What Will It Take for Kings To Earn League-Wide Respect?
· Yahoo Sports
The Sacramento Kings haven't had consecutive successful seasons in over 20 years, and it's turning them into a laughingstock in the NBA.
Sacramento's historic 2023 season looks like an outlier compared to the other 19 years.
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De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis spearheaded a 44-win team that finished as the No. 3 seed and broke a 16-year playoff record. It was arguably the greatest reward Kings fans could ask for, as they showed out with their cowbells at Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento faced coach Mike Brown's former team, the Golden State Warriors, and lost in seven games. Stephen Curry's 50-point performance bested the 48 combined points by Sabonis, Fox and then-rookie Keegan Murray.
Its first-round loss extended another streak: 19 seasons without a playoff series victory.
Criticism gets louder every season with no success and seemingly no future to look forward to. ESPN's Zach Kram views the team as "noncompetitive with their own pick," and ESPN predicted three fewer wins next season despite a healthy roster.
The Kings must embark on a long road to earn respect league-wide and recognition as a competitive team.
General manager Scott Perry has laid the foundation for that path and is eyeing a bigger move next offseason.
Perry drafted rookies Darius Acuff Jr., Alex Karaban and Emanuel Sharp to bolster the team's youth. Acuff could become a franchise cornerstone and accelerate his growth if he leans into his playmaking as a rookie.
Sacramento added Ben Simmons and Elfrid Payton in free agency as low-risk, high-reward investments.
The 2027 offseason is "make it or break it" for Perry, who is targeting a young All-Star center in Jalen Duren.
Duren is reportedly seeking $40 million annually in his rookie extension with the Detroit Pistons, but they are offering $35 million. Perry sees the 22-year-old as a max player and is willing to give him the contract he wants.
Perry's prized target would have to risk next season by signing the $9.6 million qualifying offer, which grants him a de facto no-trade clause and makes him an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Landing Duren would give Sacramento a young core it hasn't had since breaking up Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.
Youth, depth and star power often define a championship team. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the perfect example, with all three characteristics that led to the franchise's first championship in the 2024-25 season.
It will be a long time before the Kings earn the league-wide respect they once had in the early 2000s, but Perry is building a solid foundation to achieve that goal soon.