Kings ready to slide back into obscurity

The Kings "mutually parted ways" with GM Monte McNair, a nice way of saying that he got fired by owner Vivek Ranadive. With head coach Mike Brown fired earlier in the season and All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox traded, a big part of the Kings core that got them to the No. 3 seed in 2023 is gone.

There are only five players remaining from that 2022-23 roster: Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, Trey Lyles and Keon Ellis — and Lyles is a free agent this summer. Sabonis expressed concerns about the future of the franchise back in March, but after the Kings' blowout play-in game loss, he told reporters he wanted to stay.

Sabonis is a big part of the Kings' future, for better or worse. While he's a good rebounder and puts up gaudy box score numbers — he led the NBA in double-doubles three years in a row — he's not a player who makes defenses adjust for him. His limitations as a rim protector and a perimeter defender, plus his propensity for turnovers, put a ceiling on the Kings' success.

The same can be said for the Kings' recent big additions. Both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are former All-Stars, but when they were teammates on the Chicago Bulls, they finished in sixth place one season, and lost in the play-in tournament twice. This season marks their third play-in loss in a row.

It's simply unclear what the direction of the team is. The Kings got mediocre draft picks back in their trade for Fox. They have the first-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2031, while the 2025 Charlotte Hornets' first-rounder is lottery-protected, meaning the Kings get two second-rounders instead. The Kings also got LaVine, who is owed over $96M for the next two seasons.

In their play-in loss, LaVine had 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting and nine assists, plus five turnovers. Sabonis had 13 rebounds and five assists, but scored only 11 points and turned the ball over five times. This wasn't even a playoff matchup. The Kings got rolled by a 10th-place team, casting real doubt on how far this aging core can go.

The Kings' new GM isn't inspiring. Scott Perry is 61 years old and coming off a six-year stint as the New York Knicks GM, when the team didn't get good until he left. Meanwhile, owner Vivek Ranadive seems to fire coaches and executives at a whim, with rumors swirling that he'll bring back Vlade Divac to a front-office role.

The Kings had a brief moment of relevance these last three seasons. With their last year of moves, they're heading back to their usual mediocrity.