Sacramento Kings in Desperate Need for Change

The Sacramento Kings have struggled to recapture their playoff days for two decades.

In 2023, their hopes came alive as they punched a ticket to the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2006. Although they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round, the future looked bright.

However, things are foggy once again. On Wednesday, they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in a must-win Play-In game, eliminating them from playoff contention for a second straight year.

The Kings are missing an important piece

In a season filled with surprising trades, the Kings orchestrated their own.

On Feb. 3, they sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team trade involving the Chicago Bulls. In return, the Kings received shooting guard Zach LaVine, three first-round picks, and three second-round picks.

Although they acquired an electrifying player in LaVine, losing Fox took a toll on the Kings. Along with winning just 15 of their last 33 games, the roster was off balance.

After trading Fox, the Kings were left without their primary playmaker and had to rely on shooting guards Malik Monk and Keon Ellis to take over the point guard position. Due to this, they averaged only 25.8 assists to finish the season, placing them 20th in the league.

During Wednesday’s loss, the Kings recorded only 23 assists while Ellis had just one. In the postgame interview, center Domantas Sabonis discussed the urgency to acquire a floor general.

“The biggest thing is that we need a point guard,” Sabonis said.