Sacramento Kings: 3 big questions heading into 2018-19 NBA season
By Max Carlin
2. How does management feel about sunk costs?
The most infamous draft-capital trade of recent years is undoubtedly the blockbuster that sent the remnants of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets and a potential dynasty to the Boston Celtics. The most misguided, however, was the Kings’ 2015 trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.
To clear cap space to sign game-changing stars Marco Belinelli, Kosta Koufos and Rajon Rondo, the Kings sent Philly a protected future first and swap rights in two drafts (Philadelphia exercised the swap rights in 2017 to jump from pick No. 5 to No. 3). Now, the protection’s run out, and Sacramento owes an unprotected first in 2019 (to either Philadelphia or Boston).
Last summer, the Kings tried to get better. They signed George Hill and Zach Randolph to bloated contracts, and played them both over 25 minutes per game (though Hill was traded midseason). The Kings tried to be good, and they had an incentive to be bad.
Lacking a pick this year, the Kings have no incentive to be bad. They also have no incentive to be good. If the Kings massively over-perform, they’ll still miss the playoffs by a significant margin. There are no stakes for the 2018-19 Kings, so they should prioritize the Kings of the future.
That means putting young players in positions to succeed, feeding them minutes and touches at the expense of the Zach Randolphs of the world. If management tries its best to win, to spite the Sixers or Celtics, it’ll be playing itself. The trade is in the past; the Kings of the future are what matter now.