Thanks to a blockbuster trade made last season, the Sacramento Kings are officially back in the NBA Playoffs. After 16 seasons without a postseason appearance, the Kings are primed for not only a return but perhaps a sizable playoff push.
The trade that led to this was, of course, the controversial swap of Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis. On Feb. 8, 2022, the deal was complete as Sacramento acquired Sabonis for a package including Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.
Many scrutinized the move at the time, especially after Haliburton’s early success in Indiana, due to a combination of the clear potential he possesses mixed with a perceived ceiling that many felt limited Sabonis. Those detractors have since been proven wrong, however, as Domantas Sabonis has evolved into one of the top bigs in the NBA.
Not all of the Kings’ success can be attributed to Sabonis, as the growth of De’Aaron Fox, the hiring of Mike Brown, and several strong moves since by general manager Monte McNair. Still, the Sabonis trade serves as the marker for the changing of the tides in Sacramento. If all continues as it has so far, this deal will undoubtedly go down as one of the most important in the history of the Sacramento Kings.
The Sabonis trade sparked the Sacramento Kings, but where does it rank in franchise history?
While the Sacramento Kings’ trade history may not be the most decorated, there have been quite a few moves over the years that have provided all sorts of thrilling talents and many fan favorites.
10. Rudy Gay
As the 2013-14 season began for the Sacramento Kings, it was clear that something had to be done to improve the roster. The team had just finished their fifth consecutive season with 30 or fewer wins*. In that time, the team had seen four coaches come and go, and there are, but so many times, a team can replace the coach before acknowledging the roster strength, or lack thereof.
The team had just given an up-and-coming center named DeMarcus Cousins a four-year $62 million contract extension and had little other excitement on the roster outside of Isaiah Thomas, who would be entering his third year. The Kings had whiffed on the previous three drafts — though, at the time, Ben McLemore seemed to have a fair amount of potential — and were far from a free-agent destination, so if they wanted to supply Cousins and Thomas with some support, they were going to have to be creative.
Flash forward to Dec. 9, and the Kings would find their man, acquiring Gay from the Toronto Raptors, who was looking to save some cash and had quickly learned he was not a fit next to rising star DeMar DeRozan. This would be the second time in less than a year that a team had moved on from the former eighth-overall pick in a salary dump.
In exchange for Gay, the Kings sent Greivis Vasquez — who they acquired in an offseason deal for Tyreke Evans — John Salmons, Patrick Peterson, and Chuck Hayes. Sacramento would also receive Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy in the deal.
While the move for Gay clearly did not change the direction of the Kings’ franchise, next to Cousins and Thomas, Gay provided some exciting basketball for fans in his near-four seasons with the team, being dubbed “The Great Rudini” in the process.
Over four seasons and 223 games with the Sacramento Kings, Rudy Gay averaged 19.3 points and 6.0 rebounds, but the team failed to finish higher than 10th in the Western Conference during that time.
*The Kings finished on pace for 27 wins during the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season.
9. Spud Webb
These days, Spud Webb is most often remembered as the 5’6″ guy who won the 1986 NBA dunk contest. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as what he did was truly impressive, but it’s a disservice to his time in the league to only remember that.
During his time in Atlanta, Webb spent most of his time as a reserve, starting just 29% of his games played — 88% of his starts came in his final two seasons. Despite being a fan-favorite in the ATL, the Hawks made the decision to “capitalize” on Webb’s career-best season by trading him for a seemingly up-and-coming player in Travis May.
The 14th pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, May had just finished a strong rookie season that saw him average 14.3 points and 4.0 assists while starting 55 of 64 games played. Atlanta would not only get young but and a player with a supposedly higher ceiling than Webb. That, however, is not how the future would end up playing out.
Sadly, May would rupture both tendons in his ankle just two games into his first season in Atlanta and miss the rest of the year. He would return for the following season, but that would be his last in the NBA.
Webb meanwhile thrived in Sacramento as the Kings’ starting point guard averaging career-highs in points (16.0), rebounds (2.9), assists (7.1), steals (1.6), and three-point percentage (36.7%) in his first year with the team. He would go on to average 13.7 points and 6.7 assists in his four-year Kings’ career.
While the team failed to make the playoffs during that time, the core of Webb, along with Mitch Richmond, Wayman Tisdale, Lionel Simmons, and Walt Williams, formed one of the best “worst” teams in Kings’ history — especially their 58-point beatdown of the Dallas Mavericks in ’92.
8. Ron Artest
Few players can say that they’ve had a career as, well, let’s just say interesting, as the player formerly known as Ron Artest — now Metta Saniford-Artest. Before coming to Sacramento, Artest had earned a reputation as a strong defender who was beginning to blossom into a star.
After being traded to the Indiana Pacers along with future King Brad Miller, Artest began to come into his own, being named to his first two All-Defensive teams in addition to an appearance in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game while also being named to the All-NBA third team in 2004. It seemed as though Artest was about to make the leap, at least that was until one fateful game against the Detroit Pistons.
Early into the 2004-05 season, Artest would find himself facing the largest suspension of a player in NBA history (86 games) due to his role in the infamous “Malice at the Palace.” Artest would miss the rest of the regular season and 13 playoff games. While Artest would begin the following season with Indiana, he would soon after demand a trade leaving many in the Pacers’ organization feeling “betrayed.”
On Jan. 24, 2006, Artest would be traded in exchange for Peja Stojaković after spending 23 games apart from Indy after his trade demand. The trade was a difficult process — some would relate it to pulling teeth — as Artest had no desire to play for the Kings, which led to a lengthy delay in the deal. Much of the basketball world was familiar with the framework of the on-again, off-again deal, which ended up hurting the relationship between Stojaković and the Kings for a short time.
Once Artest finally found himself in Sactown, however, things finally began to change. Despite showing up north of 270 pounds (according to Artest), and in a poor mental state, after a conversation with head coach Rick Adelman, he soon found himself back on track — as did the Kings.
Artest would average 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, with the Kings over 167 total games.
7. Brad Miller
Brad Miller is an absolute fan favorite (for good reason) who has proven himself to be Sactown through and through since he first came to the area in the 2003 off-season. Miller was acquired via “sign-and-trade” after agreeing to an astonishing seven-year deal worth $68 million. In exchange for Miller, the Kings sent Scot Pollard to Indiana and Hedo Türkoğlu to San Antonio, who joined as a third team in the trade.
Miller was brought in to be the long-term replacement for Vlade Divac, who was approaching the end of both his contract in Sacramento and his time in the league.
In his first season in Sactown, Miller played uncharacteristically at power forward due to Divac’s presence and immediately took to it. He would average 14.1 points along with 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists and be named an All-Star for the second time in his career, starting off his time in Sacramento on the right foot.
It wasn’t just statistical success Miller brought with him, though, as the Kings would make the Western Conference Finals that season for the first time since 1980-81. Though they would fall to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games, it would be an unforgettable season for the Kings’ franchise and its fans.
Miller would average 13.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over 385 regular season games with the Kings. He would also average 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists over 23 playoff games.
6. Wayman Tisdale
How could a player whose first love wasn’t even basketball rank so high on this list? That just speaks to the impact Wayman Tisdale had on the Kings and those around him.
After a stellar collegiate career at Oklahoma, Tisdale was selected with the second pick in the 1985 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers. He would have a strong enough start to his career but found himself on the outs in his third season as the Pacers effectively chose Rik Smits to man the post. Tisdale would be traded to Sacramento for LaSalle Thompson and Randy Whitman.
Following the move, Tisdale quickly made a name for himself, finishing the 1998-90 season averaging 19.8 points and 9.6 rebounds in 31 games played in a Kings uniform. He would go on to play the next five seasons in Sacramento, eventually forming one of the most dynamic duos in Kings’ history with Mitch Richmond.
Tisdale averaged 18.4 points and 7.2 rebounds over 370 games in Sacramento. While the Kings failed to make the playoffs during his time there, the Wayman Tisdale brought entertainment to a franchise that had just lost Reggie Theus and Otis Thorpe.
Younger fans may not know or remember the name Wayman Tisdale, but he is a member of Kings’ history who deserves recognition. As a player and, more importantly, as a person, Tisdale was an absolute joy who provided many with wonderful memories up until his passing in 2009.
5. Doug Christie
One of the most popular players in Kings history, Doug Christie, first came to Sacramento in August of 2000 in exchange for Corliss Williamson. Christie’s greatest attribute was his impressive knack for defense and the toughness he brought to the game. He averaged 2.3 steals in his first season with the team and led the charge defensively as they improved from 27th in opponent points per game (102.0) to 13th (95.9).
Christie lit a fire in the Kings and their fans and helped fan the flames of the team’s rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, who would knock Sacramento out of the playoffs in three straight seasons from 1999-2002.
While not as flashy as his fellow members of The Greatest Show on Court, Christie was integral to the Kings and their growth as a team. After failing to reach the Western Conference Semifinals for the past 20 years, Sacramento finally found their way out of the first round of the playoffs in Christie’s first season and would continue to do so in each year Christie and the Kings made the playoffs.
Christie finished his time in Sacramento averaging 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 355 games, with playoff averages of 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over 48 games.
In 2021, Christie returned to Sacramento as an assistant coach and was retained when Mike Brown took over the club as head coach. It’s not exactly common for an incoming head coach to retain an assistant from the previous regime, but that just speaks to the value Christie brings to the organization even now.
Christie had many memorable moments with the Kings as a player. He is often known outside of Sacramento for his preseason fight with Rick Fox or his association with BET’s Basketball Wives, but Christie was beloved by Sacramento and the engine of this Kings team.
4. Mike Bibby
Back in the late 90s, the Sacramento Kings were beginning to round into shape. With a team built around Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, Doug Christie, Peja Stojakovic, and flashy guard Jason Williams, the Kings had established themselves as a perennial playoff team. With this squad, the Kings would make the postseason in three consecutive seasons from 1999-2001 but failed to advance past the Western Conference Semifinals.
It was clear, though, that the team had a ceiling as currently constructed though they weren’t far off from breaking through it. There were a number of reasons the team couldn’t reach the WCF, but most easily identified, and also most convenient for the franchise, was their “bad boy” of a point guard.
Williams was frankly a headache for the organization despite being a fan favorite, but the decision to move on came down to more than just that. Williams may have had the flash of a star, but as impressive as his facilitating was, his poor decision-making and lack of defensive ability made him a liability at times.
This led the Kings to trade Williams in the 2001 offseason to the Grizzlies, who had recently relocated to Memphis. In exchange, Sacramento would welcome in their new starting point guard, Mike Bibby, who would help the Kings reach heights not seen in over 20 years.
Bibby would average 13.7 points and 5.0 assists with the Kings while slashing 45.3/37.0/80.3 percentages in his first season in Sacramento and 17.9 points and 5.6 assists in his Kings playoff career.
3. Domantas Sabonis
In just 91 games played with the Sacramento Kings, big man Domantas Sabonis has helped to transform the direction of the franchise completely. Three may seem a bit high for someone who has just played over a single season, but that speaks to the difference that Sabonis has made.
On Feb. 8, 2022, the Sacramento Kings reached an agreement to trade rising star guard Tyrese Haliburton, sharpshooter Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for Sabonis, swingmen Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb, and a 2023 second-round pick. The trade at the time, and even by some, still was hotly contested as many saw Haliburton’s ceiling to far exceed Sabonis’.
While Haliburton has been nothing short of fantastic in Indy, it would be surprising to hear any member of Sacramento’s front office voice disappointment in what Sabonis has brought to the team.
This season, he has averaged 19.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. If the season were to end today, Sabonis would become just the fourth player in NBA history to average those stats. He’s also averaging career highs in PER (23.3), True Shooting Percentage (66.8%), Free-Throw Attempt Rate (.471), and Assist Percentage (29.7).
In his short time with the Kings, Sabonis has not only taken his own game to the next level, but he’s helped several of his teammates, most notably De’Aaron Fox. While Fox’s standard box numbers may not pop off the page compared to recent history, it’s his efficiency that truly stands out.
Fox is averaging career-best numbers in Field Goal Percentage (51.6%), Free-Throw Percentage (77.7), and True Shooting Percentage (60.3%) while enjoying the lowest Turnover Percentage of his career (10.7%). Playing alongside a big like Sabonis, who can help with facilitating the offense but without forcing him to play out of position, has certainly helped his development.
Sabonis’ contributions go beyond his own game and beyond the court. If this list were to be revisited in just a couple of years, he likely would move even further up this list, perhaps even taking the top spot.
2. Mitch Richmond
After moving from Kansas City to Sacramento, the Kings did not have much in terms of “star power.” Sure, they had franchise studs like Reggie Theus or Wayman Tisdale, and they also had young talents such as Otis Thorpe and Kenny Smith. As impressive and fun as those players were, however, the term “star” has a different connotation. Mitch Richmond, on the other hand, was that guy.
After three stellar seasons with the Golden State, two of which, as a part of the exciting group known as Run TMC, the Warriors traded Richmond along with Les Jepsen in exchange for rookie Billy Owens. Owens was projected to be an All-Star caliber player, just not in Sacramento, as he spent his time before the trade holding out due to contract negotiations.
Owens would have a fine career, including three solid years in Golden Stats, but Richmond would take the leap into stardom with the Kings. Averaging 23.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists over 517 games, Richmond would earn six-straight All-Star bids from 1992-1998,
While the Kings were not particularly competitive during his time with the team, they did reach the postseason in 1996, though they would be swiftly knocked out by the Seattle Supersonics.
Richmond was a talented player and a true star, certainly deserving of the love the city has given him over the years. Of all that he has done for the Kings however, it was his exit that led to the King’s top run since the days of Otis Birdsong.
1. Chris Webber
As if it could be anyone else, Chris Webber is the top acquisition in the history of the Sacramento Kings.
Before Webber, the Kings had made the playoffs just twice since they made the move from Kansas City. Despite rostering some exciting players, such as Reggie Theis and Mitch Richmond, the Kings could manage to translate that into postseason, or even regular season, success. All of this failure, combined with Richmond’s age and desire to play for a contender, led to the Kings trading away their six-time All-Star for a former #1 pick who, while undeniably talented, had already worn out his welcome with two teams.
After constantly clashing with Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson in his rookie season, Webber was traded away to the Washington then-Bullets for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks. He would spend three seasons in Washington but would again wear out his welcome.
The Wizards felt they had a maturity issue on their hands and would be better off with a more veteran presence in the locker room, hence the decision to acquire Mitch Richmond. That decision, in hindsight, did not pan out for Washington, but the results were wondrous for Sacramento.
Though Webber did not initially wish to become a King, neither he nor the league knew what was about to transpire in Sacramento. In perhaps the greatest offseason in franchise history, the Kings not only acquired Webber but center Vlade Divac who was obtained via free agency, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, acquired in the 1998 NBA Draft, and sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, who was the 14th selection in the 2016 NBA draft but would finally be coming over from after two seasons in Greece.
Together, this group, which would eventually add Doug Christie and swap out Williams for Mike Bibby, would bring forward one of the most competitive eras in Sacramento Kings’ history, with Chris Webber doing much of the heavy lifting.
In 377 games with the Kings, Webber averaged 23.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. He would make four All-Star teams in that time and would usher in an era of perennial playoff appearances.
There was much risk in trading for a player as controversial as Webber, especially when it involved trading away a six-time All-Star, but there is no doubt that the Kings made the right move, and their reward was even sweeter.