In a season where the Sacramento Kings finished 22 and 60, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of problems and failings that popped up along the way. It wasn’t exactly a great run for a team trying to find a way to move forward and become a playoff contender.

Keeping all of that in mind, there were definitely a few problems that stood out as being the most painful. In some cases, these issues were out of anyone’s control, while others were a result of years of mismanagement. Still, they were the lowest of the low for the Kings.

Inability to move bad contracts

Possibly the biggest roadblocks to the rebuild are the contracts of Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis. Combined, they will cost the Kings nearly $100 million next season. Unless they can do something about it, this will put Sacramento deep into the payroll and apron penalties.

The Kings have tried to move these players before, but have failed to make a trade materialize for either of them. This has limited Sacramento’s ability to push the rebuild forward dramatically. At least one of these contracts has to be off the books this summer, or the penalties will be stiff.

Endless stream of injuries

It started in the preseason with a finger injury to Keegan Murray. After that, it was all downhill for the Kings. In addition to Murray, other players like Sabonis, LaVine, Drew Eubanks, and De’Andre Hunter were taken out for the season. Several other players had sixable injury absences.

The projected starting lineup at the beginning of the season never ended up playing together. 2025-2026 sort of became a “what if” season for the Kings, one that was defined by what could have been. That being said, the injuries did create openings for rookies to get time on the court.

The 16-game losing streak

Without question, this was the lowest point of the season for the Kings. Their 16-game losing streak was the worst one in the history of the Sacramento franchise, as well as being the worst one of any team this season. It was a bitter pill for the Kings to swallow.

The only upside to it was what happened after. When the Kings finally snapped the losing streak, they actually started playing a lot better, which was a bit of a surprise. They didn’t suddenly have a winning record, but they definitely looked significantly better during the last several games of the season.

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