First off, I know what you're thinking. The Sacramento Kings have been in disarray for years; this isn't new territory they are entering as they start the season 0-6. But nevertheless, it is a new season, which always comes with a new set of expectations.

And while the Kings expectations were extremely low, as many predicted them to be the worst team in the league, I don't think many in Sacramento thought things would be this bad. Sacramento isn't just losing; they are getting blown out game after game, with their closest loss being eight points and every other game losing by double digits, including 25, 27, and 31 point losses.

Adding to the poor on-court performance, we continue to see off-court drama surrounding the Kings, as ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that former All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis wants out of Sacramento.

Domantas Sabonis is unhappy and wants out of Sacramento, per @BannedMacMahon

“Quite frankly, Sabonis wants out of there, and if they can move him, they would. So he's not happy.” pic.twitter.com/YqLwiU5jAf

— NBABase (@TheNBABase) November 2, 2026

It's hard to know if this is new reporting coming from MacMahon or if it's just a reiteration of what we heard throughout the offseason.

Following an odd report yesterday that Sabonis didn't like playing with Darius Acuff Jr., Sactown 1140's Brenden Nunes reported that Sabonis and Acuff have been in great communication.

A team source told me this “could not be farther from the truth.”

Acuff and Sabonis have been in great communication. https://t.co/wbGh6Qv8bk

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) November 1, 2026

Building A Culture?

Regardless of what's actually happening behind the scenes, it's a problem for Sacramento. The Kings are working on building their culture and identity in Scott Perry's second season, and it feels like they couldn't be further from accomplishing those goals.

We're only six games in, and it already feels like the season is on the brink of disaster, with 76 games left and no end in sight.

Sabonis' Production

Coming into the season, the hope and goal was for the veterans to buy in to what the Kings are trying to build this year. Sabonis has been fine on the court, averaging 16.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on 70.4% shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc.

Looking at it from afar, those are great numbers for Sabonis, reminiscent of his All-NBA years, but what really stands out is that Sabonis is taking just nine field goal attempts per game. That would be the fewest he's taken per game since his sophomore 2017-18 season. If the Kings are going to sneak into the win column, they're going to need Sabonis to start shooting more.

Everyone will be quick to say that that means Acuff will have to take fewer shots, as he's leading the team with 24 field goal attempts per contest. But if you watch the Kings, Sabonis is heavily involved in everything Sacramento is doing on offense. The problem is, he's consistantly so far away from the basket that he's never shooting the ball.

Sabonis looks more reluctant than ever to shoot from the perimeter, even in the mid-range. He does set screen after screen for the Kings, though, and the ball is running through him. And six games into the year, it's safe to say that something needs to change for the Kings offense.

Whether all of the shooting discrepancies are leading to tension in the locker room is a question that only those in the locker room really know, but from the outside in, it's not looking good. There's a reason that 'winner cures all' is such a common phrase, and the opposite is true as well.

The more losses that pile up, the more rumors that will surround the Kings. And the more rumors will likely lead to more losses. It's a vicious cycle the Kings are stuck in, and it just seems to be getting worse in Sacramento.