If and when the Sacramento Kings once again become a relevant franchise, which teams in the Western Conference could become their rivals for the next decade?
The Sacramento Kings were supposed to make some noise during the 2019-’20 season. They had expectations for the first time in a decade after a surprising performance the season prior, and were looking to turn some heads with a potential playoff race.
They made noise alright, but it was the sound of a deflating balloon. The Kings underachieved due to a multitude of reasons (or excuses) and now find themselves on the outside looking in once again despite a late-season playoff push before the NBA’s hiatus.
We as fans will of course continue to hold out hope that the poor performance this last season was just a part of the growing pains. We’ll come back better next season, and the heads will finally start to turn our way.
When they do, maybe we’ll even develop a real-life rivalry. The Kings haven’t had a proper rival in many years, mostly due to the fact that they haven’t been good enough to strike fear or anger in any other team. Sure, opposing centers would tussle with DeMarcus Cousins, but there hasn’t been a team that the Kings have despised since the early part of the millennium.
Long gone are the days of the heated feuds with the Lakers that divided California. As much as we hate to see the yellow jerseys dotted all over Golden 1 Center when the Lakers are in town, the rivalry and hatred just aren’t what they used to be. We’ve tried to keep them alive over the years, and we’ll always hold that disdain for Los Angeles in our hearts, but the roaring flame has instead become a bit of a flicker.
So when the Kings are relevant again, what teams could Sacramento possibly develop a rivalry with? We dive in to three possibilities.