Despite making a big in-season trade to land a multi-time All-Star, the Sacramento Kings appear to be as dysfunctional as ever. The Kings are just 9-13 since acquiring Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls, and the losses appear to be taking their toll.
LaVine admitted as much during a recent press conference following their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That calls into question the direction of the franchise.
Zach LaVine says the "vibe is not good" in the Kings locker room after another loss.
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) March 25, 2025
Domantas Sabonis says the team is aware of the Kings barely holding on to a play-in spot. pic.twitter.com/sx8LMKMmWp
After all, many questioned the decision to pair LaVine with Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan. Especially after LaVine and DeRozan previously spent three seasons together on the Bulls and made the playoffs just once.
Their lack of cohesion as a star pairing has continued on the Kings. Thus, Sacramento appears dangerously close to not only missing the playoffs but also the play-in tournament as well. Doing so would be a disaster considering they fired head coach Mike Brown, possibly to appease DeAaron Fox only to be forced to trade him weeks later in a deal that clearly hasn't worked out for them just yet.
Then there is the report from Sam Amick and Anthony Slater, involving Sabonis. He plans to meet with the Kings to discuss the team's future this summer.
Zach LaVine perfectly sums up the Kings struggles in just four words
If the Kings ultimately miss the playoffs, then they may be stuck with this team for the next couple of seasons. That is due to the contract situations surrounding LaVine and DeRozan.
Both are under contract for the next two seasons, and the Kings may have trouble trading them if they were to decide to retool around Sabonis. There is the possibility that Sabonis wants out this summer like Fox did this season.
That would be a bad scenario considering that their mismatched roster would look a lot worse without him. More likely, they will try to make a big trade this summer to try to push themselves back into contention. That is a risky proposition since they aren't one player away from being a contender. Even if they were, that player probably wouldn't be available, or even in their price range.
Hopefully, for the Kings, they can gel enough to close the season out strong and make the playoffs. That would give them more options going forward. In the meantime, they will have to try to right the ship this season or risk being forced to make wholesale changes this summer.