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Nov 28, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24), Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) and Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) during the first half against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

These Playoffs Hurt to Watch for Sacramento Kings Fans

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Will Zimmerle | Last updated May 7, 2025 6:15 PM ET

While the Sacramento Kings are announcing change after change to their front office and coaching staff, the league's remaining eight teams' second-round playoff battles exemplify just how much work lies ahead for Scott Perry and Doug Christie.

The level of play in the postseason has been phenomenal. Not just in the regard that there have been close games, with 15 games so far decided by three or fewer points, but also the level of physicality, clutch scoring, and attentiveness to every play.

The eight teams that are left have a strong blend of offense and defense that led to not only regular season success, but also continued success in the postseason. For a Kings team that struggled to string together stretches of strong offense and defense simultaneously, it's a reminder of how far they have to go to put together a roster and culture built to make a deep playoff run.

As a reminder, the Kings finished with the seventh-ranked offense during the season, but the 22nd-ranked defense. That combo should be good enough to make the playoffs, but it would take a hot streak or luck to make any noise past the first round. And for the Kings, it wasn't even good enough to make the playoffs.

And it's not just that the level of play has been so high, but the matter of former Kings taking center stage in this year's postseason.

From Tyrese Haliburton hitting game-winning baskets to Buddy Hield carrying the Golden State Warriors for long stretches, there are ties to the Kings littered throughout the remaining eight teams.

TYRESE HALIBURTON WINS GAME 2 FOR THE PACERS

WHAT. A. WILD. PLAY. pic.twitter.com/rFsjZmtrBz
— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2025

It's been over three years since the Haliburton and Domantas Sabonis trade, but every time Haliburton does something of this magnitude, on the biggest stage, it feels like it opens up the wound all over again for Kings fans.

While moving on from Buddy Hield isn't viewed as a mistake in Sacramento, him hitting 14 threes in two games for the Warriors certainly adds salt to the wound in a difficult time for Kings fans.

Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield.

What a night to be a Kings fan.
— Anthony Cardenas (@SportsByTone) May 7, 2025

You could even throw in the strong play of Davion Mitchell to the mix. While the Miami Heat exited after the first round, Mitchell showed his great fit for the Heat after being traded from the Toronto Raptors midseason.

But it doesn't stop there. While looking at the playoff rosters doesn't show a plethora of former Kings, there are plenty of players who have been recently linked to Sacramento that are still playing important games while the Kings sit at home watching.

The two biggest names tied to the Kings during the 2023-24 season's trade deadline were Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. Then GM Monte McNair didn't pull the trigger on either of the talented wings, and both players were traded to different teams that just so happen to still be competing.

Alongside Haliburton, Siakam and the Indiana Pacers are up 2-0 against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, and OG Anunoby just scored 29 points to help lead the New York Knicks to a game one win over the defending champion Boston Celtics.

Obviously, it's impossible to know if things would have worked out if either had been traded to the Kings instead of the Pacers and Knicks, and retaining the players would have been a challenge in and of itself, but it shows that Sacramento had the right idea, but just never pulled the trigger, and now stings just a little bit more.

A new era is set to begin in Sacramento under Perry and Christie, but these playoffs are a reminder of how much has gone wrong for the Kings in recent years. The games have been fun and exciting to watch, but as a lifelong Kings fan, they hurt just a bit extra this year as the Kings begin anew once again.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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