It is officially NBA opening week, and the Sacramento Kings are just three days away from their first game of the 2026-27 season. Coming off a 60-loss 2025-26 campaign, the Kings are looking to improve and are starting things off by facing their division rival, the L.A. Clippers, at Intuit Dome on Wednesday night.
Before their season opener, though, the Kings have to get their roster in check. After their preseason finale against the San Antonio Spurs, in which they lost to complete an 0-5 exhibition slate , the Kings waived three players to finalize their roster for the regular season: Elfrid Payton, Tristen Newton, and Viktor Lakhin.
Since the Kings have an open roster spot, we technically could've seen them sign one of these players to a standard contract or open a two-way spot to sign one of them, but they are instead leaving Sacramento.
Keep in mind, Newton and Lakhin could ultimately join the Stockton Kings for the 2026-27 season, but some fans wanted the franchise to find a way to keep the former on the roster. Newton, who won two NCAA championships alongside Kings rookie Alex Karaban at UConn, likely deserved a spot, and the Kings could've opened up a two-way contract by waiving Adam Flagler or converting Jonathan Mogbo to a standard deal.
The Kings also could've kept veteran point guard Elfrid Payton, especially now that Ben Simmons is expected to start in more of a forward role, but they are instead letting him hit the open market.
Oct 10, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) looks on during the first quarter against the against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Justine Willard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With Payton, Newton, and Lakhin all on their way out, let's take a look at who is left on the Kings roster to start the 2026-27 season :
| Guard |
Forward |
Center |
|---|---|---|
| Darius Acuff Jr. |
Keegan Murray |
Domantas Sabonis |
| Zach LaVine |
Ben Simmons |
Precious Achiuwa |
| Malik Monk |
De'Andre Hunter |
Maxime Raynaud |
| Nique Clifford |
Alex Karaban |
Dylan Cardwell |
| Emanuel Sharp |
Jonathan Mogbo (TW) |
|
| Daeqwon Plowden |
Leaky Black (TW) |
|
| Adam Flagler (TW) |
Given how low their expectations are this season, the Kings actually have a talented group with sneaky depth. The guard room is actually exciting, with a starting duo of Acuff Jr. and LaVine and a few intriguing bench pieces in Monk, Clifford, and Sharp.
The forward room, with a starting duo of Murray and Simmons, could be a strong suit for the Kings this season. The depth at the position is not as eye-popping unless Hunter finally finds his rhythm, rookie Karaban exceeds expectations, or Mogbo excels as one of the best two-way contracts in the league. Keep in mind, once Raynaud and Cardwell return from injury, Achiuwa will slide back to the forward spot.
To start the season, the Kings' center position is not as intriguing as it should be. With Raynaud and Cardwell expected to miss at least the first week of the season, if not more, they have to lean on Achiuwa to be Sabonis's backup. Fortunately, that is not the end of the world, but we are much more eager to see what this center rotation looks like at full strength.
With one roster spot left open, this is the full 17-player look for the Kings heading into the 2026-27 season. They are kicking things off in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. PT.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/kings/onsi as Kings Waive 3 Players to Finalize Roster for 2026-27 Season .
