Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings power forward Domantas Sabonis' All-Star snub cost him a hefty bonus.

According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Sabonis missed out on a $1.3 million bonus because he was not selected to the Western Conference All-Star team.

The 2024 #NBAAllStar Rosters! pic.twitter.com/MVCan5VWV0

— NBA (@NBA) February 2, 2024

Sabonis' absence on the Western Conference All-Star team was certainly one of the notable snubs. He's nearly averaging a triple-double with 19.9 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists per game. Sabonis' 13 rebounds lead the league with the closest number to him being Rudy Gobert's 12.4 rebounds per game.

Sabonis has been named to an All-Star team three times in the last four seasons, making the 2020, 2021 and 2023 teams. His numbers this season are slightly better than the 2023 season when he did make the All-Star team.

Sabonis and his teammate De'Aaron Fox, who was also left off of the All-Star team, will be looking to put their snubs aside and focus on the second half of the season. The Kings currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference at 27-19, and they'll be looking to hold that position and reach the playoffs for a second straight season.

Before last year, Sacramento had not made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season, which was the longest playoff drought in NBA history. Now, the Kings look poised for another playoff run with Sabonis and Fox leading the way.

The Sacramento Kings aren't expected to pursue a trade that results in the team parting ways with veteran forward Harrison Barnes and "could very well" keep him beyond the Feb. 8 trade deadline, according to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

He's remained effective at spacing the floor for De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, starting in all 46 games for the Kings in the 2023-24 season. Per Fischer, the only player that Sacramento is interested in that would require moving Barnes is Washington Wizards wing Kyle Kuzma.

The 31-year-old has remained a consistent weapon from beyond the arc, shooting over 37 percent from three in each season that he's been in Sacramento. Barnes' name has still cropped up in trade rumors, with the Kings interested in acquiring a third star.

All-Star forward Pascal Siakam was coveted by Sacramento's front office before he was dealt to the Indiana Pacers, via Fischer. The Kings are also interested in pursuing Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, who is averaging 21.3 points per game on 46.1/40.3/80.9 shooting splits despite playing on a lottery-bound team.

NBA insider Marc Stein revealed on Jan. 16 that the Houston Rockets have interest in trading for Barnes, although it doesn't appear that Sacramento is planning on including him in a deal that doesn't result in an upgrade at either forward spot coming back to the Kings.

After all, the team is sitting at fifth place in the Western Conference with a record of 27-19. Barnes is an important part of Sacramento's turnaround that began in the 2022-23 season and will attempt to help the Kings win their first playoff series since 2004.

Although the current roster likely isn't balanced enough to realistically compete for a championship just yet, a Barnes trade only makes sense for Sacramento if a clear-cut star is returning that can help raise the ceiling of the entire team.

Sacramento Kings stars De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis missing out on the 2024 NBA All-Star Game does not sit well with head coach Mike Brown.

Brown told Andscape's Marc J. Spears:

It's clear to anyone who watches the NBA and Kings basketball that De'Aaron and Domantas should have been selected for this year's All-Star game. They are playing at an unbelievably elite level, Domantas establishing historic numbers with his double-doubles and De'Aaron setting a new career mark for 3-point field goals. Every year, there are deserving players left off the team but, to me, this is truly a glaring wrongdoing.

The All-Star Game starters had already been announced, but the NBA announced Thursday the reserves for the Eastern and Western Conferences.

The Western Conference reserves include Los Angeles Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Minnesota Timberwolves standouts Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, Los Angeles Lakers veteran Anthony Davis, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

Brown previously made his case for Fox and Sabonis to be named All-Stars while speaking with reporters on Wednesday:

We feel our top two players, Sabonis and Foxy, are just as good as anybody. They're the main part of the engine that makes this thing go. I think as time goes on, the league is starting to feel it and see it, but we have to continue doing our part at a high level. That doesn't mean just in the regular season. We've got to do it in the playoffs too.

Both Fox and Sabonis were selected for the All-Star Game last season, and considering they're both in the midst of career years in 2023-24, they probably should have been selected this time around.

Fox is averaging 27.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 40 games while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 38.0 percent from deep. His 27.2 points per game ranks ninth in the NBA.

Sabonis, meanwhile, is averaging 19.9 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists in 46 games while shooting 61.6 percent from the floor and 45.1 percent from deep. He ranks first in the league in rebounds per game and his field goal percentage ranks seventh in the league

Thanks in part to Fox and Sabonis, the Kings are fifth in the Western Conference with a 27-19 record, six games back of the first-place Timberwolves.

While Brown was disappointed that his players were snubbed, Fox said earlier this week that he didn't care whether he was named an All-Star.

"I don't really care about being an All-Star, plus Indiana's cold," Fox said.

The 2024 All-Star Game is set for Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana.

As the Sacramento Kings look for a forward to play alongside De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Tobias Harris' name has surfaced as a potential option.

Action Network's Matt Moore reported that the Kings would be interested in acquiring the veteran if the Philadelphia 76ers make a three-team trade to add another star. Sacramento would presumably take on the remainder of his expiring contract.

The Kings are also expected to explore the availability of Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic and defensive-minded forward Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Sacramento's front office has been active on the phones and reportedly discussed a trade with the Toronto Raptors involving All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam before he was dealt to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 17, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. They were also interested in O.G. Anunoby before he was acquired by the New York Knicks, per Moore.

The 31-year-old Harris is averaging 17.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 51.0 percent from the field and canning 37.2 percent of his triples.

🚨 new season high 3️⃣5️⃣ points for Tobias Harris! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/PD9CmNpj24

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 13, 2024

Trading Harris could help acquire some depth if the front office doesn't plan on re-signing him, as Moore noted that the 76ers are interested in adding a backup point guard. This would provide a boost for Philadelphia's reserves, as the team owns the No. 29 scoring bench in the league.

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown was fined $50,000 in part for his postgame rant directed toward the officials following his team's 143-142 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night.

The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/F6WnFoCldb

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 16, 2024

Brown, who was ejected in the fourth quarter and had to be restrained by players after storming toward referee Intae Hwang and screaming in frustration, brandished a laptop in his postgame press conference to show what he believed was inconsistency in foul calls throughout the game.

"The referees are human, and they're going to make mistakes, but you just hope that there's some sort of consistency and there's some sort of communication between the refs," he told reporters Sunday. "The refs tonight, they were great, they communicated with me all night. But in terms of consistency, you guys saw it right here. In my opinion, the consistency wasn't here tonight."

The Bucks ultimately held a 32-20 advantage in free throws and a 27-15 advantage in made free throws, undoubtedly a factor in the final outcome. It was an even more pronounced disparity in the first half, when the Bucks shot 14 more free throws than the Kings.

Still, Sacramento had a chance to win the game in overtime and fell short, thanks in part to Damian Lillard's heroic, game-winning three-pointer as time expired.

DAME TIME IN MILWAUKEE WITH A GAME-WINNER IN OT 🚨⌚️ pic.twitter.com/7E7af0RaZF

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 15, 2024

"We had a chance to win the game and we didn't get it done," Brown told reporters. "But I'm telling you, man, to go through [the inconsistency in calls], it's tough, man. It's tough to go through that."

Brown's postgame rant became something of a meme, and even Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and superstar Stephen Curry referenced it in their own press conferences this week:

"Raymond, would you bring the computer up here, please?" 😂

Steve Kerr pokes fun at Mike Brown's postgame officiating breakdown pic.twitter.com/rgEHzaWFhD

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 15, 2024

Steph Curry: “We gave up 40 free throws. I don’t want to be Mike Brown up here going through them all to see how legit they are.” pic.twitter.com/vpyR3NmQKf

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 16, 2024

Social media certainly had fun with the situation as well:

Pat Bev walked so Mike Brown could fly https://t.co/FfzAg9rzwB pic.twitter.com/UPwIxAp5Xx

— Lifelong Knicks Fan Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) January 15, 2024

First we had Darko's speech, now Mike Brown's film session. The bar keeps getting higher. Next coach to rant has to VR themselves into a giant green screen like Kenny's Pictures bare minimum.

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 15, 2024

https://twitter.com/gwiss/status/1746934580202922192

https://twitter.com/ekoreen/status/1747359083328315777

Brown is now the second head coach in the past week to blast the officials and get fined in the process. Last Tuesday, Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković didn't hold back on the officiating after a 132-131 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"That's outrageous. What happened tonight, this is completely B.S.," he told reporters. "This is shame. Shame for the referees. Shame for the league to allow this. Twenty-three free throws for them, and we get two free throws in the fourth quarter? Like, how to play the game? I understand respect for All-Stars and all that, but we have star players on our team as well."

"They had to win tonight? If that's the case just let us know so we don't show up for the game, just give them a win," he added. "But that was not fair tonight."

The Lakers finished the game with a 36-13 advantage in free throws and a 23-2 advantage in the fourth quarter alone. Rajaković was fined $25,000 for his comments.

Despite reports of Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam being unwilling to agree to a long-term contract extension with the Sacramento Kings, the team still remains interested in trading for him, according to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer.

"My understanding is that the Kings would still trade for Siakam even without the assurance that he'd re-sign, but his lack of commitment certainly changes the assets they'd be willing to give up alongside Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter," O'Connor wrote.

The Kings and Raptors were engaged in trade discussions regarding the two-time All-Star for a "hot second" before talks ended, via HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. Siakam reportedly has no desire to head to Sacramento and doesn't see the team as a "long-term" fit, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

The Kings have been actively searching for a third star to pair alongside De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, although general manager Monte McNair has been hesitant to include the team's premier assets in trade talks. ESPN's Zach Lowe revealed on Friday that Sacramento has "zero interest in discussing" sharpshooting forward Keegan Murray as part of a potential deal.

Due to the front office's insistence on keeping a young player such as Murray out of trades combined with Siakam's reported unwillingness to stay with the team beyond the 2023-24 season, opposing front offices could end up outbidding the Kings in talks with Raptors team president Masai Ujiri (per O'Connor).

Despite the 29-year-old performing admirably throughout his 38 starts this season, Toronto could still move off the remainder of his contract and pivot towards building the roster around former Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes as well as recent trade acquisitions Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett.

This season, Siakam has averaged 22.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from three.

Sitting at 23-16, the Kings likely aren't in a rush to add another marquee player ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. However, the addition of Siakam could help Sacramento avoid another disappointing first-round exit in the playoffs.

The Sacramento Kings have been linked to the likes of Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam and Chicago Bulls veteran Zach LaVine ahead of the NBA's Feb. 8 trade deadline, but it appears they aren't willing to part ways with one player to facilitate a deal.

The Kings have "zero interest" in dealing Keegan Murray this winter, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe.

Lowe wrote:

They have held at least internal discussions about almost every available big name, including Zach LaVine, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, sources said. Anunoby looked like perhaps the cleanest fit, but the Kings do not appear to have gotten far there; they had no expendable young player the Toronto Raptors coveted.

Murray would be that player, but the Kings have shown zero interest in discussing him, sources said. They are also concerned adding a third massive salary would hamper their roster flexibility beyond this season -- especially if they trade away picks.

The report comes as little surprise after Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported this week that "the Kings are not going to trade talented second-year forward Murray and the Kings—already on the hook for full max deals for Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox—aren't interested in paying Siakam a full max contract which means any chances of retaining the pending free agent are nil."

Siakam—a two-time All-Star who will be a free agent this summer—would, in theory, be a short-term rental. Understandably, the Kings wouldn't want to part with a premium asset like Murray in such a deal.

The same can't be said for LaVine, who signed a five-year, $215 million max contract extension with the Bulls in July 2022 and won't become a free agent until 2027 if he picks up his $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign.

Murray, the No. 4 pick in the 2022 draft, has taken a big leap forward in his sophomore season, proving his worth to the Kings in the process. He is averaging 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 33 games while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from deep.

The Kings currently sit fifth in the Western Conference with a 23-14 record and are just three games back of the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves.

Considering they're already in contention for the No. 1 seed with the roster they already have, it's no surprise Sacramento is unwilling to move Murray.

The Sacramento Kings reportedly believe Keegan Murray is a star in the making—so much so that they wouldn't even be willing to trade him for Lauri Markkanen.

James Ham of The Kings Beat told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that Kings brass believes Murray will develop into a better player than Markkanen.

Murray is averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in his second NBA season. While his numbers pale in comparison to Markkanen, it's worth noting the All-Star Jazz forward did not break out until his arrival in Utah. He was 25 years old by the time he emerged as an All-Star, which gives Murray some time to up his game.

That said, it's not as much time as you may think. Murray is already 23 years old after being a late bloomer and is only three years younger than Markkanen despite having five fewer years of NBA experience.

Comparing the two players apples-to-apples isn't the most productive use of time but is illustrative of how highly the Kings view Murray. Whether that is grounded in reality remains to be seen—Murray hasn't ascended in his second NBA season—but the Sacramento front office clearly feels it has a foundational three players in De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Murray.

It's hard to argue with the results, as the Kings are looking at back-to-back playoff appearances after two decades of irrelevance, but Murray will have to take a massive step forward for Sacramento to go deep in the playoffs.

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam is reportedly seeking a max contract this summer in free agency.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Siakam's desire for a max deal is set regardless of whether he stays in Toronto past February's trade deadline or is moved to another team. He has also reportedly expressed the fact he does not see the Sacramento Kings as a "long-term fit."

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the Kings and Raptors were engaged in talks and a deal looked close for a "hot second" before negotiations stalled. Sacramento reportedly offered Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, Davion Mitchell and a first-round pick in talks.

It's unclear if Siakam's lack of desire to play in Sacramento is what halted negotiations.

Siakam will be 30 when he hits free agency in July and may be in for a rude awakening on the open market. He is a two-time All-Star who does not look likely to earn a third selection as he turns in a solid-but-unspectacular 2023-24 campaign. While several teams could use Siakam's floor spacing and passing at the 4, paying a non-All-Star upwards of $50 million a season isn't exactly the most enticing proposition.

The number of teams with projected max cap space is also few and far between at this point, so it's not as if Siakam will have half of the league sitting around with money to blow. It feels more likely that Siakam will wind up "settling" for a below-max contract, somewhere in the three- or four-year range at $40 million a year.

That's nothing to scoff at but is evidence of how Siakam's star has dimmed a bit around the league and is a big reason the Raptors haven't had teams bowling over them with huge trade offers.

The reported Kings proposal features two overpaid veteran role players in Huerter and Barnes along with a 25-year-old third-year guard averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 assists per game. A future first-round pick from Sacramento has some value, but it's unlikely that selection came without protections.

At this point, it's fair to criticize Raptors president Masai Ujiri for overplaying his hand with his trade chips. The package the New York Knicks sent to Toronto for OG Anunoby paled in comparison to the bevy of first-round picks the Raptors could have gotten in the past, and Ujiri already watched as Fred VanVleet walked in free agency last summer.

A year ago, a Siakam trade may have returned a superstar haul. Instead, Ujiri's scouring the market for an offer featuring spare parts for a player whose contract demands may be out of line with the market.

Harrison Barnes was included in the Sacramento Kings' trade offer for Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Charania reported Monday on FanDuel TV's Run It Back the teams had "active conversations" about a swap, with Sacramento insistent on sending Barnes out.

“I’m told the Raptors and Kings were in active conversations about a Pascal Siakam trade… revolving around Harrison Barnes. At this point, the only way it ignites is if Toronto comes back to Sacramento.”@ShamsCharania on Pascal Siakam. pic.twitter.com/8l1K5YbHJ8

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 8, 2024

Negotiations appear to have broken down, with Charania reporting on Jan. 5 the Kings were pulling out.

From Sacramento's perspective, shipping out Barnes is important because he's due to make $18 million in 2024-25 and $19 million in 2025-26. Beyond making the finances of a trade work now, shedding his contract would afford the Kings a little more flexibility to re-sign Siakam, who's headed for free agency in the summer.

The problem for Kings general manager Monte McNair is that Toronto probably doesn't have an overriding desire to take on Barnes' deal.

Given his age, the 31-year-old isn't a great fit for a franchise that appears resigned to either rebuilding or spending the next season or two retooling. There's simply no scenario in which the Raptors could afford to lose Siakam on top of already trading OG Anunoby and remain a contender in the short term.

Barnes probably isn't the kind of asset Toronto could flip for a profit down the line, either. He's averaging 11.4 points and shooting 41.0 percent from beyond the arc. The 6'8" forward is a good secondary piece on a playoff team and not much more than that.

Anybody who has fired up an NBA trade machine can probably tell you Barnes almost has to be included in a two-team deal for Siakam in order for Sacramento to his $37.9 million salary. There isn't much other way for the Kings to match the dollars without giving up so much depth it defeats the purpose of the move in the first place.

Based on Charania's reporting, that was basically a nonstarter for the Raptors, and it's hard to see their stance evolving much before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.