NBA Season Preview 2017-18: 20 things to watch this NBA season

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 12: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a foul shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of the 2017 NBA Finals on June 12, 2017 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bruce Yeung/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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SACRAMENTO, CA – MARCH 13: Willie Cauley-Stein #00 and Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings high five during the game against the Orlando Magic on March 13, 2017 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

9. Are the Sacramento Kings… not awful?

The Sacramento Kings haven’t cobbled together at least 35 wins since the 2007-08 season. They’ve missed the playoffs for 11 straight years. In that time, they’ve churned through nine head coaches, three general managers and two incompetent ownership groups, giving their fans little hope for the future.

Since trading Cousins in February, however, the tides appear to be turning for Sacramento. The Kings wisely resisted the temptation to move up from No. 5 during the 2017 NBA Draft, as the board broke their way and Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox fell into their laps. For the second straight year, they traded down with their other first-round pick, turning No. 10 (Zach Collins) into Nos. 15 (Justin Jackson) and 20 (Harry Giles).

Rather than fully embrace a youth movement, the Kings rounded out their roster with veteran options during free agency. Between George Hill (three years, $57 million), Zach Randolph (two years, $24 million) and Vince Carter (one year, $8 million), Sacramento managed to find one veteran to mentor each group of its prospects — point guards, wings and bigs alike. If his play at EuroBasket is any indication, Bogdan Bogdanovic (three years, $27 million) could also make a sneaky impact for the Kings as a rookie.

Sacramento will still face an uphill climb to snap its playoff drought, as the rest of the West vastly improved this offseason as well. Still, for a franchise that has repeatedly sabotaged itself over the past decade, these recent developments can only be seen as encouraging for long-suffering Kings fans.

Next: 8. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MVP?