If the Sacramento Kings ever want to climb out of the NBA's basement and be legit contenders in the Wester Conference, that means a lot of big changes have to be made. But if Vivek Ranadive lets Scott Perry and the front office off the leash, these huge trades could change the game.
The need for a rebuild in Sactown has been evident for at least 15 years. Many look back to the Beam Team Era as if it was this long period of greatness. In truth, it was barely one season, and ended with the Kings getting bounced out of the first round of the playoffs. It wasn't the 90s era Bulls.
Ideally, the rebuild would have a much bigger range than just the roster. Doug Christie is not the coach for the rebuild. Disconnects between Christie and both the front office and his players are already rumored, likely due to his perceived inflexibility. That's not going to get better.
Beyond that, Sacramento honestly needs a new owner. Vivek Ranadive's run as a hands-on co-owner has not been even close to successful. He either needs to sell the team to someone else, or step back and let his coaches and front office do their jobs. That starts with some major trades.
Rebuilding the Sacramento Kings
Step one is moving Zach LaVine. He's a hell of a shooter, but he doesn't fit on the Kings. Reportedly, the Bucks are interested in spacing the floor with LaVine's shot to give Giannis more room to work. In exchange, the Kings need young guns Ryan Rollins and AJ Green, and at least a couple of picks.
For Domantas Sabonis, a good destination would be the Wizards as he and Alex Sarr could be a devastating combination. In return, the Kings would get Corey Kispert, Bilal Coulibaly, and Marvin Bagley III as well as a draft pick or two to fill the deal out.
While Russell Westbrook has been doing an incredible job, the Kings need a young, but experienced point guard to build around. A deal with the Hawks involving an exchange of Trae Young for DeMar DeRozan, a couple of picks, and some combination of bench guys would get the job done.
Then there's Dennis Schroder. He's becoming a solid bench player for the Kings, but they brought him in to be their starting point guard. Reportedly, the Knicks are interested in him. Sacramento should take that seriously, and look at collecting two to three good draft picks in exchange.
The new look Kings have arrived
Assume that players like Drew Eubanks, Dario Saric, and Doug McDermott were all moved as part of the above trades, likely with the Hawks or Knicks. Several current players, including Keon Ellis and Devin Carter, remain on the roster, and Dylan Cardwell is permanently called up from the G League.
The starting five now puts Trae Young at point guard, Ryan Rollins at shooting guard, Bilal Coulibaly at small forward, Keegan Murray at power forward, and Maxime Raynaud at center. Malik Monk remains their key Sixth Man and Russell Westbrook is the teams' backup PG and mentor.
Now, the Kings are younger, more versatile, have a greater variety of offensive threats, and will actually build a defensive presence around players like Precious Achiuwa. Nique Clifford will also get a chance to properly develop, and will hopefully be a solid point guard by the time Westbrook retires.
On top of that, the Kings will find themselves with several first and second round draft picks over the next five years. It will improve their developmental pipeline, and give them the opportunity to package some of the picks for a big name if both the time and the fit are right.
It's a big plan, but a transformational one
There are a lot of moving parts here, particularly since it involves major trades with up to four NBA franchises. Frankly, even one of these trades panning out is highly improbable, but not impossible. The Kings are in unique position to make all of this this work since they are ready to deal.
The key here is that they are planning for the future with all of these moves. If every trade works out, the only player on the roster who has been in the league longer than a decade will be Westbrook. And he's playing like he's 28 these days.
Over the course of the next three years, this group will find it's rhythm and grow as a team. Along the way, there will be trades and drafts that will finesse the group. What matters is that the core philosophy of youth and defense leading to a stronger, well-defined offense is maintained.
By the time year five rolls around, Scott Perry's projected timeline for this rebuild, the Kings are a true contender and a real threat in the Western Conference. It would be insane to guarantee an NBA Championship, but this is the kind of roster that has an actual chance to get there.