As the clock ticks closer to the beginning of the 2025-2026 NBA season, all eyes are on the Sacramento Kings. Why? Because many, if not most, of the other teams expect an epic meltdown and are looking forward to picking up the pieces for their own rosters.
Over the course of the last few seasons, the Kings have built a unbalanced roster that's heavy on scoring while being relatively weak on defense and playmaking. Their new head coach and front office wants to change things, but it's not feeling likely with their current structure.
The biggest trade made in the offseason brought point guard Dennis Schroder to the team. Beyond that, no significant changes to the roster have been made outside of some solid draft picks and signing Russell Westbrook. None of this reflects the change in attitude they claim to have.
During the preseason, the Kings lost 75% of their games and suffered several difficult injuries. At the same time, Zach LaVine played incredibly well as did rookies like Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell. The rest of the NBA has taken notice of these standouts on the roster.
The scouts are coming for the Kings
Throughout the preseason, there were rumors that scouts for other NBA franchises have been hanging around the Kings' games. Scouts watching other teams play isn't abnormal. It's quite literally their jobs. But a lot of scouts have been at Kings' games, reportedly far more than usual.
The common sentiment seems to be that the Kings are going to have an epically terrible season. That's just a guess, but an educated one given the situation. As such, the rest of the NBA is looking at which pieces of the Kings' roster would be the right fits for their teams when the trades start flying.
The Kings' rookie crew is going to be high up various shopping lists, particularly Nique Clifford. His strong preseason showed of his skills, composure, and maturity on the court. No one would be surprised if other teams started making offers closing in on the trade deadline.
That will be the moment for the Kings. If the season isn't going well, the Kings will be looking to make big moves and the rest of the NBA will benefit from that urgency. The trade deadline could be the real start of the rebuild. Unfortunately, it could cost the Kings in a big way.