Sacramento Kings Part 2 continued
from Part 1 posted on November 22
Ricky Berry was selected by the Kings in the first round, 18th pick overall in the 1988 NBA draft. He had a dazzling rookie year in the 1988 – 1989 season shooting 40.6 percent from the three-point range. The Kings also drafted Vinny Del Negro (selected by the Kings in the second round, 29th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft) and acquired Rodney McCray from the Houston Rockets. In his first year with the Kings, McCray made the 1988 NBA All-Defensive First Team. It was the first season the Kings would play without Reggie Theus and LaSalle Thompson (both part of the original team from Kansas City) or Joe Kleine (selected by the Kings in the first round, sixth pick overall in the 1985 NBA draft). Thompson was drafted by the Kings in the first round, the fifth overall pick in the 1982 NBA draft. It was also the last year that Michael Jackson (selected by the New York Knicks in the second round, 47th pick overall in the 1986 NBA draft but who played his entire career with the Kings) and Ed Pinckney (selected 10th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 1985 NBA draft and played for the Kings from 1987 to 1989) played for the Kings. On February 23rd, 1989, Brad Lohaus and Danny Ainge were traded to the Kings from the Boston Celtics for Joe Kleine and Ed Pinckney. In June of the 1989 off-season, Berry was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Fair Oaks, California, at age 24 following an argument with his wife.
1989 – 1990: Pervis Ellison
Following the loss of Ricky Berry, the 1989 – 1990 season featured Pervis Ellison, who was the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft by the Kings, and the acquisition of Wayman Tisdale (from the Indiana Pacers, the second pick overall in the 1985 NBA draft). An injury kept Ellison on the sidelines for 48 of 82 games of his rookie year, after which he was traded to the Washington Bullets. Tisdale would go on to play for the Kings for five years. It was the last season that Danny Ainge, Kenny Smith, (who had an impressive showing in the 1990 NBA Slam Dunk Contest), Rodney McCray, Harold Pressley (selected by the Kings in the first round, 17th overall pick in the NBA draft), Vinny Del Negro, Greg Kite, and Ralph Sampson played for the Kings. In 1990, Ainge was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, Kenny Smith was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, and Rodney McCray was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
1990 – 1991: Lionel Simmons
Lionel Simmons – nicknamed L-Train – was drafted by the Kings in the 1990 NBA draft in the first round, 7th pick overall. In his first season, he made the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He would go on to play his entire career (1990 – 1997) with the Kings and had 5,833 career points. Antoine Carr (acquired from the Atlanta Hawks) played for the Kings in the 1990 – 1991 NBA season and then was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. Free agent Leon Wood, who would later become an NBA official, played for the Kings but was let go on Christmas Eve of 1990(35). Also notable, was that Bill Wennington was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks and played for the Kings for the 1990 – 1991 season and after a successful career with the Chicago Bulls returned to the Kings for his final season in 1999 – 2000.
1991 – 1998: The Mitch Richmond era
The early 1990s were difficult for the Kings. Sacramento was known for having strong fan support, and while they won over 60 percent of their home games, the team struggled on the road, going 1 – 40 on the road in a single season. But prayers were answered when they acquired Mitch Richmond, who previously played for the Golden State Warriors. The former NBA Rookie of the Year was selected as an All-Star six times while making the All-NBA Second Team three times(36). Garry St. John was chosen as the new coach in 1992 and coached the team all the way through 1997 when he was replaced by Eddie Jordan.
During the 1990s, Sacramento had other stars like Spud Webb, Kurt Rambis, Wayman Tisdale, Walt Williams, Olden Polynice, and Brian Grant, but they only lasted with the team for a few years. After the 1992 – 1993 season, Rambis was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. After the 1993 – 1994 season, Tisdale was traded to the Phoenix Suns. After the 1994 – 1995 season, Webb was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyrone Corbin. Midway through the 1995 – 1996 season, Williams was traded to the Miami Heat for Billy Owens (who was drafted by the Kings in 1991 and traded to Golden State for Richmond). After the 1996 – 1997 season, Grant became a free agent and signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.
One accomplishment the team achieved under St. Jean during their tenures was a playoff appearance in 1996. The series was lost 3 – 1 to the Seattle SuperSonics who, led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, finished as that year’s conference champions. They did not make a playoff appearance while Richmond was still on the Kings. He was soon traded along with Otis Thorpe to the Washington Wizards for Chris Webber in May 1998(37). Although Richmond was lost, this trade proved to be one of the keys to finally achieving playoff success after so many seasons of mediocrity.
1998 – 2004: “The Greatest Show on Court”
The Kings drafted Jason Williams in the 1998 NBA draft, signed Vlade Divac, and traded for Chris Webber before the lockout-shortened season of 1998 – 1999. These acquisitions coincided with the arrival of Peja Stojakovic from PAOK BC (Greece), who had been drafted in 1996. Each of these moves was attributed to general manager Geoff Petrie, who has won the NBA Executive of the Year Award twice.
Led by new head coach Rick Adelman, and aided by former Princeton head coach Pete Carril, the Kings’ Princeton offense impressed others for its quick style and strong ball movement. Some criticized the Kings for their poor team defense, Williams’s “flash over substance” style with its many turnovers, and Webber’s failure to step up in important match-ups. Still, they quickly garnered many fans outside of California, many of whom were drawn to the spectacular pairing of Williams and Webber. In 1998 – 1999, they went 27 – 23, their first winning season in nearly twenty years and their first since moving to Sacramento. The new arrivals Webber, Williams, and Divac all played key roles in this resurgence; Divac ranked near the top of the team in most statistics, Webber led the league in rebounds and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, and Williams was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In the playoffs, they were matched up against the defending Western Conference Champions, the Utah Jazz. After winning game 1 by 20 points, the Jazz surrendered two consecutive playoff games to the Kings. They would turn the series around, however, and win the last two to keep the Kings from advancing in the playoffs.
In 1999 – 2000, the Kings’ only notable transaction was trading shooting guard Tariq Abdul-Wahad to the Orlando Magic in exchange for veteran shooting guard Nick Anderson. They finished eighth in the Western Conference with a 44 – 38 record and were matched up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Once again, however, the Kings failed to advance, losing the series 2 – 3 against the Lakers.
The following season, the Kings traded starting small forward Corliss Williamson to the Toronto Raptors for shooting guard Doug Christie, a move made to improve the subpar defense. They also drafted Turkish power forward Hedo Turkoglu, further improving their bench rotation. Stojakovic moved into the small forward role, where he and Webber proved to complement each other extremely well, and as the Kings continued to improve, their popularity steadily rose, culminating in a February 2001 Sports Illustrated cover story entitled “The Greatest Show on Court” with Williams, Christie, Stojakovic, Webber, and Divac gracing the cover. That year, they went 55 – 27, their best in 40 years. In the playoffs, they won their first series in 20 years, defeating the Phoenix Suns three games to one, before being swept in the second round by the Lakers, who eventually won the NBA Championship.
In July 2001, Jason Williams was traded, along with Nick Anderson, to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Mike Bibby and Brent Price. Despite Williams’s often spectacular play, the Kings had grown tired of his recklessness and turnovers; Bibby would provide much more stability and control at the point guard position. This move was complemented by the re-signing of Webber to a maximum-salary contract, securing their superstar long-term. With Bibby taking over for Williams, they had their best season to date in 2001 – 2002. Though not as exciting or flashy as they had been in previous years with Williams, the team became much more effective and disciplined with Bibby at the helm. They finished with a league-best record of 61 – 21, winning of 36 of 41 at home. After easily winning their first two playoff matchups against the Stockton and Malone-led Jazz and the Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks, respectively, the Kings went on to play the archrival and two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, regarded as one of the greatest playoff matchups in history. In a controversial series,(38) the Kings lost in seven games, one game away from what would have been the first NBA Finals and a chance at the first professional sports championship in Sacramento history. This was a crushing blow to the Kings; after losing to their archrivals in a highly controversial series, the team would begin to decline and age in the years that followed. Many commentators and journalists would question the decisions made by the referees during game 6, specifically that the Lakers were awarded a staggering 27 free throws in the fourth quarter, many of which came from what were in retrospect proved to be no-calls(39). Following game 6 even print newspapers began to question the legitimacy of the game. Most notably, the New York Post ran a front cover with a headline entitled “Foul Play”; it also published a related article suggesting that the game was rigged(40)(41). NBA analyst David Aldridge (then working for ESPN) spoke on the game:
The Kings went 59 – 23 and won the division during the following season, seeking to avenge their playoff loss to the Lakers. After defeating the Stockton- and Malone-led Jazz in the first round and winning game one against the Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks in the second round, the Kings appeared to be on the brink of another Western Conference Finals berth. However, Chris Webber sustained a major knee injury in game 2, and the Kings lost in a seven-game series. Webber’s knee injury required major surgery. He returned mid-season in 2003 – 2004, a season in which the Kings were seeking another chance to avenge their playoff loss to the Lakers, but without his quickness and athleticism, which had been the focal point of his style of play, it was not the same. Despite that, the Kings still managed to defeat the Mavericks in the first round and after winning game 1 against the Kevin Garnett-led Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, the Kings appeared to be on the brink of their second Western Conference Finals berth in three years, but the Kings ended the season with a defeat to the Timberwolves in a seven-game series.
2004 – 2006: Decline
the 2004 – 2005 season marked change for the Kings, who lost three starters from the famed 2002 team. In the off-season of 2004, Divac signed with the Lakers, which prompted the Kings to sign Brad Miller to start at center. Early in the season, Christie was traded to the Orlando Magic for Cuttino Mobley, and in February, Webber was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for three forwards (Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas, and Brian Skinner). Thomas and Skinner failed in their failed attempt to replace Webber’s impact, and as a result the team’s record suffered. The Kings lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle SuperSonics. The 2005 off-season continued with changes, when they traded fan-favorite Bobby Jackson for Bonzi Wells and acquired free agent Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
The 2005 – 2006 season started poorly since the Kings had a hard time establishing team chemistry. Newcomers Wells and Abdur-Rahim made major contributions early, but both were injured and missed a significant number of games. As the Kings’ season continued, general manager Petrie decided to make a major move. Stojakovic was traded for Ron Artest, a talented yet volatile forward known for his temper. Despite doubts that he would be able to replace the huge production of Stojakovic, Artest and the Kings went 20 – 9 after the 2006 NBA All-Star break, the second-best post-All-Star break record that season. Despite a winning record of 44 – 38, it was clear that they were not the same team of years past. The Kings were seeded 8th in the Western Conference playoffs and were matched up in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs. Though the Kings were surprisingly competitive, the Spurs eliminated them 4 – 2. This was the end of their era of competitiveness and started a 16-year playoff drought which continued until 2023. The 2006 off-season began with the disturbing news that head coach Rick Adleman’s contract would not be renewed. The Kings named Eric Musselman as his replacement.
2006 – 2009: Change and Transition
In 2006 – 2007, the disappointing play of the Kings was coupled with the distraction of legal troubles. Coach Eric Musselman pleaded no contest to DUI charges early in the season, while Artest got into trouble for neglect of his dogs, and was later accused of domestic assault. The Kings relieved Artest of basketball duties, pending investigation, then later reinstated him. They finished the season 33 – 49 (their worst in 9 years) which landed them in fifth place in the Pacific Division. They posted a losing record (20 – 21) at home for the first time since 1993 – 1994. Their season included a seven-game losing streak that lasted from January 4th to 19th. The Kings missed the 2007 NBA playoffs, for the first time in eight seasons. Musselman was fired in April. The Kings’ future appeared to rest on the shoulder of Kevin Martin, who was a lead candidate for the 2007 NBA Most-Improved Player of the Year.
The 2007 off-season was a time of change. Head coach Musselman was replaced by former Kings player, Reggie Theus. The Kings selected Spencer Hawes with the 10th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. In addition, they acquired Mikki Moore from the New Jersey Nets. Martin signed a contract worth $55 million, extending his period with the team for five more years. The Kings lost key players over the off-season, with backup Ronnie Price leaving for the Utah Jazz, and Corliss Williamson retiring.
They claimed fourth-year Beno Udrih off waivers from Minnesota. Udrih quickly assumed the starting position for an injured Bibby. It was announced in February that the Kings traded Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Sheldon Williams, Lorenzen Wright, and a 2nd round draft pick. The move was presumably made to clear cap space. Bibby had been the last player from the Kings team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2002.
The Kings improved by five games and finished the 2007 – 2008 season 38 – 44, and missed the playoffs by a bigger margin (12 games) than the previous season (8 games). They went 26 – 15 at home and 12 – 29 on the road. After selling out every home game since 1999, the 2007 – 2008 season sold out only three games at the ARCO Arena with attendance averaging 13,500 fans per home game, almost 4,000 below capacity.
Following a quiet 2008 off-season, it was confirmed on July 29th, 2008, that the Kings would trade Artest and the rights to Patrick Ewing Jr. and Sean Singletary to the Houston Rockets in exchange for former King Bobby Jackson, Donte Greene, a future first-round draft pick, and cash considerations(45) for Rashad McCants and center Calvin Booth.
Reggie Theus was fired in the middle of the 2008 – 2009 season, giving way to Kenny Natt as the interim head coach. The Kings continued to struggle under Natt, ending up with the NBA’s worst record for the 2008 – 2009 season at 17 – 65. On April 23rd, 2009, Kings’ Vice President Geoff Petrie announced the firing of Natt and his four assistants, Rex Kalamian, Jason Hamm, Randy Brown and Bubba Burrage.(46)
2009 – 2012: “Here We Rise: to “Here We Stay”
Despite having the best odds to win the top overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, the Kings obtained the 4th overall pick, the lowest they could possibly pick, to the outrage of many fans. Along with new head coach Paul Westphal, they selected Tyreke Evans. With the 23rd pick, they selected Omri Casspi from Israel.
On April 27th, 2010, Evans was the first Sacramento-era player to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Evans also became the fourth player in NBA history to average 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game as a rookie, joining Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James.
On June 24th, 2010, the Kings selected DeMarcus Cousins with the 5th pick of the 2010 NBA draft. They also selected Hassan Whiteside with the 33rd pick in the 2010 NBA draft.
Despite the excellent play of Cousins and Evans, both of whom were front-runners in Rookie of the Year voting(47)(48) and received All-Rookie First Team honors,(49)(50) the Kings still ranked near the bottom of the NBA, going 25 -27 in Evans’ rookie year. Much of this was due to the poor fit of the roster around Evans and Cousins, and the uninspired coaching of Westphal.
The 2010 – 2011 season was marked with uncertainty towards the end of the season. Frustrated by the lack of progress towards an arena and dwindling profits from other businesses, the Maloofs sought an immediate relocation of the franchise to Anaheim. The move seemed certain towards the end of the year, with Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds emotionally signing off at the final home gave vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. But after a vote by the NBA Board of Governors, the relocation effort was ended, to the glee of the fans.
In the 2011 BBA draft the Kings traded for the draft rights of Jimmer Fredette in a three-team deal with the Charlotte Bobcats and the Milwaukee Bucks, with the Kings receiving John Salmons sending Beno Udrih(51). This move was heavily panned by fans and media; by moving down in the draft and losing longtime starter Udrih for the unproductive Salmons, most found it difficult to find a bright spot in the deal. Westphal would shortly be fired, with Warriors assistant Keith Smart hired as his replacement. Around this time, the team took the slogan “Here we rise!” for its marketing campaign. Amidst various relocation rumors and locker room tensions, the Kings had yet another unsuccessful season. One of their few bright spots was rookie Isaiah Thomas. Due to criticisms about his height (5’9” in shoes) and playmaking ability, Thomas slipped to the 60th and final pick of the draft. Despite this, and the presence of college superstar Fredette, Thomas earned the starting spot, finishing the season with averages of 11 points and 4 assists per game and earning a selection to the NBA All-Rookie team. In the 2012 NBA draft they selected Thomas Robinson out of Kansas.
Because of un unproductive rookie season by Robinson, he was traded with Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Patrick Patterson, Toney Douglas and Cole Aldrich.(52)
2013 – 2015: Franchise restructuring
On May 16th, 2013, the Maloof family reached an agreement to sell the Kings to a group led by Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur Vivek Ranadive for a then-record NBA franchise valuation of $535 million. Ranadive, 55, named Raj Bhathal, 71, founder of Tustin-based Raj Manufacturing,(53) one of the largest swimwear companies in the nation, as one of the investors in a consortium to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the franchise longtime owners, the Maloof family, for a reported $348 million. The group fought off a rival bid that would have moved the team to Seattle after the NBA’s Board of Governors rejected investor Chris Hansen’s bid to relocate the team(54)(55). The new owners intend to keep the team in Sacramento(56). On May 28th, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale, ending several years of efforts by other cities to take possession and move the Kings out of Sacramento(57)(58). On May 31st, 2013, the Kings closed escrow, finalizing the sale to the Ranadive group at a record valuation of $534 million, beginning a new era for the franchise(59). Plans were already underway to move forward on an arena, as the Downtown Plaza was reportedly being sold to the Sacramento ownership group. A month later, on July 30th, Turner Construction was selected to be the builder of the arena.
Once the sale had closed and ownership was transferred to Ranadive, the Kings began making changes to the management and staff. Geoff Petrie(60) and Keith Smart(61) were released; Michael Malone(62) and Pete D’Alessandro(63) were brought in to replace them. Corliss Williamson, Brendan Malone, Chris Jent, and Dee Brown were brought in as assistant coaches. On July 10th, NBA executive Chris Granger was hired as team president. On September 23rd, 2013, Shaquille O’Neal purchased a minority share of the team, jokingly dubbing the team’s new organization the “Shaqramento Kings”.(64)
These hires coincided with several roster moves. In the 2013 NBA draft on June 27th, the Kings selected Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore, who was widely projected to go top five, with the seventh overall pick. They also selected point guard and former McDonald’s All-American Ray McCallum Jr. from the University of Detroit with the 36th pick. One week later, on July 5th, the Kings sent former NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans to the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team deal involving Robin Lopez, Greivis Vasquez, Jeff Withey, Terrel Harris, and picks. On July 9th, the Kings traded a future second-round draft pick to the Bucks in exchange for defensive small forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and on July 15th, the Kings signed Carl Landry, who had played a stint with the team in its previous ownership, to a 4-year deal worth $28 million.
The 2013 – 2014 season was widely anticipated by Kings fans. Playing their first game on October 30th, against the Nuggets, the Kings won 90 – 88, despite being without projected starters Landry and Mbah a Moute. They were led by a 30-point, 14-rebound performance from DeMarcus Cousins, and a putback dunk by Jason Thompson with under a minute to play which sealed the victory for the Kings.
After the poor play of starting forwards John Salmons and Patrick Patterson through November, the Kings sought a change. On November 26th, newly acquired Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was traded for power forward Derrick Williams. Nearly two weeks later, on December 8th, they acquired Rudy Gay in a blockbuster seven-player deal that sent the struggling Patterson and Salmons to Toronto along with Chuck Hayes and off-season acquisition Greivis Vasquez. Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray were also sent to the Kings. The organization sought to add depth to its lineup during the 2014 off-season to complement the Kings’ star duo DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay(65). Sacramento added Darren Collison, Ryan Hollins, and Ramon Sessions through free agency signings, as well as drafting Nik Stauskas before the start of the 2014 – 2015 season.
After an 11 – 13 start to the 2014 – 2015 season, head coach Michael Malone was fired by the Sacramento Kings organization. Tyrone Corbin filled in for the Kings until Hall of Fame coach George Karl replaced him in February 2015.
On January 30th, 2015, DeMarcus Cousins was named to replace the injured Kobe Bryant as a Western Conference All-Star in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. Cousins’ selection marked the first time a Kings player earned All-Star honors since Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic represented Sacramento in 2004.(66)
2015 – 2017: Divac as general manager, new arena
On March 3rd, 2015, the Kings announced former Sacramento center Vlade Divac as the new vice president of basketball operations(67). Following the end of Sacramento’s 29 – 53 season for 2014 – 2015, the Kings made aggressive off-season moves in drafting Willie Cauley-Stein and acquiring Rajon Rondo, Kosta Koufos, Marco Belinelli, and Caron Butler in preparation for the 2015 – 2016 season(68)(69). To free up cap space, Divac traded Nik Stauskas, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, a future to 10 protected first-round picks, and the right to swap two future first-round picks to the Philadelphia 76ers for the rights to second-round pick Arturas Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic(70). while the 76ers gave up nearly nothing to acquire draft assets that would result in the selection of the number 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, the Kings remained one of the worst teams in the NBA. It was regarded by many as one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history.(71)
On April 14th, 2016, after a 33 – 49 season, the Kings fired head coach George Karl(72). Karl compiled a record of 44 – 68 with the Kings.
The 2016 – 2017 season brought several changes. The Kings moved into their new arena Golden 1 Center(73). On May 9th, 2016, the Kings hired former Memphis Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger as head coach(74). During the 2016 NBA draft, the Kings traded the 8th pick to the Phoenix Suns for the 13th and 28th pick in the draft, as well as the rights to Serbian guard Bogdan Bogdanovic(75). Later in the evening, the Kings traded Marco Belinelli to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the 22nd pick in the draft(76). The Kings selected four players in the 2016 NBA draft – Greek center Georgios Papagiannis with the 13th pick, Syracuse shooting guard Malachi Richardson with the 22nd pick, Kentucky forward Skal Labissiere with the 28th pick, and Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins with the 59th pick(77). In free agency, the Kings signed Anthony Tolliver, Garrett Temple, Arron Afflalo, Matt Barnes, and Ty Lawson.(78)
2017 – 2020: Rebuilding post-DeMarcus Cousins
On February 20th, 2017, the Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins, alongside Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans for Tyreke Evans, Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway and two future draft picks(79). The Kings finished the 2016 – 2017 season with a 32 – 50 record.
In the 2017 NBA draft, the team selected Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox with the fifth pick(80). They also selected North Carolina forward Justin Jackson with the 15th pick, Duke center Harry Giles with the 20th pick,(81), and Kansas point guard Frank Mason III with the 34th pick. With four rookie pickups, Divac wanted to add veteran presences on the roster. On July 10th, 2017, the team signed three veterans – Vince Carter, Zach Randolph, and George Hill. (82)(83)
The team finished the 2017 – 2018 season with a 27 – 55 record, placing 12th in the Western Conference. Giles was out the entire season due to a leg injury despite previous reports that he would make his rookie debut in January(84). Hill was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers(85). Greek center Papagiannis, who was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, averaged only 2.1 points in the 16 games played.
During the 2018 NBA draft, the Kings selected Duke center Marvin Bagley III(86). The team was criticized following the draft for not selecting Luka Doncic, while Divac would go on to say he was confident in Bagley. Prior to the 2018 – 2019 season, multiple analysts picked Sacramento to finish last in the Western Conference, calling their recent draft a “missed opportunity to build” and their lack of veteran presence to offset their rookie lineup. The Kings lost to the Utah Jazz 123 – 117 in their season opener on October 17th, 2018. Despite starting the season 1 – 3, including a loss to the Pelicans in which they gave up 149 points, the team would go on to win their next five games to hold a winning record. By December 30th, the team held a 19 – 16 record. Ultimately, the Kings finished the season in ninth place in the Western Conference posting a record of 39 – 43; they again missed the playoffs. However, this was the team’s best regular-season record since their last playoff appearance in the 2005 – 2006 season. In spite of this, head coach Joerger was fired after the conclusion of the season(87)(88), and Luke Walton was hired as his replacement three days later. (89)
Earlier in the season, the Kings were rocked by the discovery that their former chief revenue officer, Jeff David, had embezzled $13.4 million in sponsorship payments from the Kings and their corporate partners over four years. David, who had taken a similar position with the Miami Heat, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft and was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.(90)
Following the suspension of the 2019 – 2020 NBA season, the Kings were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final 8 games of the regular season(91). However, Sacramento finished these games with a 3 – 5 record, missing the play-in game and extending their playoff drought for the 14th consecutive season.
2020 – Present: The Monte McNair and Mike Brown Era
On August 14th, 2020, the Sacramento Kings announced that general manager Vlade Divac would resign from his position(92). Joe Dumars, a former player and executive for the Detroit Pistons, would be named Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations; Dumars had joined the Kings as a special advisor in June the previous year.
Following a month-long search, the Sacramento Kings announced on September 17, 2020, that Houston Rockets executive Monte McNair would be hired as the franchise’s new general manager(93). With the Rockets, McNair spent thirteen years working under Daryl Morey, serving in various roles: he was most recently named assistant general manager in 2018. Following this hire, interim executive Joe Dumars was named as the chief strategy officer of the organization(94). Other candidates for the position included Minnesota Timberwolves executive vice president Sachin Gupta, Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth, and former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox. McNair announced these three additional hires on October 14th, 2020; these included the aforementioned Wes Wilcox who became an assistant GM, former Philadelphia 76ers scouting director Phil Jabour as vice president of player personnel, and Oklahoma City Blue executive Paul Johnson as director of basketball operations.(95)
In July 2021, Dyal Capital, a unit of Blue Owl Capital, began to solidify a deal investing in the basketball team. Giving the investment firm a 5 percent stake in the team with a valuation of $1.5 billion, though another person familiar with the matter placed the valuation closer to $1.8 billion.(96)(97)
In the 2021 NBA draft, in order to improve their defense the Kings selected Davion Mitchell from Baylor University with the ninth pick.(98)
No comments:
Post a Comment