5 People who turned their backs on the Sacramento Kings

1. Marvin Bagley III

This one is a little more complicated because while Marvin Bagley III wasn’t happy with the Kings, the franchise was ready to move on from him as well. Bagley is just one of the many missteps the Kings took in the draft. 

The former number two pick never became a star—he is now playing for the Wizards, however, and has a chance to start over—and struggled to stay healthy. His entire time in Sacramento was defined by injuries and disagreements with the organization, which culminated in them informing him that he wouldn’t be a part of the rotation in 2021 because they couldn’t agree on a contract extension. 

The whole thing was very public. Despite being a top draft pick, Bagley only became a starter in his third season, and even then he often didn’t finish games. This prompted his dad to tweet that the Kings should trade him. They apparently tried at the trade deadline but didn’t like any of the offers. 

Bagley’s agent accused the organization of mismanagement of his client, and Bagley himself refused to check into a game. This is definitely not all on Bagley—maybe the fit just wasn’t right—but he turned his back on the Kings and was relieved when they finally traded him to the Pistons.