell Westbrook to bring in another guard in his spot.

With the roster as currently constructed, the Kings have Monk, Zach LaVine, Dennis Schröder, Keon Ellis, and Devin Carter all vying for minutes at the guard positions. And that's not even counting Clifford, who could play any position one through three if need be.

At the end of the day, there are only so many minutes to go around, and it feels like at least one of the guards is going to be left out of the rotation. Odds are that that is Carter, as he's also been involved in trade rumors, but he's also known for his defense, something that the Kings are trying to build on this year.

The biggest question for the guards could come down to first-time head coach Doug Christie, and if he's willing to make the difficult call. Would he be willing to play Carter over Monk if he thinks it's a better fit for the night or the season? Or will contracts force him to play the bigger names. Only time will tell, but once training camp gets underway, we'll likely get some clues on who's on the outside looking in for the guards.