Sacramento Kings leave footprints all over 2022 NBA App GM Survey

The Sacramento Kings might be on a 16-year playoff drought, but they certainly have their footprints all over the 2022 NBA App GM Survey.

On October 4th, the NBA released the 2022 NBA App GM Survey, where general managers across the NBA answer a set of 50 questions regarding the upcoming season — and the Sacramento Kings were featured numerous times throughout.

In the survey, GMs are asked about their predictions for the season — including player awards, playoffs, champions, rookies, offseason moves, and more. It’s an interesting survey that gives fans an inside look at how key decision makers are viewing the new campaign.

Before you ask — no, the Sacramento Kings aren’t being viewed as the title favorites. That honor was given to the Milwaukee Bucks (43% ) and Golden State Warriors (25%).

I was also a little sad to see Tyrese Haliburton listed among the players most likely to have a breakout season. He was sent to the Indiana Pacers as a part of the Domantas Sabonis trade.

With that said, let’s take a look at the nine times Sactown was mentioned in the 2022 NBA App GM Survey:

Which team made the best overall moves this offseason?

The Cleveland Cavaliers ran away with this category at 41% and there was a three-way tie at 17% between the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Utah Jazz, but the Sacramento Kings received some votes.

It might not be much, but it’s good to receive some recognition for what I believe was a solid offseason for the Kings. Here’s a quick recap of who they gained:

• Matthew Dellavedova
• Kevin Huerter
• Malik Monk
• Keegan Murray
• KZ Okpala
• Sam Merrill
• Keon Ellis
• Chima Moneke
• Kent Bazemore
• Quinn Cook

For a team that’s building off the acquisition of Domantas Sabonis and Trey Lyles last season, this offseason went exactly as planned. They’ve improved a majority of their position battles, which all you can ask for heading into a new season.

What was the most underrated player acquisition?

The Sacramento Kings weren’t featured in the top-five of this category — that went to Malcolm Brogdon (BOS), P.J. Tucker (PHI), John Wall (LAC), De’Anthony Melton (PHI), and Bojan Bogdanovic (DET).

The Kings did, however, receive some votes for their acquisition of Kevin Huerter — who they received in a trade that sent Moe Harkless, Justin Holiday, and a futuer first round pick to the Atlanta Hawks.

In my opinion, this is a game-changing trade for the Kings. They’ve already committed to him as the starting shooting guard and brings a lot of length to that position. His defense is only getting better and he can create his own shot from anywhere on the court.

If you haven’t seen Huerter play before, you’re going to be impressed by his ability on both ends of the floor. Again, it’s nice to receive some recognition from GMs for this move.

Which team will be most improved in 2021-22?

General managers are expecting the LA Clippers (41%), Cleveland Cavaliers (17&), New Orleans Pelicans (17%), and Minnesota Timberwolves (10%) to be the most improved teams this season.

With that said, the Sacramento Kings did receive some votes in this category. I expected them to receive a little more, but I think we can all agree that they did improve this offseason — regardless of how much.

Also mentioned were the Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, and Portland Trail Blazers.

The Kings went 30-52 last season and haven’t had a winning season since 2005-06. No one really knows what’s going to happen this season, but I have a feeling they’ll have more than 30 wins by the end of the year — and apparently, some GMs agree.

Last year, the Chicago Bulls were the team to win this category and they went from 11th place to 6th place in the Eastern Conference — so maybe the GMs know what they’re talking about!

Continue reading to see what the 2022 NBA App GM Survey said about Keegan Murray — just click the ‘NEXT’ button above!