Although the Sacramento Kings fell in Game 7 of their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, chants of “SAC-RA-MENTO” still rained down from the very top row at Golden 1 Center. One of the most passionate fan bases in the entire league, Sacramento showed their appreciation for this year's team, a group that ended a dreaded 16-season playoff drought and became a darling of the NBA with the “Light The Beam” tradition. 

It may take a lot more than one year of success for many around the league to buy into the idea that the Kings are real threats in the Western Conference, but this organization has ushered in a new era and the 2022-23 season was certainly no fluke. Entering the offseason, general manager Monte McNair's main goal and that of the organization's front office is to do everything they can to expand on their core group. 

Their five-man core of De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes and Domantas Sabonis was ranked as one of the most efficient rotations in the entire league during the regular season. Along with 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown, this group has helped change the culture surrounding a franchise that has been known to dwell near the bottom of the league standings. 

Both Fox and Sabonis recently earned All-NBA honors, becoming the first pair of Kings teammates to be selected All-NBA, and neither of them will be free agents this offseason. Under contract through the 2025-26 season, Fox is not going anywhere, but Sacramento will need to begin drafting a contract extension for Sabonis, who will be entering the final year of his current contract. While he will see a significant raise from the $19.4 million he is set to make during the 2023-24 season, the Kings big man will not be eligible to receive a supermax contract due to the fact that he was recently traded in 2022, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Fox is also ineligible for the additional money being added to a potential extension from making the All-NBA team since he is short of the seven years of NBA service requirement. 

As far as remaining with Sacramento, Kings fans do not need to be too worried about Sabonis going anywhere. In his end-of-season press conference, McNair addressed Sabonis’ upcoming contract situation, simply stating that they will do everything they can to “keep him here and build around him.”

Kevin Huerter is also not going anywhere anytime soon, as he is under contract through the 2025-26 season like De’Aaron Fox, and All-Rookie forward Keegan Murray will be entering his second season in the league.

This leaves question marks surrounding Harrison Barnes, as the veteran forward is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. 

Turning 31 years old at the end of May, Barnes has spent the last four and a half seasons with the Kings after he was traded there during the 2018-19 season from the Dallas Mavericks. Although they had numerous opportunities to trade Barnes through the years, Sacramento never pulled the trigger on a deal. In fact, sources told ClutchPoints that there were discussions about a potential trade prior to the start of the 2022-23 season that would have involved Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins. Sacramento had no desire to trade Barnes, though, which is why no deal ever materialized. 

Rival teams reached out to the Kings again ahead of the trade deadline this season, but McNair and the front office were insistent on keeping Barnes. The Kings gambled on themselves in regards to not trading Barnes for value. As the offseason approaches, the two sides have mutual interest in agreeing to a new contract, sources said. Sacramento does view him as a key part of their success at forward, which is why they will be willing to award the veteran with more on a new contract than most teams around the league will want to offer. 

Trey Lyles is another player the Kings would like to keep entering the offseason. The 27-year-old was able to fill many needs for his team as both a power forward and small-ball center this season, which is one of the reasons he earned the trust of the coaching staff deep in the year. Shooting 36.3 percent from three-point range during the regular season, Lyles was effective in his role and saw key minutes in their playoff series against Golden State. Like Barnes, Lyles is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and there is mutual interest between both parties to get a new deal done in the offseason, league sources told ClutchPoints. 

Sacramento believes this group is more than capable of winning the Western Conference, and this confidence grew after pushing the defending NBA champion Warriors to seven games in the first round of this year’s playoffs. This is the driving force behind the idea of retaining both Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles. 

Then there's Malik Monk, who will be entering the final year of his contract after signing a two-year, $19.4 million deal last summer. When asked about if Sacramento was his new NBA home after their playoff defeat, Monk kept his response short and sweet: “1000%, yeah.”

Playing in 77 games, all off the bench, Monk recorded 13.5 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 35.9 percent from three-point range. The former 2017 first-round pick led the league in bench scoring this season with 1,041 points off the bench and finished fifth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Possible Kings changes

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Some changes will be coming to this Kings roster, especially with the league’s new collective bargaining agreement looming large over front offices entering the offseason. Teams will not be able to spend money freely like they have in the past, so executives around the league will need to be more precise and more cognizant of some of their contracts. Assuming they keep Barnes and Lyles on new deals, the Kings’ payroll could exceed $130 million for next season. With Sabonis expected to see an extension, Sacramento will have to explore some cost-saving options with other players on the roster. 

Richaun Holmes is a player the Kings will entertain the idea of trading in the offseason after he fell out of the rotation. Having nearly $25 million left on his deal through the 2024-25 season, including a player option for that year, moving Holmes’ contract would save the Kings quite a bit. However, there was virtually no interest around the league in Holmes at the trade deadline this season. Furthermore, the market for centers is extremely small right now. This is especially true for a player like Holmes who does not stretch his offensive game out to the perimeter other than in pick-and-roll situations. 

The Kings have two All-Star talents hitting the primes of their respective careers, as well as several key contributors that helped make this organization the top offensive team in the league during the 2022-23 regular season. The playoff window is now open in Sacramento and will be the case for many years to come. 

Other Kings notes

  • Mike Brown was recently in attendance for Game 5 between Olympiacos and Monaco in Greece to watch Kings’ EuroLeague target Sasha Vezenkov. Acquiring his draft rights in 2022, Sacramento has kept a close eye on Vezenkov and are high on what he could bring to them at the forward position. Despite being under contract with Olympiacos through the 2024-25 season, making a buyout agreement somewhat challenging, there is momentum surrounding Vezenkov joining the Kings in the offseason. 
  • The Kings brought in Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe for a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, according to Kings reporter James Ham. Tshiebwe was a part of a six-player workout group. 
  • Sacramento owns the 24th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. A better idea of whether or not the Kings will trade out of this spot will present itself following next week’s NBA Draft Combine and Lottery results. Early targets that could still be on the board for the Kings should they keep this draft pick include: Kris Murray (Iowa), Dariq Whitehead (Duke) and Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana) based on ClutchPoints’ latest 2023 NBA Draft Big Board.
  • As a result of making the All-NBA Third Team, Domantas Sabonis earned a $1.3 million bonus, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Sabonis also earned a $1.3 million bonus for being named an All-Star earlier this season.