The Sacramento Kings were not the worst team in the NBA. At 40-42, the Kings had a better record than 12 of the teams in the NBA in 2024-25. Yet, they have a huge problem that might make them the worst situation in basketball.
The Kings have no one on their team who is truly untradeable
The Kings are not the only team stuck in basketball purgatory (hey there, Chicago Bulls), but they may be the only team in the league that doesn't have any real untradeable players.
Take, for instance, their four marquee players. The Kings would love to part ways with one of Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan this offseason. And if they decide to go with a full-scale rebuild, it wouldn't make much sense to keep Domantas Sabonis or Malik Monk, either. Plus, Sabonis and Monk are probably the only two players of those four who could net them a positive return in a potential trade.
None of their young players are off-limits, either. Keegan Murray is probably the team's prized possession. However, between his up-and-down shooting and impending contract extension, the Kings could look to move him to get assets that make more sense with their timeline (if they choose to go the rebuild route).
Keon Ellis is coming off another nice season as a three-and-D role player. But he is also one of the best contracts on the team (and one of the best in the league, for that matter). Any contending team would love to have a guy like Ellis, which could lead to the team dangling his name around in trade talks.
The Kings used their 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to select Devin Carter. Carter showed some promising flashes in his first season, but he didn't do enough to make him untradeable. If the Kings go with the re-tool route, they could look to add Carter as a sweetener in a trade for a more proven veteran.
The Utah Jazz had the worst record in the league, but at least they have a young core of players (Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, etc.) that they are building around. The same goes for teams like the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets.
The same can't be said for this current version of the Kings, which is a huge problem for the team.