Could the Kings begin the season 0-19 and claim the worst start in NBA history?
Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor thinks so, and he makes a compelling case.
“The worst record to begin an NBA season is 0-18. The 2009 Nets and 2015 Sixers did it. The Sacramento Kings are 0-5. They get blown out every night. They won’t be favored in any of their next 14 games. Only 4 of these games are vs. teams on back-to-backs. 0-19 is on the table. I said before the season that Sacramento would finish with its worst record in franchise history (16 wins or worse). That might have been underselling how ugly things could get for the Kings. Their schedule was fairly light to begin the year, and yet they still have the NBA’s worst net rating. It’s only about to get much harder.”
The Sacramento Kings are 0-5. They get blown out every night. They won’t be favored in any of their next 14 games. Only 4 of these games are vs. teams on back-to-backs.
0-19 is on the table.
The Kings’ Start to the 2026-27 Season
Through five games, the Kings have an offensive rating of 105.8 (26th in the NBA), a defensive rating of 121.5 (28th) and have the league’s second-worst net rating at minus-15.7, according to NBA.com’s advanced statistics.
Zach LaVine leads the team in scoring at 26 points per game. Rookie Darius Acuff, whose struggles have been well-documented to start the season, is averaging 24 points per game on the same number of shots, shooting just 37.8% from the field.
Veteran Domantas Sabonis is averaging 17 points and 16 rebounds per game while shooting 70% from the field, but he’s attempting just 10 shots per game. For reference, Sabonis hasn’t averaged fewer than 11.6 shots per game since his third NBA season, when he averaged 9.5 with the Indiana Pacers.
Thursday night may have been the Kings’ best, and perhaps last, opportunity to pick up a win for quite some time. Sacramento fell 132-120 to the previously winless New Orleans Pelicans, dropping to 0-5.
As Kings beat reporter James Ham put it, the Kings “found a new way to lose.”
There was one bright spot for the Kings’ future amid the darkness.
Acuff had his best game of the season, finishing with 34 points on 13-of-26 shooting, 14 assists and six rebounds.
The Tough Road Ahead for Sacramento
The Kings’ next two games are Saturday in Memphis against the 6-0 Grizzlies and Monday in Dallas against the 3-2 Mavericks. After that, Sacramento begins a stretch of 10 consecutive games against teams that made the playoffs last season.
If the Kings fail to win any of those 12 games, they would enter a Nov.25 matchup against the Golden State Warriors with an 0-17 record, putting them one loss away from tying the worst start in NBA history.
Possible Trade Options?
At this point, Sacramento should be doing everything it can to move its veteran pieces to contending teams.
LaVine, who has seemingly been involved in trade rumors since arriving in Sacramento, is playing on a nearly $49 million expiring contract. Sabonis, who has been the subject of trade speculation for months, is earning $45.5 million this season and $48.6 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2028-29.
Deandre Hunter and his $24.9 million could also be an option for a team in need of wing help. A team looking for a playmaking guard could pursue Malik Monk, who is earning $20.2 million this season and has a $21.6 million player option for 2027-28. Precious Achiuwa could help solidify a team’s frontcourt rotation. He is earning $5.5 million this season and $5.8 million next season before becoming a free agent in 2028-29.
There’s an upset nobody sees coming every night in the NBA. Over the next few weeks, Kings fans will surely hope their team can pull one off.
Could the Kings Break the Record for Worst Start in NBA History?