Heading into the NBA Draft Lottery, the Sacramento Kings held just a 3.8 percent chance of moving into the Top 4 and, therefore, retaining their first-round pick. Unfortunately, the magic failed to happen, and they stayed put at pick No. 13 -- which meant they sent their pick to the Atlanta Hawks as a part of the Kevin Huerter trade.
Over the last 26 games of the season, Kevin Huerter was cooking. He nailed 2.7 3-pointers per game, dished 3.2 assists and even averaged 1.2 steals per game. The problem was that he did so wearing a Chicago jersey.
The Kings traded Huerter as a part of the De'Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine deal. That's not the Huerter trade we have in mind here, but it does illustrate just how poorly the back half of Huerter's time in Sacramento went. He hit only 62 triples in 43 games with the Kings this season, shooting a frigid 30.2 percent from deep, then took off in the Windy City, hitting 70 in only 26 games.
Kevin Huerter started hot and cooled off for the Kings
Things started off with a bang for the Kings with the sharpshooting wing nicknamed "Red Mamba." The Kings traded salary flotsam and a first-round pick for Huerter, and both sides flourished in year one. The Kings were elite offensively, and Huerter was a major reason why, averaging a career-best 15.2 points per game and hitting 40.2 percent of his 6.8 3-point attempts per game. The Kings won 48 games and finished as the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, taking the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the playoffs.
Things spiraled downhill from there, and Huerter's failures were inextricably linked with the team's failures. He cooled off to only 36.1 percent from deep, going from elite to mediocre as a shooter; that kind of output makes his defensive limitations more of an issue.
This season was even worse, and as the Kings wobbled through the year, firing head coach Mike Brown in the process, it became clear that Huerter was on the chopping block. He was going to be traded one way or the other, and it just so happened there was an opportunity to include him in the De'Aaron Fox trade that brought Zach LaVine back to Sacramento.
Kings still owe a debt on the Huerter trade
Huerter may be gone, but the piper must still be paid. The draft pick the Kings sent was lottery-protected in 2024, and when the Kings lost to the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament, it ensured they would keep that pick rather than sending it to Atlanta. They used the pick on Providence guard Devin Carter, who missed the start of his rookie season due to injury and ended up showing merely flashes of two-way play. Their hopes for his future remain bright.
The Kings were hoping to easily convey the pick this season, as it was Top-12 protected and they had designs on a run into the playoffs. That did not happen, and the Kings not only finished just ninth but they also were blasted by another star-less team in the Dallas Mavericks this year, failing even to advance to the second round of the Play-In Tournament.
Instead, the Kings had to sweat things out all the way to the NBA Draft Lottery; move up and they would retain their pick, but much more likely they would send the Atlanta Hawks the 13th or 14th pick, a heavy cost for what they ultimately got out of Kevin Huerter. Flags fly forever, but the Beam had a shelf life, and it was a single season.
The Hawks will now enjoy a lottery pick, and the Kings will be left with more questions than answers yet again. The big picture for the Sacramento Kings remains unchanged. They have B- stars, another new regime that already appears outmatched, and a lack of pathways to climbing out of the hole they have dug for themselves. Will this offseason feature more fireworks, or merely a placid acceptance of their fate?