The Sacramento Kings had been linked to free agent guard Russell Westbrook for the entire offseason, and the two sides reached an agreement this week that will bring the nine-time All-Star to Northern California for the 2025-26 campaign.
NBC Sports California analyst Kayte Christensen joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share her live reaction to the news that Westbrook is heading to Sacramento, highlight why she is looking forward to a full season with Doug Christie as head coach, and much more.
Be sure to check out the entire interview with NBC Sports’ Kayte Christensen on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.
YouTube video
Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.
Click here for full episodes of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross.
More Sacramento Kings coverage from Sactown Sports
Losing a member of your starting lineup just one week away from the start of the regular season is one thing, but the Sacramento Kings are facing an even steeper uphill battle with the loss of Keegan Murray.
Murray, who underwent successful surgery this week to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, will be sidelined for the next four to six weeks, leaving the Kings without their best defender for nearly one quarter of the 2025-26 campaign.
While several questions were already being raised about this unbalanced Sacramento roster, losing Murray has put the Kings’ first-year head coach, Doug Christie, in a seemingly impossible spot.
Earlier this week, Christie told reporters that while Sacramento has several players who can help bridge the gap of what Murray’s absence creates, but added that there is no plug-and-play solution that can fill the former fourth-overall pick’s shoes.
As for who will take Murray’s spot in the starting lineup next to Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis, Christie said he could make his decision on a game-by-game or matchup-based basis to begin the season, but added that it’s more about who closes the games than starts them.
“I think it’s going to be maybe matchup-based and different things that we gotta think about,” Christie said of the starting lineup situation following Monday’s practice. “But more than anything, it’s not really about who starts, it’s about who finishes. From night to night, there might be matchups that are beneficial to us, and we’re going to look at all of them.”
Christie: Kings’ fifth starter could be a game-by-game decision
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Preseason
Wednesday, October 15th vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7 PM PT
Friday, October 17th @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7 PM PT
Regular Season
Wednesday, October 22nd – @ Phoenix Suns – 7 PM PT
Friday, October 24th – vs. Utah Jazz – 7 PM PT
Sunday, October 26th – vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 6 PM PT
Tuesday, October 28th – @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 5 PM PT
Wednesday, October 29th – @ Chicago Bulls – 5 PM PT
Thank you for readingSactownSports.com. Follow us onTwitterandGoogle News, and subscribe to ourYouTubechannel.