THE Sacramento Kings They haven’t been close to being in the championship conversation for the past two decades, but could they get closer to that conversation?
The off-season acquisition of DeMar DeRozan was certainly a relief for Kings fansbecause the franchise has finally made a move that indicates it is at least trying to improve. Franchise cornerstones De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are questioned about their ability to lead a team to a championship, but they could get the job done with the right pieces around them.
Esfandiar Baraheni of Forbes sort each team into tiers ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, grouping the Kings into the “Playoffs or Bust” tier.
The Kings haven’t won a playoff series since 2004, so putting them above a postseason prospect would be incorrect. While the Kings are in a good position to make the playoffs, there’s no argument to support that option.
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) August 29, 2024
Baraheni grouped Sacramento with the Memphis Grizzlies, The New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix SunsAnd The Los Angeles Lakers as Western Conference teams in this tier. This is the right group for Sacramento, as they have yet to get a leg up on the others.
The star trio of Fox, DeRozan and Sabonis, along with the supporting cast of Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis and Kevin Huerter, should put the Kings in good position, but they’ll be stuck in the “Playoffs or Bust” category until they prove themselves.
On the other hand, the Kings would be severely underachieving if they missed the playoffs for the second straight season. A playoff berth next season should be the floor for this Kings team, and anything less would certainly be considered a failure.
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