Kings remain directionless with Russell Westbrook signing: How Sacramento can escape pit of mediocrity

After losing to the Golden State Warriors in an intense seven-game playoff series back in 2023, it seemed like the Sacramento Kings had finally escaped the mediocrity that surrounded the franchise for the better part of the last decade. The Kings broke the longest playoff drought in North American sports, finished with the No. 1 offensive rating in NBA history (at the time), and finally, for once, had a clear direction with Mike Brown as coach and De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis as co-stars.

Since that moment, most of the transactions the franchise has made -- highlighted most recently by the signing of former league MVP Russell Westbrook on Wednesday -- are more signs that Sacramento is heading in the wrong direction with a roster that lacks balance and makes no sense.

A metaphor to describe Sacramento's current roster -- that has an influx of guards and very little playable forwards -- is to think of your local all-you-can-eat buffet, which probably serves a variety of cuisines. Sure, on the surface, having all the food options you could imagine sounds amazing, but would cheese pizza really pair well with seafood? Probably not. 

And that's exactly what Sacramento's current roster is -- a bunch of dishes that could make sense individually (in this case, on different teams), but paired together would make your stomach turn. The on-court product has a similar senetiment.

Kings sign Russell Westbrook: Former league MVP heads to seventh different team for 2025-26 season

Cameron Salerno

Westbrook is approaching the twilight of his career. There is no denying he has had his moments -- for better or worse -- while playing for five different teams since 2019. Westbrook is still a good leader and someone who can provide a spark off the bench, but does he really make sense for a team that has a logjam of guards already?

Sacramento entered this offseason without a true point guard on the roster, which, to Westbrook's credit, he still is. The Kings signed Dennis Schröder to a three-year deal after a sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons, which ended up dragging along during the start of free agency because Sacramento had strong reported interest in restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.

But with Westbrook, Schröder, Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine -- the headliner in the trade that sent Fox to the San Antonio Spurs at last season's trade deadline -- the Kings have a team built to compete for a play-in berth instead of looking in the mirror, having the uncomfortable conversation about how everyone fits together on the roster and developing the young talent the franchise has.

Sacramento is +185 (on FanDuel) to make the Play-In Tournament. The Kings have the sixth-best odds to make the play-in behind the Spurs, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Lakers and Warriors.

So, what direction should Sacramento take?

Going back to the winter of 2022 -- before that season's trade deadline -- the Kings had a logjam of point guards on the team, with Tyrese Haliburton, Davion Mitchell and Fox on the roster. The fit of Haliburton and Fox never quite worked out. It was part of the reason why the front office could stomach trading Halliburton to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis because Sacramento believed he could elevate their offense while serving as the playmaking hub, which he did during the 2022-23 season.

The problem, however, dating back to the playoff loss in 2023, is that the Kings failed to make the big swing under former general manager Monte McNair. The Kings were linked to various trade targets in recent years, including OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Lauri Markkanen, Alex Caruso and more. All of those names would've filled a clear need at the wing next to Keegan Murray, who is now set to miss at least the next four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his thumb.

It's part of the reason why the Houston Rockets' big swing on trading for Kevin Durant was so admirable. After catching lightning in a bottle and having a remarkable turnaround en route to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Houston parlayed that by making a substantial upgrade to its roster that puts the franchise in a position to make a run at the title this season.

Without Murray, the Kings don't have a serviceable starting-level replacement on the roster. Sure, you can play DeRozan or even rookie Nique Clifford -- who was a star during summer league -- at the four, but both players would be undersized and overmatched for their respective matchups on a given night. 

That's part of the reason why Sacramento this offseason was reportedly so infatuated with the idea of pairing Murray with Kuminga in the frontcourt. Sacramento would have two forwards to build around who would complement each other's skill sets. Kuminga, who is eligible to be traded by the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 15, 2026, would've been the youngest player on Sacramento's roster.

The direction Sacramento should take is a simple one that owner Vivek Ranadivé has shown he is not willing to do since buying the team in 2013: rebuild. 

The 2026 NBA Draft is loaded at the top, and the Kings (outside of a 2031 pick swap with the Spurs) have all their future firsts. There are three players in particular worth keeping an eye on: BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson and Duke's Cameron Boozer. Even outside of that, Tennessee's Nate Ament and Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. look worth losing for.

All of those players would give Sacramento a true building block and clear direction heading into the 2026-27 season and beyond. However, the signing of Westbrook signals the Kings aren't ready to take that necessary step to one day return to the playoffs. 

Instead of playing former first-round pick Devin Carter, soon-to-be free agent Keon Ellis, Clifford, Murray and other young pieces on the roster substantial minutes, they will likely be relegated to smaller roles with the veterans taking the front seat toward a berth in the play-in.

Signing Westbrook for the minimum isn't the problem at the end of the day. In fact, most of the moves Sacramento made to put itself in this position in the first place were by (current Kings general manager) Scott Perry's predecessor. Perry, who has experience rebuilding rosters, once again finds himself behind the eight ball with an expensive roster that lacks a clear identity.

With one week until the Kings begin their season against the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento has a roster that makes no sense -- with no clear resolution in sight. If Ranadivé's goal is to fill the arena by adding big-ticket players, then signing Westbrook accomplishes the mission and fulfills the shortsided vision.