The Sacramento Kings will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Monday in the Golden 1 Center to introduce their newest players. General manager Scott Perry will present first-round selections Darius Acuff Jr., taken with the No. 7 pick, and Alex Karaban, acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers after the draft and originally selected No. 29. Perry will also announce second-rounder Emanuel Sharp, the No. 45 overall pick.

Acuff arrives after a historic senior campaign at Arkansas, becoming only the second player in SEC history, joining Pete Maravich, to lead the conference in both scoring and assists in the same season. Karaban adds two national championships from his tenure at UConn, while Sharp earned All-Defensive Team honors in the Big 12 while playing for Houston. The three rookies join the 2025-26 newcomers Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell in a young nucleus that signals a shift from the roster Perry inherited.

The Kings sit $16 million over the luxury-tax line, $13 million over the first apron and a razor-thin $49,000 over the second apron, according to the latest ESPN projections. Waiving forward DeMar DeRozan, whose $25.7 million salary includes $10 million that is guaranteed, would allow the club to apply the stretch provision and spread that $10 million over three years. The maneuver would shave roughly $12.5 million from the luxury-tax calculation, moving the team under the tax line but still leaving limited room for high-priced free agents. The remaining cap space would enable the Kings to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for modest additions.

The summer schedule begins with the California Classic from July 4-6 in Sacramento, followed by the Las Vegas Summer League from July 9-19. Acuff’s first NBA tests will include matchups against No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler and No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr., offering an early look at how the point guard adapts to the professional level. Sharp will have the opportunity to showcase his 3-and-D skill set against the league’s most athletic wing prospects.

Free agency opens at 3 p.m. Tuesday, with the moratorium ending on July 6. The Kings are not expected to be major players in that market, but the cap maneuvering gives them flexibility to add role players through the mid-level exception while keeping the luxury-tax burden manageable. With the draft and summer league providing the first benchmarks, Sacramento’s focus this offseason is to build a sustainable foundation around a historically productive point guard, a championship-experienced wing and a defensive specialist, rather than chasing short-term marquee signings.