The amount of scuttlebutt surrounding the Sacramento Kings is asinine. The Jaylen Brown rumors are insulting to the Boston Celtics and Brown. Despite the C’s having a disappointing season they are not comparable to the Kings. The Celtics need support for Jayson Tatum and Brown. Sac-Town needs an urgent core shake up.
NBA Rookie Second Team center Terrence Davis nailed the reasoning for lack of performance.
“We have leadership. We don’t have a leader’s voice,” said Davis. “Their voices aren’t being heard enough, honestly.”
Perhaps the leadership is not ready to lead or the team isn’t ready to listen. Either way if the Kings wanted to be eligible for the play-in, changes are going to have to happen.
Marvin Bagley III
Marvin Bagley III is the obvious first trade. Earlier in the season, Bagley decided not to check in the game against San Antonio Spurs. Not to mention, last season his father tweeted strong opinions about Bagley III playing for Sac-Town. Despite the No. 2 overall draft pick’s issues seemed to have stemmed from his relationship with former Head Coach Luke Walton, his actions were not conducive for a better result. As a center, he still contributes to the offense averaging 7.8 points per game and 6.7 total rebounds.
lol what a tool pic.twitter.com/ZYHWVYsEwe
— Greg (@gwiss) January 3, 2021
Moe Harkless
Moe Harkless has offensively declined. Markless’s greatest contribution is defensive rebounds, averaging 2.3 a game. Markless would be an addendum to the trade. The eleven year veteran doesn’t seem to have been a catalyst for defense like Tristian Thompson or even Tyrese Haliburton.
DeAaron Fox
I know what you’re thinking, “he’s the best player.” That’s precisely the point. It would not seem ideal for the Kings to part ways with DeAaron Fox. But, Fox is the only comparable player to bring another lead point guard to the Kings. Fox averages 20.7 points, 1.3 steals, and 5.1 assists. He even built over ten pounds of muscle to better support the team. He is the best player on the team, however Fox has not been facilitated as a leader should. To truly cultivate a more efficient team, the leader should be vocal.
Buddy Hield
Buddy Hield is the greatest asset (beside DeAaron Fox) for Sac-Town. Averaging a field goal percentage of .406, Hield still averages 15.9 points a game. The shooting guard has a .842 free throw percentage. Inconsistent in his performances, Hield might be a wildcare. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, the shooting guard only made 2 points. However, the next game against Oklahoma City, Hield scored 21 points.
Buddy Hield has at least two 3-pointers in all 20 of the Kings’ games.
The only players who have ever opened a season with such a streak have now both done it twice:
▫️ Buddy Hield (2021-22, 2020-21)
▫️ Steph Curry (2017-18, 2015-16)@SacramentoKings | @buddyhield pic.twitter.com/77i29gTLZJ— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 28, 2021
Leadership needs to take responsibility for the Kings’ unpredictable performance as well. This team has not been to the playoffs in almost 16 seasons. Even if the Kings front office is focused on investing in the future, they have to give Davion Mitchell and Chimezie Metu a reason to stay.
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