Shortly after the Kings landed the No. 7 pick in the 2026 draft lottery, rumors of their interest in former Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. began to percolate. That chatter turned out not to be a smoke screen. As Anthony Slater of ESPN writes, Acuff was “definitely” ranked higher than seventh on Sacramento’s draft board and was considered the team’s “dream scenario” outside of one of the consensus top four prospects (AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson).
While there were some rumblings leading up to draft night that the Clippers and Nets might consider Acuff with the fifth and sixth overall picks, respectively, general manager Scott Perry remained confident that the Kings’ top target would fall to them and didn’t feel compelled to move up. His restraint was rewarded, and Acuff – who heard all the same rumors about Sacramento’s desire to draft him – is eager to reward the franchise for its belief in him.
“I heard the noise (about how much they wanted me),” Acuff told ESPN at Summer League. “I wanted to be a part of this team and this organization.”
As Slater writes, the coming season figures to be a year of transition for the Kings, who are building around Acuff and their young core while veterans like Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine remain on the roster. Sabonis and LaVine are taking a positive approach and trying to make the best of the situation, according to Slater, who hears that both players reached out to Acuff shortly after he was drafted to convey their enthusiasm about teaming up with him.
“An excellent gesture,” Perry said. “It’s important that the veterans that are around not only can show or offer constructive criticism or constructive feedback to a young player like him. It’s also incumbent upon them to encourage, welcome and help fast-track his growth as well too in this particular situation.”
Here’s more from Slater on the Kings:
Perry met with Sabonis for two hours shortly after being hired by the Kings in 2025 and the two men have had an open line of communication since then, with the front office sharing potential trade scenarios involving the big man, Slater writes. After trade talks with the Raptors, Pistons, Hornets, and Celtics didn’t ultimately result in a deal at the 2026 deadline or earlier this offseason, Sabonis has expressed that he’s committed to this season’s Kings team, per Slater, who says the three-time All-Star traveled to Las Vegas for Summer League and met with Perry again in Sacramento last week to discuss the future.
Although Sabonis is eligible for an extension this offseason with two years left on his current contract, a new deal isn’t something the team is currently exploring, Slater says, noting that the veteran center recently changed agents, signing with CAA Sports. Both the Kings and Sabonis have a vested interest in him having a bounce-back season in 2026/27 on the heels of an injury plagued ’25/26 campaign.
The Kings still have interest in Jonathan Kuminga after pursuing him last summer, but due to their salary cap and tax situation, they’re only currently comfortable offering a minimum-salary contract, which has been a non-starter for the free agent forward, Slater writes.
Confirming that the Kings are consideringRussell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo as candidates to join the team and mentor Acuff, Slater cites sources who say Oladipo visited Sacramento for a private workout after auditioning for teams in Las Vegas. Slater adds that the Kings believe Acuff would benefit from Westbrook’s “serious, disciplined” approach but aren’t sure if the former MVP is interested in a reunion after “outperforming” his minimum-salary contract, especially since there will likely be fewer minutes available in the backcourt.
Perry told ESPN that he expects a “jump in development” not just from the Kings’ young players but also from head coach Doug Christie in his second full season on the job. *“Be better in year two than year one,*” Perry said. “So that’s the expectation — that in year two, we have established a standard where when you come and see the game, you say, ‘OK, that’s what Kings basketball looks like.’ That’s the first thing that has to be established. With that, you expect to win more games than (the 22) you won a year ago. I think that both of those are very realistic and those are clear expectations.”