The NBA can't seem to stop trying to find ways to spice things up around the league. That's why Commissioner Adam Silver is always screwing around with the format of the All-Star Game.
In 2023, the league introduced the NBA Cup, a mid season tournament. The group stage games happen as part of the regular season with the finals happening in Las Vegas. The winner gets the NBA Cup, which is a thing, now.
The inaugural champions were the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the only championship they saw that year. They were followed by the Milwaukee Bucks, who had an equally mediocre season after that. And the Kings' 2025 NBA Cup chances aren't going to start well.
The Kings couldn't start in a worse matchup
For the Kings, the first game of their group play happens on November 7 in Sacramento. And they're hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder. How lucky for them.
Just in case you've been living under a rock, OKC are the reigning NBA Champions as well as the holders of the 2024-2025 best record in the Western Conference two years running.
The Thunder are led by Shai Gilgeous Alexander. Last season, he was the NBA MVP, the Western Conference Finals MVP, the NBA Scoring Champion, and the NBA Finals MVP. He is the first Canadian player to achieve such a feat.
The Kings' hard road to the NBA Cup
While the Kings might have some potential hidden in the depths of their almost impossibly unbalanced roster, they're not going to find any sort of groove by November 7th. It's hard to imagine them taking OKC down.
After that, their second Group Stage game sees the Kings taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves, another difficult fight. Fortunately, things get easier from there as the next two NBA Cup games are against the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz.
No one is putting money on the Kings to win the NBA Cup this year. At the same time, it would be nice to see them take on a team closer to their level to kick off group stage play.