Three Biggest Sacramento Kings 'What Ifs' in Last 25 Years

Game 6 Doesn't Get (Allegedly) Rigged

You can't talk about 'what ifs' in Sacramento without starting with game six of the 2002 playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Kings were up in the series 3-2, but lost in dramatic fashion to the Lakers as Los Angeles got to the line over and over in the fourth quarter of game six.

Los Angeles shot 27 free throws in the final frame alone, compared to nine for the Kings, and ultimately won the game 106-102.

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Capped by Kobe Bryant elbowing Mike Bibby in the face being called a foul on Bibby, the Kings chances of closing out the series in six games were over in what felt like the worst possible way.

The Lakers went on to lose game seven as well and the Lakers won the championship weeks later. As the years went on, more news came out about the game being potentially rigged, but either way, this is by far the biggest 'what if' in Kings history that feels like a championship was stolen from Sacramento.

Kings Draft Bagley Over Luka

In more recent history, the Kings had the chance to draft Luka Dončić with the second pick of the 2018 NBA draft, but decided to take big-man Marvin Bagley III instead. Dončić went on to get drafted third by the Atlanta Hawks and later traded to the Dallas Mavericks, and the rest is history.

While Dončić is no longer on the Mavericks, he quickly blossomed into a perennial MVP candidate and led the Mavericks to the NBA finals in 2024. Bagley, meanwhile, lasted three and a half seasons in Sacramento before getting traded to the Detroit Pistons, and has since bounced around the league.

And the Kings saw their playoff drought continue as Dončić was leading the Mavericks to the playoffs year after year.

There are still questions around Dončić, even now in Los Angeles, but there's no denying his talent. He may not have been able to lead the Kings to a championship, but there's no denying that he would have led the Kings to better fortunes than Bagley.

Kings Trade Tyrese Haliburton Instead of De'Aaron Fox

The most recent 'what if,' and the one that still hurts due to the fresh wound, is seeing Tyrese Haliburton rise to one of the most dynamic and fun players in the league with the Indiana Pacers.

It's not known for certain if the Kings could have still gotten Domantas Sabonis if they sent out De'Aaron Fox instead of Haliburton, but there have been rumblings that Fox was on the table for the Pacers.

Haliburton and Sabonis may not have been the perfect pair that brought the Kings out of the depths of the Western Conference, but that doesn't mean the Kings couldn't have pivoted to a different big man if the duo didn't work out.

Haliburton shined during his limited time in Sacramento, averaging 13.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.4 rebounds on 46.5% shooting from the field and 41.1% from three. But he blossomed in Indiana, upping his numbers to 19.5 points, 10.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds for the Pacers.

It's possible (and likely) that the Kings wouldn't have made the same moves to set up Haliburton for success like the Pacers did, but as Sacramento enters next season with more question marks than answers around Sabonis, this 'what if' continues to hurt.