Sacramento Kings 2025 Free Agency Preview

A look at the Sacramento Kings current roster and options in free agency as the offseason gets underway.

Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (41) before the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Coming off a disappointing season that ended with a loss in the play-in tournament, the Sacramento Kings are likely to have an eventful offseason as well. After parting ways with General Manager Monte McNair immediately after the final horn sounded in the loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Kings hired McNair’s replacement just hours later. 

The head coaching situation remains up in the air as well, as no announcement has been made as of yet regarding Interim Head Coach Doug Christie’s future with the team. It remains to be seen whether new GM Scott Perry will bring in a new coach or has already agreed to remove the interim tag from Christie’s title.

One aspect that will not change this offseason is ownership. There are no indications whatsoever that Vivek Ranadivé will be selling the team or stepping down as chairperson anytime soon. Despite the wishes of many fans, there will be no changes at the top for the foreseeable future.

Since 2013, 29 of 30 NBA teams have made the playoffs multiple times.

The Kings are the only team to make it just once.

There has been four general managers and potentially nine head coaches in the last 12 years for Sacramento, if Doug Christie isn’t retained.

Pure chaos. pic.twitter.com/hMhdUHdjsZ

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) April 18, 2025

Regarding the roster, the Kings will have several crucial decisions to make this summer. Most of the team’s veteran players and contributors are under contract for at least one more season, but there are a few young players and potential rotation guys that will hit the free agent market in July.

Beginning with the players who have the most amount of time left on their current deals, the Kings have Domantas Sabonis under contract for three more seasons (fully guaranteed), and Devin Carter with the three remaining seasons on his rookie scale deal. The last two seasons on Carter’s deal are team options. 

Malik Monk is also potentially under contract for three more seasons, as he has two guaranteed years and a player option for the third. DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valančiūnas both have one guaranteed season plus a second partially guaranteed season left on their deals, while Zach LaVine has one season plus a player option for a second.

Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, and Jake LaRavia are all entering the final year of their respective contracts. All three players have team options for the 2025-2026 season that the Kings will need to decide whether to pick up or not. The team also has the option to sign any of this group to a contract extension over the summer.

This brings us to the list of players who will be free agents this offseason. In terms of impact, Trey Lyles is the biggest name on the list as the 10-year veteran averaged just under 20 minutes per game for Sacramento this past season. Other veteran players that are not signed past June are Doug McDermott, Jae Crowder, and Markelle Fultz.

The Kings do have a couple of interesting options when it comes to young players not signed to current deals, most notably G-League Finals MVP Mason Jones and Isaac Jones. Along with Terry Taylor, both Mason and Isaac played integral roles for the G League Champion Stockton Kings this season. 

Mason Jones (2nd team) and Isaac Jones (3rd team) have been named to All-NBA G League teams for the reigning NBA G League champion Stockton Kings 🏆https://t.co/8QrIeGRQaB

— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) April 18, 2025

Mason Jones and Isaac Jones are players with real upside who have not been given full opportunities to showcase what they can do at the NBA level. If the Kings can bring both of them back next season on guaranteed contracts and give them a chance to earn consistent minutes, then Sacramento may have found a way to bolster their rotation without a first-round draft pick and without relying on signing a free agent from another team.

The top priority for the Kings this offseason may not be to sign any of their free agents-to-be, however. The most prudent approach is likely to lock up the immediate futures of Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis, young players with tremendous potential who already contribute at high levels.

Most of the top-end contracts the Kings have - namely Sabonis, LaVine, Monk, and DeRozan - are going to be difficult to move on from. The trade market for any of the four is not particularly hot after the way the season ended, and the return on any trade involving one or more of those players is not expected to be as high as the organization would like. 

To say that the incoming front office has their work cut out for them is an understatement. Especially considering what the previous GM had to say about dealing with the Kings’ ownership team, Scott Perry may find his new role to be a lot tougher and more frustrating than he envisioned. What little patience the fanbase has left after years of futility is wearing very thin as well.