A Royal Pain
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Kings future in the West seems bleak with Giannis and Flagg's potential arrivals

ByMat Issa|
Mar 22, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (right) blocks a shot by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (center) as forward DeMar DeRozan (left) defends during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (right) blocks a shot by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (center) as forward DeMar DeRozan (left) defends during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

With a new general manager in Scott Perry, it feels like a new day for the Sacramento Kings. While the path toward contention might not seem super clear, there is hope that with the right moves, the Kings can rekindle their success from the early aughts.

Not so fast. Yes, the Kings have a new front office regime in place. But their conference hasn't changed. The Western Conference is as fierce as ever, as evidenced by this season's eighth seed (the Memphis Grizzlies) winning 48 games.

And after Monday's events, it seems that this already-loaded conference may be adding two generational talents into the fold next season.

Cooper Flagg and Giannis Antetokounmpo may be joining the Western Conference

On Monday, it was announced that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is open to exploring the possibility of a trade from the only franchise he has ever known. Naturally, this has led many folks to speculate where he may land.

While it is anyone's guess, three teams with a ton of assets and solid foundation to flank Antetokounmpo with (the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder) all currently play in the Western Conference. If one of those teams grabs Antetokounmpo, they become an even bigger roadblock for the Kings in the West.

Then, there was the other jaw-dropping piece of news from Monday. As many of you are well aware, yesterday was the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. And despite only having a 1.8% chance of landing the number one pick, it was the Dallas Mavericks who won the top prize.

This year's draft is very similar to the one from 2023 in that there is a clear consensus pick at the top spot (in 2023, it was Victor Wembanyama, and now it is Cooper Flagg). Landing the first overall pick makes the Mavericks the winner of the Flagg sweepstakes.

Of course, there is always the possibility that the Milwaukee Bucks and Mavericks negotiate a deal involving Antetokounmpo and Flagg. In this case, only one of those players would end up in the Western Conference. Still, if that happens, the Mavericks become yet another team that is in clearly better shape than the Kings.

Now, if the Mavericks decide to keep Flagg and one of the other three teams we mentioned trades for Antetokounmpo, the odds of the Kings building a contender any time in the near future become incredibly slim.

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