Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings star center Domantas Sabonis is expected "to seek clarity" about the organization's plan at the end of the 2024-25 season, according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Per Amick and Slater, league sources said that "several" players in Sacramento's core are "watching and wondering where this is all headed."

The Kings had a busy trade deadline, sending All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a three-team swap that also included the Chicago Bulls.

Sacramento received a package headlined by Zach LaVine and three first-round picks in return.

After the Kings moved Fox, who helped lead them to a playoff appearance during the 2022-23 season, questions surfaced surrounding the team's mindset moving forward.

“What is the vision here?” one league source close to a core Kings player said, via Amick and Slater. “It feels like it could be headed toward chaos.”

Sacramento has been successful following the blockbuster trade, owning a 7-5 record to go along with the No. 10 net rating in the association (via NBA.com). The Kings still sit at just No. 9 in the Western Conference standings with a 32-29 overall record, though.

With Sacramento still not regarded as a true championship contender and Fox no longer on the team, Sabonis may want to gain insight on the front office's view of his own future with the organization.

The three-time All-Star still has three years left on his current contract and has remained one of the NBA's most skilled offensive centers. Sabonis has averaged 19.5 points to go along with a league-leading 14.1 rebounds per game on 59.6/43.2/74.7 shooting splits this season.

SABONIS GOT THE REBOUND AND PUT IT UP TO STEAL THE W IN MIAMI 😱 pic.twitter.com/kxUTsVIRiM

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 5, 2024

Once the Kings' 2024-25 campaign comes to an end, he'll reportedly search for answers regarding his long-term outlook in Sacramento.

The Sacramento Kings announced Sunday that star center Domantas Sabonis has been ruled out indefinitely due to a left hamstring strain, per NBA.com.

An update on Sabonis will be provided in a week, according to the team.

The three-time All-Star suffered the injury while running down the court in the first quarter of the Kings' 113-103 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. He left after one minute of action and didn't return.

Sacramento signed center Skal Labissiere to a 10-day contract following Sabonis' injury, per ESPN's Shams Charania. Labissiere averaged 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the team's G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.

Labissiere hasn't suited up in an NBA game since the 2019-20 season. The former first-round pick has recorded 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on 49.2/35.3/74.8 shooting splits in 148 contests throughout his career.

Until Sabonis is able to return, Jonas Valančiūnas will likely replace him in Sacramento's starting lineup.

In 56 starts prior to the injury, Sabonis averaged 19.5 points to go along with a league-leading 14.1 rebounds per game. He was shooting 59.6 percent from the field and connecting on a career-high 43.2 percent of his attempts from three-point territory.

SABONIS GOT THE REBOUND AND PUT IT UP TO STEAL THE W IN MIAMI 😱 pic.twitter.com/kxUTsVIRiM

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 5, 2024

The Kings had a busy trade deadline, moving De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and acquiring shooting guard Zach LaVine as part of a three-team swap that included that Chicago Bulls.

Sacramento will look to stay competitive in the Western Conference playoff picture without Sabonis, currently sitting at No. 9 in the West standings with a 31-28 record.

The Kings are only 0.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 6 seed, though.

Sacramento is set to begin its upcoming stretch without Sabonis on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie was unhappy with the effort of his starting unit in Friday's 132-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, Christie called for a meeting with his starters after the game in which he discussed issues ranging from ball security to making sure everyone is on the same page and challenged them to "challenge each other in a positive way" to yield more positive results.

Sources: After Kings suffered 24-point loss at home to Warriors last night, interim head coach Doug Christie called for a meeting with his starters. I take you inside that meeting. #haynesbriefs

Brought to you by @MoveInsoles pic.twitter.com/T8UQvhx4x4

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 22, 2025

After a strong start when Christie initially took over for Mike Brown, the Kings have hit a rough patch. They have lost eight of their last 13 games after going 10-2 in Christie's first 12 games.

This stretch includes back-to-back losses in which the defense has allowed a total of 272 points. The New Orleans Pelicans scored a season-high 140 points on Feb. 13.

Friday's loss saw the Kings allow Golden State to shoot 53.8 percent from the field (46.5 percent from three). The Warriors also forced 24 turnovers, with Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis combining for nine.

The Kings are still in an adjustment period after remaking their roster prior to the trade deadline. They sent De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, while bringing in LaVine to be one of their main offensive engines.

It's been a slow start for LaVine in his new home. He's averaging 20.3 points per game in seven starts, but his shooting percentage is down more than eight points overall (51.1 to 43.0) and three-point percentage has declined more than 18 points (44.6 to 26.4) from where he was at with the Chicago Bulls.

The Kings are clinging to the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference with a 28-28 record. They have a 1.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns (26-29) for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Sacramento is coming up on an easier part of its schedule with games against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday and Utah Jazz on Wednesday to try righting the ship.

Three days after trading De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal, Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair has opened up about the reasoning for moving the 27-year-old star.

McNair told reporters on Wednesday they had "no pathway to a long-term agreement" with Fox.

The full trade saw Fox and Jordan McLaughlin go to the Spurs, with Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko and six draft picks going to the Kings, plus the Chicago Bulls receiving Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and their own 2025 first-round pick back from the Kings.

There had been indications for weeks prior to the trade that Fox's time in Sacramento might be coming to an end sooner than later.

The Athletic's Sam Amick and Anthony Slater reported on Dec. 21 that his agent, Rich Paul, sat down with Kings management to talk about the long-term direction of the organization before his client would commit to them on a contract extension.

Fox previously said in October that he turned down a three-year, $165 million extension from the Kings because he didn't want to be locked in with a team that may not be consistently competing for a playoff spot.

Amick and Slater noted Fox specifically had his eye on the Spurs to pair with Victor Wembanyama.

It probably didn't help the Kings' negotiating position going forward that there were rumblings about Fox's relationship with head coach Mike Brown when the club made the decision to fire him on Dec. 27.

Fox went so far as to publicly deny there was any truth to the rumblings he didn't get along with Brown.

"I feel like there's this perception that people thought that we were at odds," Fox told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "You can ask anybody in this organization: me and Mike have never even had an argument. We could disagree with something. We talked about it and it was gone."

The Kings did get a quality player in the deal by roping the Bulls into it for LaVine. He's not as highly regarded as Fox, but their production this season isn't too dissimilar.

Sacramento has been playing better under interim head coach Doug Christie. He has led the team to a 12-6 record in the last 18 games. The Kings have climbed to eighth in the Western Conference with a 25-24 overall record.

Last week, DeMar DeRozan said during an appearance on FanDuel's Run It Back show that losing a player like De'Aaron Fox would make it "tough" to envision a long-term future with the Sacramento Kings.

“A key player, key juggernaut in Fox, not knowing the future of that, it does make it tough.” 😳

Demar Derozan says that it would be tough to consider a long term future with the Kings amid a De’Aaron Fox trade.

Could the Kings lose both superstars?@MichelleDBeadle |… pic.twitter.com/XnIPspQF5K

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 30, 2025

Fox was indeed traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-way deal that also involved the Chicago Bulls, but the Kings landed Zach LaVine in the process, which helped soothe over the concerns DeRozan had about his future in Sacramento.

"For sure," he told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. "It's hard to come across an All-Star player, a dynamic player like a Zach LaVine. That would ease anybody's mind, and the relationship I have with him makes it that much better."

DeRozan and LaVine spent three seasons in Chicago together, leading the team to one postseason appearance. But after the Bulls went just 39-43 in the 2023-24 campaign, missing the playoffs for a second straight year, the team allowed DeRozan to depart in free agency as part of a sign-and-trade deal, with the veteran forward signing a three-year, $74 million contract with the Kings.

The Kings have a new look after the Fox trade, with DeRozan now partnering with LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk as the core group. Whether that's enough to vault the 25-24 Kings into the postseason remains to be seen, as the Western Conference is loaded. But adding LaVine at least addressed some of the concerns DeRozan had going forward.

Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan acknowledged his reunion with Zach LaVine following a blockbuster three-team trade involving the Kings, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

DeRozan posted a picture of himself with his current Kings teammate and former Bulls teammate on his Instagram story.

DeMar DeRozan’s IG story…Reunited. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uJcOnihOVR

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 3, 2025

Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are reunited in Sacramento ‼️ pic.twitter.com/wPXXv1M7Uj

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 3, 2025

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, LaVine and three first-round picks were sent to the Kings while star point guard De'Aaron Fox headed to the Spurs. The Bulls also received Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and their own 2025 draft pick back from San Antonio.

DeRozan and LaVine were teammates in Chicago from the 2021-22 season through the team's 2023-24 campaign.

While the Bulls only made one playoff appearance during their shared tenure, they combined to earn three All-Star nods over that span.

Although DeRozan left to join the Kings in a sign-and-trade agreement in July 2024, there never appeared to be any animosity between the two players. In fact, he called for LaVine to receive All-Star consideration following a clash between Sacramento and Chicago on Jan. 12.

"The way Zach is playing I hope he makes All-Star," DeRozan said after the game, via Sam Smith of NBA.com. "I hope he's credited for the play he's been having; it's not easy. That dude works extremely hard. I remember the times he was dealing with his knee. He was so frustrated; he just wanted to be out there and play and contribute, playing through injuries."

"So to see him healthy and doing what we all know he's capable of doing, it's not surprising to see," he added. "But it's definitely gratifying."

In 42 starts with Chicago prior to the trade, LaVine averaged 24.0 points and 4.8 rebounds to go along with 4.5 assists per game. He shot a career-high 51.1 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from three-point territory.

With Sacramento sitting at No. 10 in the Western Conference standings with a 24-24 record, DeRozan and LaVine will look to help the Kings close out the year strong and compete for a playoff berth.

After enjoying a few years as a contender, the Sacramento Kings might be back in the NBA wilderness again.

The Kings are trading star guard De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal that also includes the Chicago Bills sending swingman Zach LaVine to Sacramento, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.

Shams Charania of ESPN provided the full details of the trade:

Full trade:

Spurs: De'Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin

Kings: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first round picks (2025 CHA, 2027 SAS, 2031 MIN), three second round picks (2025 CHI, 2028 DEN, 2028 own back)

Bulls: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, their own 2025 pick via SAS https://t.co/UgwylCUYAO

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2025

Sacramento hitched its wagons to Fox midway through the 2021-22 season when it sent Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in a deal for Domantas Sabonis. While the trade was panned at the time, Fox and Sabonis propelled the Kings into the playoffs in 2022-23.

The franchise's failure to build on that success and Fox's free agency in 2026 began to raise big questions about his future in Sacramento, however.

This past December, The Athletic's Sam Amick and Anthony Slater reported how the Kings were in a "danger zone" with their best player. His agent, Rich Paul, had met with general manager Monte McNair and assistant GM Wes Wilcox to discuss their long-term vision.

Paul didn't request a trade on his client's behalf, but he and Fox were "reading the room in Sacramento before deciding what comes next," per Amick and Slater wrote.

"But the Kings' beam isn't burning as bright as it was two seasons ago, when Fox and Domantas Sabonis led the group that broke the franchise's league-record playoff drought," The Athletic report said. "And now, the prospect of him declining an extension again this summer — or perhaps telling them ahead of time that he plans on doing so—would inevitably force the Kings to consider trading Fox rather than losing him for nothing in free agency two summers from now."

The firing of head coach Mike Brown, only months after he signed a sizable extension, was widely viewed as a move with Fox in mind, though that was far from the only factor at play. At the very least, Fox didn't sound heartbroken to see Brown gone.

This moment between Kings head coach Mike Brown and De'Aaron Fox at today's practice will certainly be dissected and analyzed. pic.twitter.com/x6dYwZ1zf8

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) December 27, 2024

While Sacramento was making an effort to appease the 2022-23 All-Star, rival teams were smelling blood in the water. ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported in December the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat were prepared to pounce if a trade became a possibility.

Things took another turn when Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Jan. 28 the Kings were "expected to open talks" on a possible Fox trade. Fox denied making an outright trade request, which might've raised even more questions about the team's pivot with a little more than a week until the trade deadline.

McNair was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Losing Fox as a free agent would've been a disaster. In some cases, letting a star player walk isn't necessarily a bad thing under the current collective bargaining agreement because payroll flexibility can be huge toward filling out a veteran-laden roster. But that's not really where the Kings are right now.

Trading Fox, meanwhile, was always going to be an unpopular decision despite the fact fans are well aware of the ticking clock his free agency presents. The discontent stems largely from the fact Sacramento doesn't enjoy the benefit of the doubt on basically anything.

The 2023 playoff run sparked hope the dysfunction that long plagued the franchise was a thing of the past. The Kings had a young, fun roster and stability within the front office and coaching staff.

The way everything has unraveled since then raises fears that the "Kangz" are well and truly back. Or maybe they never left at all.

A trade of this magnitude was inevitable for the Spurs as they continue their work of building a contender around French phenom Victor Wembanyama.

San Antonio exercised some patience after only winning 22 games in Wembanyama's rookie year. The approach worked relatively well as the team is currently 21-25 in 2024-25.

But the front office wasn't going to sit on its hands forever. The Spurs had ample draft capital to acquire pretty much whichever star player became available. It was just a matter of waiting for the right target to hit the market.

In Fox, general manager Brian Wright saw an opportunity too good to pass up.

Meanwhile, the Kings will receive a package headlined by LaVine and a haul of draft picks.

The 29-year-old LaVine is averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season. He shot 51.1 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from three-point range in 42 appearances with the Bulls.

LaVine is owed $3 million this season, $46 million next season and has a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season.