The Athletic recently released the results of their 2026 Anonymous NBA Player Poll. One of the questions was about which team was on an individual's no-trade list. The Sacramento Kings came in third with 10.8% of the vote, which is way lower than anyone could have reasonably expected.
Over the course of the last few weeks, The Athletic has been asking NBA players their opinions on a variety of topics. It covered questions like which arena has the most passionate fans and where Giannis Antetokounmpo will be playing in the 2026-2027 season. It's definitely not Sacramento.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, the players voted Boston Celtics' fans at number one in two separate categories. They were rated as having the most passionate fans as well as the most obnoxious fans in the league, which is both poetic and accurate at the same time.
After publishing several rounds of results, the final wave has been released, featuring a question about which teams are on players' no-trade lists. Number one is the Grizzlies at 35.8%, which is highly indicative of how little some guys want to live in Memphis and play with Ja Morant.
The Kings aren't number one and that's a good thing
Not surprisingly, Sacramento was fairly high on that list, coming in at number three with 10.8% of the vote. Number two was the Washington Wizards with 11.7%. Other teams like the Pelicans, Nets, Jazz, Hornets, Blazers, Knicks, and Pistons rounded out the top ten no-trade teams according to players.
It's honestly shocking that the Kings didn't get a larger percentage of the vote. The franchise has been a mess for a good 20 years, and they're sorting through major roster problems, some of which will take years to fix. Plus, the head coach and general manager positions have been revolving doors.
At the same time, the rebuild is off to a reasonably good start. While Sacramento had a terrible season, there's a lot to be positive about moving forward. Scott Perry is a good general manager with a strong vision for the franchise. There's actual light at the end of the Kings' tunnel for once.
It also doesn't hurt that Sacramento is in California, and the lifestyle isn't exactly difficult to deal with for a basketball player. Yes, 10.8% of the players asked would never want to play in Sactown. That also means that 89.2% would be okay with making the move. That says a lot about the team.
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