Winning is not a word that has not been kind to the Sacramento Kings in recent years, as they have now gone 15 years since making the playoffs, the longest active drought in the NBA! They may not be on pace to break a record they want to break, but if the Kings miss the playoffs during the 2021-22 season, they will hold the NBA record for most consecutive seasons missing the postseason.
De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton both look like promising young backcourt talents for Sacramento moving forward, but there are still a lot of unknowns with this roster. Buddy Hield has been involved in NBA trade rumors for over a year now, Marvin Bagley III seems unhappy with his current situation and Richaun Holmes is an unrestricted free agent who finds himself as one of the best overall free agents available this offseason.
Holmes has spent the last two seasons in Sacramento and has averaged 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and has shot 64.1% from the floor. Given that there is not a lot of big names and talent available on the free agent market this offseason, Richaun Holmes finds himself as the best center available to sign anywhere in the league.
This has been the narrative for the Kings over the last decade and a half, as they have some great players, they start building something and then they either trade them or elect not to re-sign them to a big contract. Obviously this philosophy is not working because they have missed the postseason for 15 straight years now!
READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Lillard, LaVine, Simmons, Sexton
The Kings need to change something about the way their front-office operates and they need to actually stick to their plans for once. They have a really solid core together right now, but they are still a long way away from being anything special. This is why Sacramento could very well look to trade their 9th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Drafting another young, talented player is beneficial, but this one player is not going to elevate them to being a real threat over the next few years. Packaging this pick together with some guys who are “uneasy” about their current situations in Sacramento could be the way to go for this franchise, so let’s look at three possible trade scenarios that the Kings could look to pursue this offseason involving the No. 9 pick.
