The 2022-23 season was nothing but good vibes for the Sacramento Kings even as they saw their playoff hopes dissipate at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs despite being the higher-seeded team. That was a season Kings fans desperately needed, as after years of putridity, they were able to make the difficult leap to playoff contention that sure looked sustainable.
This season has been alright for the Kings. They have remained one of the six best teams in the Western Conference, putting themselves in good position to guarantee a spot in the playoffs, with De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis continuing to play at a high level despite not making the All-Star team.
But the difficulty for the Kings lies in making the leap from being playoff fodder to being a legitimate contender for the championship. And given their lack of moves prior to the trade deadline, Sacramento, barring a huge uptick in production from players not named Fox, Sabonis, or Malik Monk, may be doomed to another early playoff exit in 2024.
Here is the Kings' biggest mistake at the 2024 NBA trade deadline.
Kings' biggest mistake at 2024 NBA trade deadline: Not trading for a 3 and D wing/Keeping Harrison Barnes
For much of the 2022-23 season, the narrative surrounding the Kings and why analysts didn't really see them as a legitimate title contender was that they didn't have the personnel to slow down playoff opponents defensively. This was exactly what doomed them in the aforementioned series against the Warriors. They had difficulties stopping Stephen Curry with the players they had; even Mr. “Off Night” Davion Mitchell had difficulties staying on the floor.
This was already a well-documented struggle for the Kings. They don't have a prototypical rim protector, as it's Domantas Sabonis that's protecting their backline, so it's up to the perimeter defenders to do most of the dirty work for them so they can flourish defensively. But at some point, the team has to acknowledge that what they have on that end of the floor is simply not enough to be an elite defensive team.
There were already a few rumors linking the Kings to a trade for an upgrade, with their interest in Pascal Siakam before he landed with the Indiana Pacers being registered. Alas, the Kings didn't have the necessary assets to pique the Toronto Raptors' interest, especially when they declared Keegan Murray off limits (which they were totally right to do).
But the Kings certainly could have pursued a trade that upped the roster's defensive rigidity while utilizing Harrison Barnes' contract as the primary salary filler. Could Sacramento have traded for De'Andre Hunter? Perhaps. The Atlanta Hawks have made Hunter available for trade long ago, and he's only 26, fitting the Kings' contending timeline.
Hunter is an upgrade over Barnes on defense at this point of their respective careers, while being a more featured part of a roster could help bring Hunter's level of production back to a similar level to his breakout 2020-21 season.
De'Andre Hunter is not a needle-moving piece, and there is certainly value to continuity. The Kings value Harrison Barnes as a veteran presence as well. But the sheer frequency with which Barnes disappears and warrants a benching is concerning. Hunter, being in the physical prime of his career, would have at least been a more athletic defensive presence.
Nonetheless, not trading away Barnes is at least a justifiable decision. The veteran forward is part of one of the league's best five-man units; at the time of writing, the Kings' starting five of Barnes, Fox, Sabonis, Murray, and Kevin Huerter have posted a net rating of 7.7 in 542 total minutes. That level of cohesion is impressive, and why mess with a good thing?
But the Kings did not make a trade deadline move of note to upgrade the team's biggest weakness — and that is simply frustrating for fans of the team that want to see Sacramento take the next step to greatness. They certainly could have made smaller scale moves to at least help the team improve its lackluster depth.
The Kings could have traded for Cedi Osman, an unheralded 3-and-D wing. They could have gotten Royce O'Neale for cheap. Or if they wanted to truly make a smaller-scale splash, they could have pursued Alex Caruso.
Not making a move is better than making the wrong move. That certainly holds true for the Kings. But those aforementioned moves (aside from the Caruso one) are low-risk and wouldn't have changed the fabric of the team as presently constructed. In the loaded Western Conference where teams are separated by razor-thin margins, adding playoff-viable pieces could have helped them at least avoid being first-round playoff fodder.
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