Kings Report – 4/16

That’s a wrap on the 2025–26 NBA regular season! We’ve come a long way since my boyfriend and I went to the first home game of the season and watched the Sacramento Kings beat the Utah Jazz by one point and light the beam. Despite the win, my expectations were low after that first night, but I would soon find out they weren’t low enough. It was a rough season, to say the least. The Kings went on to win only 21 more games, finishing with a 22–60 record. Not quite their worst season ever, but pretty close. They did, however, set a new franchise record for most consecutive losses, with 16. There were a ton of injuries this year, which gave the rookies plenty of playing time, and which may have spared the vets some embarrassment.

The next day Kings fans have to look forward to is the draft lottery, which will determine the first four picks in the draft. It will take place on Mother’s Day, May 10, while the draft itself will be held in June, round one on the 23rd and round two on the 24th. The 14 teams that miss the playoffs are all eligible for the lottery, which is the league’s way of discouraging tanking. Each team is assigned odds based on its regular-season record. The three worst teams in the league each have a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick, while the Kings, who tied for the fourth-worst record with the Utah Jazz, have an 11.5% chance. If the first four picks go to teams outside the bottom four, the Kings could end up picking as low as ninth, since the remaining picks are determined in inverse order of regular-season record. I can’t wait to see who the Kings add to their roster.

Kings players who are now unrestricted free agents include Russell Westbrook and Precious Achiuwa, while Zach LaVine holds a player option, meaning he can choose whether to stay or enter free agency. One person who is definitely coming back is Coach Doug Christie. Could this be a sign that ownership is finally letting General Manager Scott Perry take his time and do his job? In prior seasons, I could easily have seen Christie being fired in this situation—someone always has to take the blame. Here’s what Christie said when asked about the end of the season and when he’ll get back to work: “That was unacceptable. For me as a coach, for us as an organization, for them individually and collectively. It’s not what we want…I got work to do; they got work to do. There is a bit of a, you know, relaxation where you take a breath, let their bodies heal up a little bit, but we gotta get back to it because we have to improve, we have to…this is a big summer for us, for me individually, for them as players individually and collectively and us overall as an organization.” It sounds like Christie is just as ready as I am to move on from this season.

Despite the ups and downs (mostly downs), it was still a fun season, and I can’t wait to see what next year holds. Go Kings!