The best thing you can say about the Sacramento Kings this season is that they're not the worst team in the league, though not by much. If the Kings' front office needs a blueprint for how to improve their situation, they need to look no further than the Chicago Bulls.
It wasn't that long ago that the Bulls were the laughing stock of the league. The franchise had fallen from the heights of the 1990s and hit rock bottom incredibly hard. That all changed when they started making some pretty big moves that gave them real roster maneuverability.
The process began in 2024. The Bulls traded DeMar DeRozan to the Kings, as well as moving Alex Caruso to OKC. At the same time, they brought in Josh Giddey from the Thunder, who became the Bulls' franchise player incredibly quickly, and drafted future legend Matas Buzelis.
Then, in early 2025, the Bulls were part of another big trade. It resulted in Zach LaVine leaving Chicago for Sacramento, as well as Kevin Huerter heading to the Bulls. The same trade also sent Kings' franchise player and point guard De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio.
The Bulls have the new look the Kings need
For the first time in a long time, the Bulls have real energy and potential, starting the current season five and zero. They are number one in the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, the Kings are two and four, and are 13th in the Western Conference. That's actually an improvement for the Kings.
Unfortunately for Sacramento fans, many of those moves the Bulls made cost the Kings. They took on two great players with expensive contracts from Chicago in DeRozan and LaVine. They are preventing the Kings from making bigger, highly necessary roster changes that will help the team.
Both DeRozan and LaVine played great for the Bulls but it never quite worked in the Windy City. Now that the duo is with the Kings, that same dynamic isn't quite working in Sactown, either. No disrespect to either athlete, but things won't get better until one or both of them have moved on.
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are incredible players. There's no question of that. But whatever the Kings are currently trying to build around them is just not going to come together. Big, risky changes need to be made in Sacramento, just like they were made in Chicago.