Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie on Jan. 18, 2026, talks about the experience of being head coach. By HECTOR AMEZCUA
Patience is a word that incites outrage and indignation in Sacramento, where a beleaguered fan base has suffered through one losing season after another over the past two decades.
Kings fans have heard it before and they heard it again Friday when general manager Scott Perry addressed the media a day after the NBA trade deadline.
Perry was peppered with a variety of questions during a 36-minute press conference. The Kings made one trade before the deadline, but nothing that will change the trajectory of a team that will miss the playoffs for the 19th time in 20 seasons. Sacramento is the worst team in the NBA despite having four former All-Stars in Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis.
Perry discussed coach Doug Christie’s job security, Sabonis’ future, the failed Dennis Schroder experiment, the acquisition of De’Andre Hunter, Sacramento’s salary cap situation and the organization’s hopes of securing one of the top picks in this year’s NBA draft. Above all, though, Perry emphasized the importance of patience and prudence within the palace walls of a franchise that has lacked both over the years, churning through five general managers and 13 head in the past 20 years.
“We’re at the extremely early stages of laying the foundation here,” said Perry, who was hired in April to replace former general manager Monte McNair. “You’ve heard the phrase from me, prudent and patient. That’s how it has to be if you want to create a foundation of sustainable winning like what we want to do, so we’re not going to do anything out of panic.
“There’s a lot of outside noise that comes throughout the year, especially during the trade deadline, but I’ve been around long enough. I’m an experienced enough person in this position that I’m not going to allow that to sway any of our decision making or do anything out of panic and make what I would call bad decisions.
Christie agreed that patience is a virtue.
“The garden does not grow overnight,” Christie said. “You’ve got to go and pick the weeds. You’ve got to tend to the garden. You’ve to water it. You’ve got to care for it, and when there’s bugs and stuff, you’ve got to get those out, too.
“All that stuff goes into play, and as we go through this, the patience and prudence is going to be something that we stand on, and at the end of that tunnel you see the light. When you come through that we’ll be in a good place based upon all the pillars and the standard that we are standing on.”
How bad are the Kings?
In 2022-23, the Kings won 48 games to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons. General manager Monte McNair was named NBA Basketball Executive of the Year, Mike Brown was named Coach of the Year and De’Aaron Fox was named Clutch Player of the Year.
The Kings were on the verge of something special, but now look at them. They have the worst record in the NBA after falling to 12-42 with Saturday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have lost 12 in a row, matching their longest losing streak in the Sacramento era, which was set during the 1997-98 season. The franchise record for consecutive losses is 14, set by the Cincinnati Royals in 1959-60 and matched by the Royals in 1970-71.
De’Andre Hunter trade
The Kings made one move before the NBA trade deadline, acquiring De’Andre Hunter in a three-team trade that sent Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis to the Cavaliers with Dario Saric going to the Chicago Bulls. The move helped to alleviate a logjam in the backcourt while adding size, length and defensive versatility in the frontcourt alongside Keegan Murray.
Hunter is 6-foot-7 with a 7-2 wingspan. He has averaged 14.7 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 36.4% from 3-point range over seven NBA seasons.
“(Hunter) allows us to defend at a high level, I believe,” Perry said. “He’s exhibited that throughout his career. He’s been a very good shooter from the perimeter. I know his numbers were a little down this season coming from Cleveland, but there’s enough historical evaluation that leads me to believe he’ll be helpful for.”
Dennis Schroder ‘fit didn’t work’
Schroder has now been graded eight times in his career. The Kings signed him to a three-year, $44.4 million deal when they acquired him in a sign-and-trade agreement with the Detroit Pistons last summer.
Schroder came to Sacramento to be the team’s starting point guard, but he quickly lost the starting job to Westbrook, who signed a $3.6 million minimum contract with the Kings six days before the season opener.
“As the season unfolded, the fit didn’t work,” Perry said. “That happens sometimes.”
Sabonis’ future
Schroder, LaVine, DeRozan, Sabonis and Malik Monk were all the subject of persistent trade rumors leading up the deadline as the Kings look to shed salary in hopes of creating salary cap flexibility for the summer of 2027.
Sabonis is in the second year of a four-year, $186 million contract that will pay him $45.5 million next season and $48.6 million in 2027-28. Perry was asked about the future of Sabonis, who helped the Kings reach the playoffs in 2022-23 after coming to Sacramento in the trade that sent Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers.
“Well, he’s here,” Perry said. “His future is with the Kings right now. ... He’s a Sacramento King right now.”