The Sacramento Kings are certainly an interesting position. They're not exactly set up to compete anytime soon, and some of their recent moves have helped put them in that position. In particular, it's becoming increasingly clear just how much better the Kings could have done in the trade that ultimately got them Zach LaVine.
As a reminder, it was back on Feb. 3 that Sacramento announced they had acquired Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round draft picks (one protected and two unprotected) and three second-round draft picks while giving up De'Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin.
The Kings successfully got off of Fox's contract, but at what cost? LaVine's incoming contract is actually even worse, as he'll be paid $10 million more than Fox next season. On top of that, it's not exactly like LaVine has shown that he can be a massive ceiling raiser for any team in the NBA.
Sacramento is now stuck with what resembles the 2023 Chicago Bulls score, with DeMar DeRozan and LaVine now operating as two of their most important players. Frankly, if you find yourself emulating the Bulls, that doesn't bode well for the direction your team is headed in.
The Kings should have gotten more for Fox
Ultimately, what this comes down to is that the Kings should have been able to get more in return for De'Aaron Fox. I mean, it was only two seasons ago Sacramento went to the playoffs as a three seed and Fox was arguably the best player on that team.
He was seen around the league as a complete game-changing talent not that long ago, especially after taking home the Clutch Player of The Year award that same season. So why did Sacramento only get the return that they got for him? Sure, the three first-round picks are nice. But they're still simply not enough for a player of Fox's caliber.
It really just seems like a situation where the Kings possibly moved too quickly and took the first somewhat good deal they came across. There's no question they should have been able to get more pieces to help them move forward.
Now, instead, Sacramento is left in flux. The Western Conference is far too deep to think this team as currently constructed could make the playoffs. It's a frustrating situation, but the Sacramento Kings seemingly have no one to blame but themselves for it.