Sacramento Kings star center Domantas Sabonis will miss the season-opener on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns after suffering a Grade 1 hamstring strain in a preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers, the team announced on Saturday. Sabonis will be re-evaluated in one week. That timeline would sideline him for games against the Suns and the Utah Jazz.
The earliest Sabonis will be available to return is for a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 26.
Sabonis won’t be the only starter not available for Sacramento’s first game of the 2025-26 season. Kings forward Keegan Murray underwent surgery after an MRI revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament of the left thumb, which will sideline him for four-to-six weeks.
With Sabonis and Murray out, Sacramento will have to experiment in the frontcourt to find a starting combination on opening night. Two options to replace them in the starting lineup are Dario Šarić and Drew Eubanks, who are both newcomers to this year’s roster. Another potential solution could be Isaac Jones, who has experience playing the four and five.
Sacramento enters the season with a win total of 34.5, per FanDuel, which is among the lowest in the Western Conference. The Kings have the seventh-best odds (2/1) to make the Play-In Tournament.