The Sacramento Kings are Stuck Between Mediocrity and a Hard Place

Like us on Facebook: / touchbackthe
Follow on X: / touchbackthe
The Sacramento Kings and their fans are celebrating a sign-and-trade deal that will see them overpay for a 35-year-old shooting guard who has spent the past six seasons in basketball purgatory playing for teams that aren’t good enough to contend and not bad enough to tank.
Ironically, it is a spot the Kings now find themselves firm in. Today, as it stands now, Sacramento is still only the fifth-best team in the Western Conference, and that’s if you are low on the Suns, Clippers, and Grizzlies. It is also very possible Houston takes another step this season and leaves that aging group fighting for the sixth playoff spot.
Some may place the Kings in that play-in blob of teams alongside Golden State, the Lakers, and New Orleans. Personally, I believe Sacramento is better than that group, but they are far closer to it than those contenders in the West.
The Sacramento Kings are stuck between mediocrity and a hard place. The worst existence for an NBA franchise. Scratch that, it is the second worst existence for an NBA team. The worst would be what the Kings went through in the 2010s or most of the 1990s.
Bad decision makers, clueless coaches, and underwhelming players-in other words, teams only a fanbase starved for professional sports could love. There isn’t a fanbase in the NBA, and maybe all of the professional sports have had to endure the absolute terribleness over sustained periods of time that Sacramento has endured.
About The Touchback
#takeitouttothe25
The Touchback is the world’s best sports and culture website…or something like that. You’ll either really like it or really hate it. But it’s worth reading either way.

[@apeters38]

I agree that we are not a championship team but we still have flexibility to make other moves. If we can solidify our PF depth we will have a chance to advance in the playoffs. We shall see what happens hopefully Keegan keeps developing otherwise trade him while his stock is still high.

[@SippyCupAdventures]

Well, at least we have the A's!? 🤨 BREAKING NEWS: A tomato truck overturned on 99 yesterday.

[@thetouchback]

The Central Valley continues to wear the crown of "Tomato Truck Crash Capital of the World".

[@SippyCupAdventures]

@@thetouchback I need to look up your minor league baseball videos, again. News is all over my FB feed that this will be the last year of the Modesto Nuts. A very sad day. The HISTORY of this franchise, (Reds, A's, Nuts) and all the great family times. It hurts.

[@str8sr825]

Yeah you dont know anything.

[@thetouchback]

I take it you were one of those Daivon Mitchell fans.

[@JohnnyPdarosa4]

​@@thetouchback​🤔DeRozan is a 15 minutes per game Sub for Small forward & Trade Huerter for Portis or Robert Williams & Kris Murray or isiah Stewart & sign free agents Jt Thor & Chimez Metu & Javale McGee for defense who can kings afford in trades BoL BoL or Nick Richards they both aren't better than Len & Javale 🤔

[@JohnnyPdarosa4]

​@@thetouchback​🤔 kings might trade Jalen McDaniels for Kris Murray or Kai Jones at center, but he is nuts off court & so Kings will sign Free agents Orlando Robinson Center forward & Marquis Bolden center forward & kings will sign Chuma Okeke@Pf/Sf, for defense to back up DeRozan🤔

[@matthewdittrich2976]

There is a chance it will work out better than you think. Demar could have gone to either LA team, and that is his home town and he chooses Sacramento. I think he sees the potential for a deep playoff run. This team is only 3 years into its resurgence from total whale poop level failure. I’m a bit more optimistic, but I also like purple kool aid.

[@thetouchback]

We have all drank that purple Kool-Aid. Deep down inside, I still believe Francisco Garcia can be an All-Star. However, it must be said, DeRozan had about 30 million reasons over three seasons to choose Sacramento over the LA teams.

[@JohnnyPdarosa4]

​@@thetouchback 🤔DeRozan is a 15 minutes per game Sub for Small forward & Trade Huerter for Portis or Robert Williams & Kris Murray or isiah Stewart & sign free agents Jt Thor & Chimez Metu & Javale McGee for defense who can kings afford in trades BoL BoL or Nick Richards they both aren't better than Len & Javale 🤔

[@JohnnyPdarosa4]

​@@thetouchback🤔 kings might trade Jalen McDaniels for Kris Murray or Kai Jones at center, but he is nuts off court & so Kings will sign Free agents Orlando Robinson Center forward & Marquis Bolden center forward & kings will sign Chuma Okeke@Pf/Sf, for defense to back up DeRozan🤔

[@marcsousa4904]

Whoa, how are the Kings old lol. Cuz 1 of their top 6 players is mid 30s?

[@whalesequence]

Hey, those tomato truck drivers are in a hurry lol

[@edgarmuniz8331]

What's your measurement of success for the Kings with this current core of players? I'd say if they make it to the 2nd round, that is a success.

[@thetouchback]

Personally, I think success is reaching the Western Conference Finals if you are mortgaging the future. That being said, I can respect the second round goal. When you look at the WCF over the past few years, Portland, the Clippers, Phoenix, Dallas twice and Minnesota have all reached it.

[@eddsworldlover]

This is like a really well edited r/nba shitpost.

[@LatAm13]

Paul George is the same age and making $212M with very similar stats. The DeRozan deal was completely reasonable and is only partially guaranteed on year 3. Huge win for them

[@thetouchback]

Comparing DeRozan to Paul George is utterly ridiculous. Trying to justify a pick swap (likely to be in the lottery) because the front office needlessly signed Harrison Barnes to a contract extension is utterly ridiculous. Only in Sacramento.

[@LatAm13]

@@thetouchback look up the stats and look up the games played while you’re at it too. The funniest thing about all this hate from you outsiders is that if the Clippers or Lakers would’ve picked him up everyone would’ve been slobbering over the move. You’re clearly bias and it shows.

[@thetouchback]

@@LatAm13 Dude, I'm born and raised in Sacramento. I'm rocking a Sacramento Surge jersey. What do you know about that? What do you know about Yogi Stewart and Anthony Johnson starting games? Those running the Kings time and again have proven they don't know what they are doing. See Karl, George. See Mitchell, Daivon. See Harrison Barnes which you refused to address. By the way, stats and games played are irrelevant when comparing George and DeRozan. DeRozan has been the best player on mediocre or below-average teams. Of course, he is going to have better numbers. Here is the real question: if DeRozan was so scary fantastic, why were his only other offers for the MLE? Why was no other team wanting to give up a likely lottery pick for him?

[@sawyertuide7636]

Thing is this limbo isn’t gonna last long either Fox has 2 years and I can see the Kings losing in RD1, then him not extending, and they’ll be back to rebuilding Even if Fox extends, I don’t see you guys winning a playoff series with him

[@JohnnyPdarosa4]

​@thetouchback 🤔DeRozan is a 15 minutes per game Sub for Small forward & Trade Huerter for Portis or Robert Williams & Kris Murray or isiah Stewart & sign free agents Jt Thor & Chimez Metu & Javale McGee for defense who can kings afford in trades BoL BoL or Nick Richards they both aren't better than Len & Javale 🤔

[@pp3k3jamail]

💥💥Yeah the Kings aren't no championship contender just like my Sixers. That's why I want the Sixers to blow it up and get rid of Joel embiid but no they won't because he puts butts in the seats. And Paul George certainly ain't the answer either. I mean I've been apathetic on the Sixers The last 5 years but it will be interesting to see what nick nurse does with this roster

[@chrisuncleahmad]

The West turned out to be laughably weak (a 5 seed making the Finals?) Sacramento might as well try and actually DO something since regression is coming hard for a lot of teams in that overrated conference

[@edgarmuniz8331]

Did you watch the playoffs before spewing such nonsense?

[@chrisuncleahmad]

@@edgarmuniz8331 I watched a freaking 5 seed without size or depth get carried by 2 chuckers

[@edgarmuniz8331]

@@chrisuncleahmad that 5 seed had 2 of the best 15-20 players in the game. The West had the 3 strongest teams & better depth than then the East. Unless you're whining about something that you want to add more context to, you sound disgruntled because whoever your team is didn't make it as far as Dallas.

[@chrisuncleahmad]

@@edgarmuniz8331 What depth?

[@edgarmuniz8331]

@@chrisuncleahmad, The Nuggets, Thunder & Thunder are a notch below the Celtics, after Boston, the West is better than the East. Some of that boils down to injuries with teams like the Bucks. However, both conferences were strong, Unlike seasons past when the West has been superior. Your initial post highlighted seeding. Seeding is less relevant than matchups.

[@FAlynn92]

3:10 of course, the White Sox are left out again

[@SippyCupAdventures]

😂

[@anthony_rivera4735]

I don't like the kings because they stole the kings from Kansas City in 1985 also, there are no other teams in Sacramento.

[@jimingram8628]

Bla, bla, bla

[@LivinProoof]

Massively overpay? Finishing the comment and outing of the video complete nonsense.

[@thetouchback]

DeRozan's other offers were the MLE. In other words, he is getting $30 million more than that to come to Sacramento for three years. And I am guessing no one was rushing to give him that third year. Meanwhile, he's making $7 million or so less annually than Dejounte Murray. Murray, by the way, is a better defender, three-point shooter, and won't be 37 in the final year of his contract. Seriously, does no one in Sacramento understand how aging works?

[@LivinProoof]

@@thetouchback 3rd year is not even guaranteed by the way. You're missing the point entirely, they gave up Harrison Barnes and a couple bags of chips, for Derozan, who's insanely productive at his age. Averaged 24 ppg and last year was STILL one of the most efficient scorers in many different metrics. Go look at Paul George, who's the same age, who just got 275m, on less POINTS per game than Derozan who's getting 75m. The kings offseason is NOT over, they're 100% gonna fill out the roster still. Saying they're overpaying is NUTS.

[@LivinProoof]

@@thetouchback The last thing the Kings needed was another prototypical guard like dejountay murray and it probably wasn't even possible. Demar in the 2 man game with Sabonis is gonna be lethal, Fox is now a 37% 3 pt shooter, they have keegan, they have Monk, Trey Lyles, they have plenty of spacing. Fox shot 39% on catch and shoot 3's last year. The spacing IS FINE.

[@thetouchback]

​@@LivinProoof A bag of chips? A 2031 pick swap is a huge overpay. The most valuable assets in the NBA are future draft picks and pick swaps from mismanaged franchises. And the Kings had to give that up because they signed Barnes to a totally unnecessary contract extension. That's the point. Just because 2031 is far away doesn't make it any less valuable. In fact, the pick swap has more value since the Kings are most likely going to be bad by that time. But this one statement says it best-at his age. There were 29 NBA players aged 35 or older last season. Nine played 25+ minutes per game, and 13 played in 60 or more games. You are betting on DeRozan being the exception, not the rule. It is a bad bet. Also, comparing Paul George to DeRozan is nonsense. Dismissing Murray is also ridiculous. The Kings need defense and three-point shooting around Fox and Sabonis, not more ball handling and poor defense. If the ball isn't in their hands, then it is time for Murray to sink or swim as a playmaker. If Trey Lyles is your answer, you didn't understand the question.

[@LivinProoof]

@@thetouchback The Kings need to do something now, they can worry about that in 7 years when it rolls around. What? You thought they'd get Demar for free? The Kings have floor spacers I just rattled them out and you single out the Lyles part? Huh? What the Kings clearly lacked was a player that can get the ball and score at the end of a shot clock BESIDES monk and Fox. They kept all of their really important assets AND Huerter so can easily make a move to add one more defensive minded wing. This is NOT an overpay. You're like one of two people I've seen say this out of like 100, to everyone else it makes sense, except you and Sam Quinn who gave the trade a D- and he's literally being mocked online about it. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@leowagner8832]

This is a terrible analysis

[@soes0kavion]

Bad take

[@thetouchback]

Truth hurts.

[@soes0kavion]

@@thetouchback no, listening to your dogshit takes hurt my ears