The Sacramento Kings tied the record for the longest playoff drought in NBA history this season. Fifteen years have passed since 2006 when Mike Bibby, Kevin Martin, and Ron Artest led the team to their last postseason appearance, and there is no clear end to the unfortunate streak in sight.
But as the 2021 version of the NBA Playoffs tipped off this weekend, there were plenty of names on the court that rang familiar to the ears of Sacramento fans. With so much roster turnover during the Vlade Divac era, there are former Kings scattered all across the league, and some of them are making worthy contributions to their current team’s success.
There were a lot of familiar names on the court over the weekend, none of whom are playing for the Sacramento Kings any longer.
Perhaps the most entertaining game of the weekend was the Knicks against the Hawks. In front of a loud crowd in Madison Square Garden, two former Kings were on center stage with their late-game heroics.
Bogdan Bogdanovic
In the first playoff game of his NBA career, Bogdan Bogdanovic brought out the clutch gene that Kings fans knew that he possessed. He had big shots and game-winners during his three years in Sacramento, all of which were shown on local TV and out of the view of the general NBA public. But in looking at his resume from his Euro Ball days, it should come as no surprise that he was a big reason for Atlanta’s success in Game 1.
Bogdanovic scored 18 total points, but it was his three timely three-pointers during the 4th quarter that really made a difference. The first with 8:45 left cut a Knicks lead from six to three, and the second at 3:40 gave the Hawks a one-point lead. With 55 seconds remaining, Bogi erased a three-point Knicks lead, one that they would never get back. Trae Young had the big numbers on the night, but Bogdanovic may have been the true key to the Hawks victory.
Alec Burks
Alec Burks’ stay in Sacramento was short. Many Kings fans remember him as the guy who was traded for Iman Shumpert, the leader of the locker room and bringer of the culture during the best season the Kings have had in over a decade. The reasons for the trade are somewhat unknown to this day, as Burks’ impact in Sacramento was minimal at best. He played just 10 minutes per game in 13 appearances, by far the lowest total of his career. He averaged 1.7 points.
Burks enjoyed the best playoff game of his career in Game 1. He scored 18 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter by hitting 5 of his 8 shots from the field, while the rest of the team put up a combined 14.
Former Sacramento Kings on the Miami Heat
Trevor Ariza:
Trevor Ariza never really found his footing with the Kings. He had some of his worst numbers in over a decade, and lacked the veteran leadership that should have come with his years of experience and deep playoff runs. He played only 32 games in a Kings uniform, and seemingly only because of his long-time friendship with head coach Luke Walton.
After his departure from Sacramento, Ariza helped the Portland Trail Blazers reach the playoffs before opting out of the Orlando Bubble last fall. This season, he has found yet another home, this time in Miami. He is a regular in the Heat’s rotation and contributed eight points and 12 rebounds in Game 1 of the first round.
Dewayne Dedmon:
I will never understand this one. Dewayne Dedmon put together a solid resume with the Spurs and Hawks before coming to Sacramento in free agency. He was supposed to be the outside threat that would be able to stretch the defense and open up the lane for De’Aaron Fox.
He was abysmal for the Kings. His 38.2 percent three-point average on 3.4 attempts from the previous season dropped to an almost unreal 19.7 percent on just two attempts per. He provided next to nothing for Sacramento, and they were lucky that the Hawks were willing to take his contract back off of their hands.
After somehow miraculously remembering how to play basketball, Dedmon has found a spot in the rotation for the Heat, and put up a respectable 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in just 13 minutes per game.
Nemanja Bjelica:
A fan favorite in Sacramento, Nemanja Bjelica has played only sparingly for the Heat since being traded mid-season. His numbers are modest, but proved that he still has it in the bag during Miami’s last game when he was given a large, extended role. He did not play in the first game of the postseason.
The rest of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA playoffs
Rajon Rondo:
Rajon Rondo arrived in Sacramento in 2015 as damaged goods, fresh off of his ugly tenure with the Dallas Mavericks. After the leading the league in assists that season, he once again fell in the good graces of general managers around the league and has become a mentor and one of the most valuable veteran presences in the league.
While he only played one season for the Kings, he is well remembered, for better or for worse. Rondo was a part of the free-agent spending spree that came from one of the worst trades in NBA history, but he alongside DeMarcus Cousins had Sacramento competitive all the way in to March. He helped the Lakers win a title last season and now plays for the Clippers. He enjoyed an excellent statistical performance in LA’s first playoff game, putting up 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists on 3 of 4 from deep in 23 minutes.
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Alex Len:
Alex Len was one of the more pleasant surprises for the Kings over the last couple of seasons. While his stay in Sacramento could be described as a flash in the pan, he brought the work ethic and intensity that fits well in the blue-collar capital city. He played just 15 minutes per game, averaging 6 points and 6 rebounds while giving the Kings a tough-nosed edge down low. Some believed that the Kings should have retained Len somehow, but he now plays for the Wizards. He was a very efficient scorer in Game 1, putting up 12 points in 16 minutes.
Jabari Parker:
Another player that was a part of the Len/Dedmon trade is Jabari Parker, who also had trouble finding his footing with Sacramento. He appeared in just nine games for the Kings but had a couple of respectable showings that apparently showed that he still had some kind of skill and potential. The team was, unfortunately, unable to tap into either. Parker has found a home (for now) in Boston, and was a solid contributor in Game 1 for the Celtics, putting up 9 points in 21 minutes.
Seth Curry:
Seth Curry has changed teams four times since leaving the Sacramento Kings in 2016, but he seems to have found a comfort zone while playing for his stepfather in Philadelphia.
Curry enjoyed his first real NBA action as a member of the Kings, but the team let him walk after just one season. For the 76ers this year, he started all 57 games that he played in and averaged 12.5 points per game. In Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series, Curry scored 15 points and was +11 in the victory.
Willie Cauley-Stein:
LOL