Sacramento Kings: Quiet offseason a good sign of things to come

If you’re a fan of the Sacramento Kings, this offseason has likely done little more than bore you to tears. The Kings refused to shuffle the cards and unless a trade goes down leading up to the season, will be sending out largely the same roster as they fielded last season. Considering the team has posted a 31-41 record in back-to-back seasons now, running it back might seem like the most illogical thing management could do at this juncture.

While it might seem counter-intuitive at first, I firmly believe this is the best plan of action for the Kings at this moment in time. For the first time in a long time, it feels like the team has a real positive trajectory and young core worth building on.

It’s a rare instance in any professional sport when staying the course seems to be the best move after 15 consecutive losing seasons, but here we are. Committing to seeing just what this team can do, instead of mortgaging the future for a player like Ben Simmons is not only the least risky option but also the path most likely to bear a fruitful return for Sacramento.

Relatively speaking, the Sacramento Kings have had an incredibly quiet offseason that signifies the front office’s commitment to a singular direction.

Barring any radical changes to this roster, this year’s team likely won’t perform radically different than what we’ve seen the last two years. The end result shouldn’t be what we get hung up on, however, as I believe how we get there is far more important.

If the Kings can leverage their new additions in Davion Mitchell, Tristan Thompson, and Alex Len to rebuild their tough and gritty mentality of years past, that would be a huge step in the right direction. Giving Luke Walton one more year to figure things out or get lost while a natural chain of command forms in the locker room will provide stability this team hasn’t seen since the days of Rick Adelman.

Sacramento is home to a blossoming star in De’Aaron Fox and two incredibly talented prospects at guard with Tyrese Haliburton and Mitchell. They have quality veterans who have been willing to take team-friendly deals to stay in Sacramento in Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes. The front office possesses a wealth of assets to trade with Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley, and likely another lottery draft pick this year.

With the way this team has been aligned, I don’t see any way for it to get worse. I don’t mean that as an insult either, even with the second-worst defense in NBA history last season, the squad still finished just 10 games shy of a .500 winning percentage. As the young guards continue to develop and additional pieces like Mitchell and Maurice Harkless are brought in to address the defensive issues, I see no place for this team to go but up.

So if you share my sentiments and are a little disappointed about the front office’s lack of big moves, don’t despair. There is a greater scheme in the works in the midst of all of this. While the Sacramento Kings can’t say they went and acquired stars to maybe get better this season, they certainly cannot say they got any worse.