SACRAMENTO — Domantas Sabonis skipped Lithuania’s FIBA World Cup qualifying window in August, staying home instead of playing or traveling with the national team. His focus was elsewhere: the calendar that begins September 29 in Sacramento and, one way or another, stretches into spring.
The decision reflects something the Kings cannot yet say publicly: this season carries unusual weight for Sabonis. He played only 19 games last season after an injury ended his campaign before he could establish what his partnership with Keegan Murray could produce. That partnership had been envisioned across two offseasons, but the two never shared the floor for a single regular-season game. By the time Sacramento grasped what it had lost, the postseason was already out of reach for them.
Sabonis has no interest in carrying that unfinished business into the fall.
The Kings open training camp September 29 and play their preseason opener October 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center. Sabonis will be there. His three-point shot, which collapsed from 41.7 percent in 2024-25 to 18.5 percent across 19 injury-shortened games last season, is the variable that most directly controls whether Sacramento is a genuine Western Conference threat or a team still waiting to find out. The 2024-25 version of Sabonis, who expanded his range while averaging a triple-double, was the version the Kings constructed their offensive system around. Getting him back is not guaranteed.
What is guaranteed, at least through the end of this season, is Zach LaVine. He opted into his $49 million player option for 2026-27 in July, choosing to play out the final year of his contract rather than negotiate an extension Sacramento was not prepared to offer. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027. Sports Illustrated reported LaVine expressed clear optimism about the season ahead. “I’m really excited and looking forward to this new group, younger group, and seeing what we can do,” he said. “I think we have a chance to go out there and compete at a high level.”
That optimism coexists with a harder reality. General manager Scott Perry confirmed both LaVine and Sabonis remain in Sacramento’s plans, and the franchise has no intention of buying out LaVine’s contract. The training camp roster announcement included seventh overall pick Darius Acuff Jr., whose pick-and-roll instincts alongside a screening center are already the development the coaching staff most wants to build on this preseason. What neither LaVine nor the Kings can control is where his contract situation stands come February. A $49 million expiring deal on a wing who can fill it up is exactly what contenders look for at the trade deadline.
The Western Conference they return to is not waiting. Oklahoma City stripped its championship-era depth this summer, trading Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, but kept Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as its franchise and enters camp leaner and committed to proving that was wise. Portland, with Ja Morant and Damian Lillard sharing a backcourt, adds pressure to the conference standings without threatening for a championship. Golden State remains without Jimmy Butler through at least January as he continues his ACL rehabilitation.
None of those situations make the Western Conference playoff race easier for Sacramento. What they create is a window, specifically an opening in the middle of the conference standings, where the Kings can compete if both of their stars perform as they were when healthy.
What this season does not answer is which version of LaVine and Sabonis shows up. Sabonis at full health, shooting 41.7 percent from three and coordinating the offense around Acuff Jr.’s developing instincts, is a different player than the one who watched from the bench for most of last year. LaVine motivated by a walk year is a specific version of himself that Sacramento has not seen before. The pairing of those two states, both players with something specific to prove, is not a guarantee. It is a hypothesis the season will either confirm or complicate.
Sacramento opens training camp in 19 days. The preseason opener against the Lakers is three weeks out. Sabonis chose these Kings over his country.
Whether they earn that choice is what the next seven months are for.
