The Sacramento Kings aren't a very well-run franchise, although longtime fans of the NBA would know that already. They've managed to fumble their playoff team that got the entire city of Sacramento up on its feet back in 2023, and they are now looking likely to start over from scratch.
But this Kings front office is stubborn beyond belief. They have reportedly kicked the tires on a Ja Morant trade amid the former All-Star point guard's turbulent season thus far with the Memphis Grizzlies, and that is simply a disaster waiting to happen for a team that's been the face of mismanagement in professional basketball over the past two decades.
In this piece, we will take a look at the Kings' disastrous run of decisions ever since they made the playoffs back in 2023 (snapping a drought that lasted from 2006 to 2022) and why adding Morant will only serve to make things worse for them moving forward.
Mistake one: Kings overreacted to missing 2024 NBA playoffs
One would think that the Kings crapped the bed so much during the 2023-24 season with the way they overreacted in the aftermath of missing the playoffs. As a refresher, Sacramento won 46 games during that aforementioned campaign — just two games fewer than when they won the division in 2023 and pushed the Golden State Warriors (the defending champion at the time) to seven games in the first round.
The Kings did lose in the play-in tournament to the New Orleans Pelicans in the battle for the eight-seed, but they did win the 9/10 matchup in a rematch against the Warriors. That core five of theirs consisting of De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis was working, and Malik Monk was so good as to warrant Sixth Man of the Year consideration.
Instead of simply running with the good vibes of that team, the Kings decided to chase name value instead of prioritizing continuity.
They moved Barnes away in a sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan, and then they bafflingly dealt away Davion Mitchell, a former lottery pick of theirs and a good defensive piece off the bench, along with a few picks and young guys (including Jamal Shead, a rotation piece for the Toronto Raptors) in exchange for Jalen McDaniels, who's now out of the league, in a salary dump.
DeRozan is one of the best clutch scorers in the league over the past few seasons, but he's not the difference between 46 wins and a 55-win campaign in which the Kings would finish top-three in a loaded Western Conference.
Barnes was a crucial part of that locker room and a consummate professional who fits in every sort of lineup as an off-ball threat who could do some damage off the dribble. Meanwhile, DeRozan needs the ball, and he's not nearly as good of a floor-spacer as Barnes is — requiring the Kings to switch up how they play.
Having DeRozan around also took touches away from Fox and Sabonis, and the Kings were built around those two. Make no mistake about it, DeRozan is a good player, but not what the Kings needed at the time.
Mistake two: Prioritizing Zach LaVine in the De'Aaron Fox trade
The Kings were 13-18 last season when Mike Brown, 2023 NBA Coach of the Year, was fired. In came Doug Christie to try and rescue the Kings' season.
But at that point, Fox had no more intentions of sticking around in Sacramento. He said that if he were to play under another head coach while in a Kings uniform, he'll set out to find a new team. This led to his eventual trade request and his eventual trade to the San Antonio Spurs.
Trading Fox away isn't the problem. The timing of that deal isn't even that concerning as the Kings wanted to get someone who didn't want to be part of the team anymore gone. But the fact that the Kings got Zach LaVine as the main piece in the trade is so baffling. They didn't even get any good young players from the Spurs, nor did they set out to do so.
One first-round pick they got (from the Charlotte Hornets) was lottery-protected and would turn into two second-round picks if they didn't convey. (That's exactly what happened.) The Spurs' 2027 first-round pick is unlikely to be very good what with San Antonio being on the rise. And the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2031 first-rounder could be good, but that would take literally over a half-decade before it could bear fruit.
Now, LaVine seems to have negative trade value. His body language is not very promising, and his production is up and down amid the Kings' inconsistency. And to make matters worse, he's making a total of $96.6 million until next season.
Mistake three: Playing point guard musical chairs, de-prioritizing Domantas Sabonis
This one perhaps takes the cake for the most perplexing decision-making any front office was responsible for this past offseason. At least the New Orleans Pelicans, the team that gave up their first-round pick in 2026 in the draft night trade for Derik Queen, at least look like they have one of the best-performing youngsters in the league. For the Kings, their mismanagement of assets is simply hilarious.
In the aftermath of the Fox trade, the Kings turned over the point guard position to Malik Monk. Monk averaged 18.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. He's not a traditional point guard, but he's at least a good player who deserves more respect than the Kings have given him.
But all offseason long, the Kings shopped Monk. They were putting him in trade packages for Jonathan Kuminga and Dennis Schroder. And now, Monk is getting no love in the rotation.
Even with Monk on the roster, the Kings decided to sign Schroder to a three-year, $45 million contract. Schroder did impress to end last season, so giving him the starting point guard role made a bit of sense. But what did not was signing Russell Westbrook prior to the start of the season.
Westbrook still has plenty of gas left in the tank, but they have so many options at the guard positions that they did not need him on the roster. He's been very productive this season, that's for sure, but the likes of Schroder, Monk, Keon Ellis, and Devin Carter had to take backseats as a result.
Moreover, with Westbrook being around as a ball-dominant option, Sabonis has been relegated to roll-man duties. DeRozan and LaVine are touching the ball less. And Monk and Schroder's values have only tanked since.
Kings front office, do not trade for Ja Morant
Morant looks like the kind of talented point guard who will thrive under a veteran head coach who can reel him in. Someone like a Rick Carlisle or maybe even an Ime Udoka or Doc Rivers could get the best out of the Grizzlies' floor general.
But the Kings lack so much stability on multiple levels that it doesn't make sense to bring in Morant's chaos to make things even more complicated for the team. Considering how much of the team is incoherent from a basketball perspective, bringing in Morant to try and remain semi-competitive instead of clearing out their logjams across the roster and pivoting towards youth would be asinine.
Make no mistake, Morant is a great player when he's locked in and healthy. However, the Kings do not have the infrastructure to maximize his talents. They are better off just blowing everything up and starting from scratch instead of taking a risk and making everything worse for themselves if their gambit doesn't pan out.
