Well, the Sacramento Kings have committed yet another unforced error when it comes to team-building. It was announced today that they are trading Clifford to the Thunder for a pair of second-round picks. This is a short-sighted move that once again shows how weak their leadership is.
About 18 months ago, the Kings traded their way into the first round of the 2025 draft to get Clifford in the first place. The rookie wing had serious potential to do big things in Sacramento, but took a bit more time to find his NBA legs than fellow rookies Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Raynaud.
As the season went on, Clifford showed significant improvement and growth in his game. Fans really saw this in the Kings' first preseason game of 2026 when he collected 23 points, nine rebounds, and two assists. He's been quiet since then, mainly because of the bad decisions made by his coaches.
They spent too much time trying to turn him into a backup point guard for Darius Acuff Jr., which was completely against type for Clifford. During the regular season, his minutes declined to basically nothing. And when he was on the court, he wasn't put to good use. The Kings gave up on him.
This isn't Clifford's fault
Let's be clear on what happened here; the Kings failed Clifford, not the other way around. Once again, they have completely botched the development of a young player and have pulled the ripcord instead of doing better. The list of talents on this list is long, and it's just going to keep getting longer.
This is a franchise that is rampantly incapable of developing players. If they don't show up ready to go, the Kings do not have the coaching staff or the patience to get them NBA-ready. Frankly, moving to the Thunder might be the best-case scenario for Clifford at this point in his career.
He is now on a legit contender with a strong history of developing players like him. This path might actually help Clifford reach his full potential as a strong wing off the bench. Teams need guys like him in their secondary, particularly the Thunder, who have been brutalized by injuries this season.
More than anything, dropping Clifford is yet another sign that Kings fans cannot take this rebuild seriously. They keep Doug Christie as head coach, yet trade a talented developmental player for a couple of picks. Every other young player on this roster should be looking for their way out, too.
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