SACRAMENTO – All good things must come to an end. So must all bad things.
The Kings missed the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 years with an NBA play-in loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center. It marked the end of their unfathomable 2024-25 season but also a sign that major change is on the horizon.
Well, more change.
Sacramento’s lone playoff appearance since 2006 came two seasons ago during its magical 2022-23 “Beam Team” run. The starting five for that historic campaign consisted of: De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. Three of those players no longer are part of the team, and the future for the other two in Sacramento also is cloudy.
Sabonis will seek clarity on the organization’s future plans, per a report from The Athletic last month, after major changes included parting ways with their head coach and franchise player midseason.
While discussions will be had this summer, the Kings center made it clear where his mind is moving forward.
“First of all, I want to say I love it here,” Sabonis said Thursday morning during his end-of-the-season exit interviews. “I want to stay here. I want to win here. I also do want to know what’s going to happen.
“All these things are happening so quick. I want to get together with the new people, whoever comes in, and really try to get this right and get it back to what it was.”
Sabonis will make $43.6 million next season, $46.7 million in 2026-27 and $49.9 million in the final 2027-28 year of his contract. That’s $140.3 million over the next three years. The three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA member has proven his worth, but after the Kings missed the playoffs two years in a row and Sacramento needing to shed some salary, a potential divorce could be best for both sides.
Sacramento acquired Sabonis in the blockbuster trade that sent Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in 2022. Sabonis has averaged 19.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists in a Kings uniform.
Perhaps the biggest question marks surround DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine’s futures with the team. Both were first-time Kings this season, with LaVine’s tenure limited to just 32 games after Sacramento traded for him midseason.
An emotional DeRozan was very candid while speaking to the media after the Kings’ season-ending loss Wednesday night. Even 12 hours later, speaking at the same podium, the 16-year vet didn’t shy away from his truth after missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
“Watching other teams still play, that sucks,” DeRozan said Wednesday night. “For me, just the realization of going into my 17th season. That’s the reality of it for me. You don’t have many opportunities left to get yourself a chance to compete in the playoffs. And that’s all you want at this stage of your career, just a chance to get in there and see what happens.
“To know that window is closing, it ain’t like this job is like being a teacher or being a reporter, when y’all can do this as long as you can. So for me, that’s where frustration and the emotional side come from.”
DeRozan, who turns 36 this summer, said he doesn’t want to play another five years. He knows his clock is ticking, and that will be top of mind while deciding for Year 17.
The six-time NBA All-Star is under contract with the Kings through the 2026-27 season after agreeing to a three-year, $73.9 million contract last July. While DeRozan averaged 22.2 points on 47.7 percent shooting, with 3.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 77 games during his first Kings season, his individual success didn’t lead to the team success the organization had hoped for.
Sacramento could explore trading DeRozan to retool its roster. If both sides decide to stay united, organizational stability is a key factor for DeRozan.
“You always want a foundation that’s stable and understanding going forward,” DeRozan said. “I’m pretty sure a lot of decisions got to be made from top to bottom. Just a structure and a foundation of a compete level. I think all year we had such an uncertainty of everything. You can’t really operate in any successful environment if you have so much uncertainty.
“I think for me, just the certainty of what it’s going to be going forward. I can always work with that. As long as you put something on the table, I can work with that. But the uncertainty for me has always been the frustrating part.”
While the season admittedly was frustrating for the NBA veteran, he doesn’t regret coming to Sacramento, and he acknowledged from his July 9 introductory press conference to nine months later just how special it feels to be wanted.
It was a similar sentiment shared by LaVine, who doesn’t imagine being anywhere but Sacramento for the years to come. When asked about his long-term prospects with the team, LaVine made his stance unequivocally clear.
“I’m very happy with where I’m at right now,” LaVine said Thursday. “The team that just traded for me obviously is the team that values me. So that’s something I’ve always put very high. If this is going to be an organization that’s going to build with me and with us, then we’re going to go in the right direction. Why wouldn’t I want to be in a great place like this?
“From what I’ve seen in these 35 games, even if we didn’t end the season the way we wanted to, I’d be crazy if I said I wouldn’t want to be in Sacramento.”
LaVine pieced together his most efficient shooting season this year, and in 32 games with the Kings, he averaged 22.4 points on 51.1 percent shooting from the field and 44.6 percent from 3-point range, with 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Despite the career shooting splits, it took LaVine some time to adjust to Sacramento’s offense. He often looked out of place, but to be fair, the Kings lost their offensive identity when they traded Fox.
Nonetheless, LaVine is ready to move forward with the Kings. Maybe adjustments around him are what’s needed, but he wants to leave that up to the front office. Whatever team they assemble around him is the team he’ll be prepared to compete with. And more than anything, he’s looking forward to a full season in Sacramento to make things right again for the basketball-loving city.
“This city loves basketball. I’ve known that for a long time, growing up in Seattle and watching basketball,” he said. “Sacramento fans are some of the best. I’ve seen that since being here and how devoted they are. As players, especially with the situation I’m in, you want to give them what they deserve and the product that they deserve.
“So it’s something I’m looking forward to going into the offseason. We want to go out there and compete and be ready.”
Like LaVine, Malik Monk’s stance is clear. The always-straightforward guard shared his perspective after a calf injury abruptly ended his third season with the Kings.
“I’m all in. I’m all in,” Monk said Thursday. “Yeah, no question. Don’t question that.”
While Monk acknowledged some of the challenges of the up-and-down season, noting he felt like he had to be “four different players” with the constant role changes, he is confident he has found a long-term home in Sacramento.
“I signed here because I feel at home,” Monk said. “They treat me like home. Everybody’s welcoming. Fans are crazy, I love that. Why not be all in?”
Monk showcased a career year in his eighth NBA season, averaging 17.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds. Last offseason, he signed a four-year contract worth a reported $78 million to remain in Sacramento.
Another foundational piece of Sacramento’s past success and potential future fortune will surround Keegan Murray, whom the Kings drafted No. 4 overall in 2022. He enters the final year of his rookie contract next season and will become a restricted free agent in 2026-27.
Murray said he wants to be in Sacramento and will talk to his agent and the Kings about a potential extension this summer.
Keon Ellis, after a full season of proving he belongs in the NBA, wants to leave his complicated contract talks to his agent.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll leave all that up to my agent and let him do his job on that one,” Ellis said of his future with the Kings. “But I definitely would love to be back. One, I hate moving. The fans here are great. The hype, the love the fans have given me since I’ve been here and where I started out at, everything’s been great.
“So it would definitely be good to remain here.”
The Kings reportedly are hiring Scott Perry as their new general manager after mutually agreeing to part ways with Monte McNair. Perry is a longtime, respected NBA executive, but the task at hand waiting for him in Sacramento is a tall one, even for him.
A roster rebuild could be in store. Who stays and who goes will be top of the to-do list for Perry, and make all the difference in bringing winning basketball back to Sacramento.
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