Led by D’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Sacramento Kings just made their first playoff experience since 2006. It was a short-lived run that ended in a first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors but for the first time in years, fans can be excited about the Kings’ future.
When it comes to a team that missed the playoffs for 16 straight years, setting the NBA record, it is fair to say that they made some questionable decisions. So, let’s look at five players the Kings never should have signed.
5. Dewayne Dedmon
Intrigued by the potential Dewayne Dedmon had shown during his two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, the Kings signed him to a 3-year $40 million deal in 2019. With the Hawks, Dedmon became a rim protector and floor spacer, averaging 10.8 points on 49.2 percent shooting from the field and 38.2 percent from three, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game.
When he arrived in Sacramento, things didn’t go quite as well. He could not replicate his production, especially from behind the arc, and lost his starting spot quickly. After that, Dedmon fell out of the rotation as well. Frustrated by his diminished role, Dedmon demanded a trade. The league fined him $50000 for his public demands and comments but the Kings still obliged with his request.
After only 34 games in a Kings’ uniform, Dedmon was shipped back to Atlanta but because of his lacking production and unattractive contract, the Kings had to add two second-round picks on top. With a 31-41 season and their fourteenth successive losing record the season was already a disappointment for the Kings but having a promising signing take such a nasty turn made it sting even worse.
It is safe to say that the money would have been better spent on someone else and signing Dedmon was not a good move for the Kings.
4. Trevor Ariza
The former second-round pick had a slow start to his career but sort of took off in 2009-10 when he was with the Rockets. Almost then years later, in the 2018-19 season, Trevor Ariza averaged 14.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 34.1 minutes per game as a starter in 43 games with the Washington Wizards.
Although he was already 34 at the time, that earned him a 2-year $25 million contract with the Kings in 2019. There were several problems with that signing. Ariza’s age made it a risky signing but on top of that the Kings didn’t even actually have a role for him. Harrison Barnes, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Buddy Hield were already crowding the wing. Thus, Ariza’s production dropped immensely to 6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals.
He only played 32 games with the Kings before they traded him to the Portland Trailblazers. Considering that they neither got the expected level of production from Ariza nor needed it, this signing was a waste of money. That money could have gone towards another player that might have stayed with the team for more than 32 games.
3. JJ Hickson
JJ Hickson was not a regular free agent signing. The Kings acquired him from the Cavaliers in the summer of 2011 in exchange for Omri Casspi and a protected draft pick. Hickson was still very young at the time of the trade and had just had a breakout season averaging 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds.
It seemed like a promising move, but it was not. Once Hickson got to the Kings, he only averaged 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds all the while making more money than Isaiah Thomas who was the team’s fourth leading scorer. Hickson only lasted 35 games with the Kings. Disappointed in his production and unable to find a good trade, the Kings bought out his contract in March 2012.
By now Hickson has been playing overseas since the 2016-17 season. He has been on teams in China, Lebanon, and Puerto Rico. Knowing all this, it is easy to say that the Kings never should have gone after Hickson, and even though they did not technically sign him, that earned him a spot on this list.
2. George Hill
In 2017, the Kings signed a group of veterans; Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, and George Hill to provide some veteran leadership to their young players. None of these deals were especially great but Carter’s was by far the cheapest, and Randolph still had one good season left in the tank before being traded for Harrison Barnes. Hill, however, was signed a massive 3-year $57 million deal even though he was already thirty-one and the Kings had just drafted D’Aaron Fox as their point guard of the future.
Hill’s production dropped from 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, to 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, marking his worst season since 2013-14. Realizing that Hill did not fit well with their young players and knowing that developing them had to be a priority, the Kings finalized a trade that would send Hill to the Cleveland Cavaliers. That way they managed to get off his massive contract but did not get anything in return besides cap space.
It would have been a much better decision to just spend that money on a player, or maybe even players, who fit next to D’Aaron Fox as the Kings were trying to build a foundation for the future.
1. Thomas Robinson
In 2012, the Kings drafted Thomas Robinson with the fifth overall pick and subsequently signed him to a multi-year contract. The pick made sense at first. Robinson had been a consensus first-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year in college. Once he came to the NBA, his potential never quite panned out, however.
Robinson never lived up to the expectations that come with being a top-five pick in the NBA Draft. As a rookie, he only averaged 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Kings. He only played 51 games of his rookie contract before the Kings traded him to the Rockets.
From there on out, things did not go much better for Robison. Maintaining career averages of around 5 points and 5 rebounds per game, he never quite found his footing in the NBA. Since 2017, he has been playing overseas for clubs in Russia, China, Turkey, Korea, and Puerto Rico.
Robinson was not a good pick or signing for the Kings and what makes this sting even more is that Damian Lillard was selected just one pick later.