The Sacramento Kings made the first major move of the NBA regular season, firing head coach Luke Walton a few weeks ago. Desperate to snap their 15-year playoff drought, the team turned to a new voice in Alvin Gentry, who is taking over on an interim basis.
The Kings have played better with Gentry leading the way, going 4-3 since he has taken over. Sacramento will remain in the playoff race in the Western Conference, at least for an NBA Play-In Tournament spot, as the Western Conference is more watered down this season than in years past.
Despite being four games under .500, the Kings are only four games behind the Memphis Grizzlies, who are holding down the fourth seed and would have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs right now.
But, the Sacramento Kings have plenty of tough decisions looming about the future of their franchise. One of them includes what to do with point guard De’Aaron Fox, who could be the odd man out of the long-term plan.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest Predictions For Some Top Trade Targets Around NBA
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer touched on that when writing about the backcourt situation in Sacramento. They have a logjam at the point guard spot, as they have used their last two lottery selections on point guards Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell.
“The Kings are at a crossroads yet again, with a new interim head coach, a relatively new GM, and a lot of players with uncertain futures. GM Monte McNair drafted two guards in consecutive drafts (Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton) despite having De’Aaron Fox on the payroll, which suggests to executives around the league that Fox will be his main piece for a big move. But Fox is still Sacramento’s primary source of shot creation. Mitchell hasn’t proved he can run the show. Haliburton seems more like a secondary guy given his athletic limitations.”
The Kings were looking into acquiring Pascal Siakam and Ben Simmons in the offseason as that big move to mark Monte McNair’s tenure. No deal came to fruition, but that could change if the Kings adjust their stance on what to do with Fox.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest Predictions For Some Top Trade Targets Around NBA
If De’Aaron Fox is made available, that will be the Sacramento Kings’ chance to shake up their roster. If Tyrese Haliburton and Mitchell begin showing progression in their development, it could speed up the process for Sacramento’s front office to be willing to move on from their best long-term asset on the roster.
