When the Sacramento Kings successfully completed a sign-and-trade transaction to acquire DeMar DeRozan, a six-time NBA All-Star, they informed the league of their intentions. Despite the fact that they had just acquired the star player from the Chicago Bulls, the Sacramento crowd believed that another move was on the way. Monte McNair, the general manager of the Kings, stated in an interview with Jason Ross on Sactown Sports 1140 that he believes “at this point, we are expecting that this is the core group that we will go into training camp with.”
During the summer, the Kings were in the forefront of numerous trade speculations, and it was rumored that they were in discussions about Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Zach LaVine, and Lauri Markkanen. However, the Kings made a fantastic decision when they acquired DeRozan for a fraction of the assets that would have been required to acquire one of the other players. McNair makes the statement that they are “always looking to improve the team,” and they have demonstrated that they are doing so by consistently engaging in trade conversations during the summer. In the event that Sacramento went through yet another offseason without making any significant moves, the city of Sacramento would have been completely destroyed by fire.
It is possible that the Kings are still one piece away from emerging into championship contention, despite the fact that DeRozan is an excellent addition to the team. They have a core group that is impressive, which includes De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis; however, is this number sufficient? When it comes to the Kings franchise’s future, the next 2024-25 season will have significant repercussions, particularly if they continue to maintain the same squad throughout the season. If the season is successful and the team makes it to the playoffs, there will be celebration, but if the season is not successful, it could be costly.
In light of the fact that the Kings still have two open roster places to fill, supporters should anticipate a couple of modest free agency acquisitions prior to the start of training camp. However, they should not take the prospect of another blockbuster into consideration.