The Sacramento Kings' 2024-25 season has gone into a tailspin, as their 13-17 record has pushed them to 12th in the Western Conference, meaning they would miss the play-in tournament if the season concluded today.
Their poor play has led to some speculation that their star point guard, De'Aaron Fox, could soon be available for the right price. And more than likely, if the team trades Fox, it would signal the end of this current era of Kings basketball.
Given how much positive growth they've experienced over the last two years and how little they were winning before that, it seems unlikely that the team would be so quick to give up on this roster and launch a full-scale rebuild. However, recent reporting suggests a team that was more successful than them last season may be looking to start from scratch.
The New Orleans Pelicans may be giving up on this era
Last season, the Pelicans were able to stay healthy, and as a result, they won 49 games for the first time since 2008-09. They also beat the Kings six times and were the team that ultimately eliminated them from the play-in tournament. Despite ultimately getting swept in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder, things were looking brighter for them than the Kings.
Unfortunately, their success was short-lived, as, this year, the Pelicans are the most injury-plagued team in basketball – leaving them with the second-worst record in basketball (5-24). Now, the lowly Pelicans may be looking to trade many of the pieces from their injury-riddled roster.
The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly shopping Zion Williamson, per @jovanbuha
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 24, 2024
“Based on the reporting intel, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones are at a certain level for them. They want to keep them. Those are two guys that are going to have a high price to give up, similar to L.A.… pic.twitter.com/M0EYodLSrh
It's wild to think that the Pelicans – a team that achieved more success than the Kings last year – may already be looking to throw in the towel on this group. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how talented you are if you can't stay healthy.
The Pelicans' issue is that the players they are trying to trade don't have much value. Zion Williamson is one of the best offensive players on the planet, but it feels like he'll never be able to stay on the court for any consistent stretch of time. Brandon Ingram has very specific strengths and weaknesses, and he's (probably) going to get really pricey after this season. And while CJ McCollum is more reliable and cheaper, he has had a slow start to the season and is on the wrong side of 30 (he turned 33 before the start of the season).
If the Kings were to ignite a rebuild themselves, they'd run into similar issues that the Pelicans are running into with Ingram. But at least all four of the stars they'd theoretically look to trade (Fox, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk) have reasonable health records.
In any event, it seems the Pelicans have reconciled with their destiny. Now, the question becomes: will the Kings do the same before the deadline?