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2026 Sacramento Kings Predictions with Best Bets and Odds to Win NBA Championship

by Spencer Toth - 10/13/2026

Sacramento Kings predictions Keegan Murray

The Sacramento Kings are starting with Ben Simmons at point guard, which should make it clear just how much this lineup is struggling. They won 22 games last year and are expected to be even worse, which means even staying out of the bottom-three relegation will take a Herculean effort. Can the Kings exceed their rock-bottom expectations, or will Sacramento start chasing records this season for all the wrong reasons?

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Sacramento Kings Offseason Recap

The Sacramento Kings are deep in their rebuild with no end in sight. They have made the playoffs once in the last 20 years, back in 2023, and have since been slowly sliding down the standings. The Kings didn’t get lucky in the NBA draft lottery, and had to settle for Darius Acuff Jr. at seventh overall. Acuff Jr. gives the Kings the young lead guard they desperately needed, and they can hope he develops into the franchise cornerstone. He is a strong three-level scorer who can punish defenders with excellent dribbling, and turned into a legitimate passer during the second half of his lone season at the collegiate level. His 48.4% from the field and 44% from deep are both strong, but the one thing that really sticks out is his mere 2.2 turnovers a game. For the usage he had at Arkansas, that is an incredibly low number. The fact he is only 6-foot-2 is a clear limitation for his upside on the defensive end, especially since he seemingly doesn’t have the work ethic to overcome that with poor overall play on that end of the court. His offensive upside makes up for it, especially for a Kings side desperate to score, but it limits his ceiling heading into his rookie year. 

The Kings also signed Ben Simmons in the offseason for a cheap one-year, $3.5 million deal. Simmons sat out all of the 2025-26 season after averaging just 5.0 PPG the year before. Simmons was named the Rookie of the Year in 2018, he followed that up with three straight All-Star appearances, and finished fourth and second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2020 and 2021. However, after holding out the entire 2021-22 season, Simmons never looked like the same player again. His hesitancy to shoot on offense capped his upside, and after a year off, he was no longer an elite defender either. Injuries also limited him to 108 games across the next three seasons, and he failed to find a team willing to take him last year. The Kings have given him one more chance for a redemption story, but the reality is that a point guard who can’t shoot the three and is unwilling to drive into the paint will always struggle to find a home. 

The Kings lost DeMar DeRozan to the Nuggets and Russell Westbrook to retirement, taking away two key contributors from last season. The wins were few and far between for Sacramento, with DeRozan and Westbrook being two of the few players who still gave it their all on the court. Replacing their production will not be easy, especially with no veteran signings other than Simmons. 

2026 Sacramento Kings Season Expectations

The Sacramento Kings have the preseason lowest win total by a considerable margin this year. They lost DeRozan, who was arguably their best player last year, and are now left with a puzzling core of Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray. The Kings were bottom five in both offensive and defensive rating last season, they were dead last in both threes made and attempts, and allowed a true shooting percentage of 60.7% to opponents, the second-worst in the league. Injuries were certainly a factor with Sabonis playing 19 games, LaVine 39 games, and Murray 23 games, but even when they were healthy, the Kings were still a disaster. 

LaVine has been a heavily criticized player both on and off the court, as his desire to always possess the basketball on offense has rubbed teammates the wrong way. However, there is no denying his results, as the two-time All-Star has put up at least 19 PPG in eight straight seasons. He shot a respectable 48/39/88 split last year, and the Kings will need him to do the bulk of the heavy lifting once again with DeRozan no longer in the picture. 

The Kings have some talent on this roster, but the only way they will come close to playing meaningful late-season basketball is if Sabonis turns back the clock and leads this team. The Lithuanian center has put together an excellent NBA career, and can be a real menace in the paint when he is healthy. Sabonis has averaged at least 11 rebounds per game in seven straight seasons, and can terrorize teams down low on both ends of the floor. His ability to turn possessions late in the shot clock into high-quality opportunities is incredibly valuable, and his excellent pick-and-roll game will work nicely with Acuff Jr. 

The Kings were a disaster is every sense of the word last year, but may not be as bad this upcoming season. Sacramento has the pieces on offense to succeed if they can stay healthy, and all their terrible statistics from last season will be a distant memory once a few wins go on the board. A starting five of Simmons, Acuff Jr., LaVine, Murray, and Sabonis with Malik Monk, De’Andre Hunter, and Achiuwa coming off the bench could certainly be worse. If their prospects develop as they hope so, the Kings may be able to put enough wins together to avoid the bottom-three in the league, and potentially even challenge for a play-in tournament spot in a wide-open West. 

2026 Sacramento Kings Schedule Breakdown

The Sacramento Kings will be circled on every team’s calendar as a game they should win. If the single-game betting odds for all 82 games were being set today, I am not sure if the Kings would ever be favored, even at home against another rebuilding team. They open up the year on the road against the Clippers, with five of their first seven being away from home before seven straight at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings have two five-game road trips in the latter half of the year, their longest of the season, with one of them being part of their ten road games in the final 15 games of the year. 

2026 Sacramento Kings Betting Odds

The Sacramento Kings’ 20.5 win total is the lowest in the league, with the next closest team being the Brooklyn Nets at 24.5. They have sky-high +2500 odds to make the playoffs, with +1600 odds to even squeak into the play-in tournament as a top ten seed in the West. Their championship odds are a laughable +100000, as there is no faith the Kings will have anything resembling a competent squad. 

In the NBA Cup, the Kings are alongside the Spurs, Lakers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors with +4000 odds to win the group, and anything other than a swift 0-4 showing would be a real shock in these high stakes games. 

Acuff Jr. has a chance at individual glory with +1200 odds to win Rookie of the Year, and he will be given plenty of playing time as the Kings have nothing to lose. However, unless Sacramento puts a respectable number of wins on the board, even an excellent season from their incoming rookie will not be enough as the Kings get forgotten at the bottom of the standings. 

2026 Sacramento Kings Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Sacramento Kings are not going to make the playoffs, they will not be playing any meaningful basketball late in the season, and they will likely be battling to avoid the relegation zone at the bottom of the standings. However, the Kings put 22 wins on the board last year with 34 different starting fives for an ever-changing roster that went through plenty of injuries. The lack of other tanking teams to give Sacramento easier matchups is what is keeping this number even lower, but if they can find a way to stay remotely healthy, the Kings may actually surpass their 22 wins from last year, not fall short. 

For the first bet, we will take over 20.5 wins at -105 odds, and pair that with a juicier price tag on 25+ wins at +220 odds. It is more than reasonable to expect 25 or more wins from the Kings, and they only have to do so about one out of every three seasons for this to be a profitable wager. Their starting five and first few players off the bench are better than these odds suggest, so while we will have to plug our nose to make this ugly pick, there is tons of value on this plus money prop. 

Pick: Sacramento Kings Over 20.5 Wins -105

Top Pick: Sacramento Kings 25+ Regular Season Wins +220

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