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James Ham: According to a league source, Keaton Wagler has not visited Sacramento for a pre-draft workout/meeting, as was reported earlier today.
Lou Williams: I’m going to throw some names out there and you give me your guess on where they'll be next year. All right? Sam Amick: Yes, sir. Williams: Let's start with Ja Morant. Amick: Ja Morant, I mean, the only two teams I've heard and I'll pick one of them is New Orleans and Sacramento, so I'll probably push it to New Orleans way. Chandler Parsons: I'm going to throw Minnesota out there just for fun. Chandler Parsons: I'm going to throw Minnesota out there just for fun. Amick: Yeah, that one's in there, too. Good call, Chandler.
ESPN 1320 Sacramento: "The word I'm hearing is it's very very likely that Precious Achiuwa will be back next season." @James_HamNBA on Precious Achiuwa and the Kings⬇️
There have been multiple reports this week about Sacramento and Charlotte discussing Domantas Sabonis trade frameworks, but sources say those conversations were preliminary in nature and reflective of the Kings' desire to acquire the Hornets' No. 14 or No. 18 pick. Sources say Charlotte, though, is not currently willing to surrender either pick. I'm told that the Kings also have interest in Toronto's No. 19 selection, but it is unclear whether the Raptors, who showed trade interest in Sabonis before the league's in-season trade deadline in February, will do so again.
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Sacramento, which holds the No. 7 selection, has been widely connected to Acuff due largely to the fact Kings general manager Scott Perry once coached Acuff's father at Eastern Kentucky in the 1990s. That connection has also sparked considerable chatter about Sacramento wanting to move up to ensure that it can land Acuff, but sources tell The Stein Line that the Kings are comfortable staying where they are.
The Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets had exploratory trade talks surrounding Domantas Sabonis, league sources told HoopsHype. One framework loosely kicked around included Charlotte’s Miles Bridges, Josh Green, and a potential first-round draft pick going to Sacramento in exchange for Sabonis, sources said. Charlotte has two first-round selections in the upcoming draft, including the 14th and 18th picks. However, Charlotte has been resistant to including one of those first-round picks thus far in a trade package involving Sabonis.
Per league sources, Sacramento and Charlotte have had recent talks about Kings big man Domantas Sabonis. While a deal is not imminent and appears unlikely before the June 23 draft, sources say the Hornets have some interest in the 30-year-old, three-time All-Star. The problem for now, it seems, is that the Kings have been hoping to land one of Charlotte’s two first-round picks (they have Nos. 14 and 18) in the deal, and the Hornets have signaled a desire to retain their picks and discuss Sabonis later in the summer. Sabonis has two seasons left on his deal ($45.4 million next season and $48.6 million in 2027-28).
Colleagues who didn’t get along in Sacramento can agree after their departure that the weirdness makes for some zany situations. I covered the team for more than a decade as a beat writer for The Sacramento Bee and The Athletic, so I’m sometimes included in some of the chats among those no longer tied to the team on a daily basis. Which makes the NBA Finals matchup between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs such a “Kangz” situation. (“Kangz” is a popular way among fans to refer to the team when highlighting their recent history of bad luck and mismanagement.)
Sacramento lost in the Play-In Tournament in 2024. The Kings, however, still signed Brown to a contract extension. The commitment to Brown didn’t last, as he was fired two days after Christmas following a 13-18 start. Brown landed with the Knicks last May — and look at him now. One former Kings employee texted me that the moves were “f—–g stupid,” and that’s saying a lot, given the Kings’ history of blunders in the draft, free agency and coaching hires over the last 20 years.
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Sean Cunningham: Kings announce pre-draft workout for Monday in Sacramento with: #1 Quadir Copeland (North Carolina State), G/F; #2 Melvin Council (Kansas), G; #3 Tre White (Kansas), G; #4 Nick Martinelli (Northwestern), F; #5 Keshawn Murphy (Auburn), F; #6 Caden Powell (Baylor)
One longshot scenario that does get mentioned by rival team strategists is an Embiid-for-Domantas Sabonis swap with Sacramento … but even longshot might be underselling it. Both former All-Star big men could probably use a fresh start, but there's just no getting around the fact that Embiid, at 32, seems incapable of holding up for a deep playoff run. Which certainly shortens the list of potential suitors.
Sources tell The Sacramento Bee that Scott Perry will serve as Sacramento’s official on-stage representative when the lottery is held May 10 in Chicago. The Kings will go into the lottery with the fifth-best odds. They have a 45.2% chance of securing one of the top four picks and an 11.5% chance of securing the No. 1 pick, but they could fall as far as No. 9.