Ahead of the season, I think just about all fans wondered what exactly the Sacramento Kings' plan was. With a "big three" of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento had essentially assembled a new version of the Chicago Bulls, a perennial Play-In team that, of course, flamed out. This core doesn't make sense as all of these players are ball-dominant, none of them can defend, and only one of them can shoot.
To nobody's surprise, the Kings are 3-7, which is tied for 13th in the West. Notably, they rank 27th in defensive rating and 25th in 3-pointers made. Even still, they aren't bad enough to fully bottom out yet. But they may be on the precipice of a full rebuild, as Kings radio host Carmichael Dave reported.
The Kings are reportedly gearing up for a full rebuild and plan to explore trades for Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and others, per @CarmichaelDave
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 11, 2025
(h/t @RTNBA ) pic.twitter.com/9avSJKM5zb
They fired general manager Monte McNair after last season, but new GM Scott Perry apparently believed in this core enough to keep it intact. However, Dave noted that a full rebuild is on the horizon. This is the best move as the roster makes no sense, and the 2026 draft class is loaded. Nevertheless, just three years ago, the Kings were the best story in the league; they broke their 16-year playoff drought and set the record for the best offensive rating in league history. With that in mind, let's look back at how the Kings got into this mess in the first place.
The disastrous Sabonis-Haliburton trade
The first move we have to discuss is trading for Sabonis at the 2022 deadline. Sacramento traded Tyrese Haliburton (in his second year), along with Buddy Hield, to the Indiana Pacers for Sabonis. Sure, this trade helped the Kings break their playoff drought, but there's no denying that it also set them back.
The theory was that Haliburton and De'Aaron Fox couldn't co-exist as point guards. However, in the modern NBA, this doesn't make a ton of sense, and giving up on a promising young guard is never wise. Of course, Haliburton led the Pacers to the NBA Finals this past June.
Sabonis' lack of rim protection and shooting makes him hard to build around. While the Kings seem ready to move Sabonis, it's unclear what value he'll yield as a result.
Signing DeRozan sent Fox packing
DeRozan was another big mistake. In 2024, the Kings were coming off a season where they were one game away from the playoffs. Sacramento was desperately trying to replicate the magical "Beam Team" from a year ago, so they landed DeRozan in a three-team sign-and-trade over the summer. In doing so, they gave up Harrison Barnes, Chris Duarte, and a 2031 pick swap.
DeRozan's lack of 3-point shooting made him a questionable fit with Sabonis and Fox from the jump. While he's a better player than Barnes in a vacuum, Barnes was a better fit. The Kings forgot that their spacing around Fox and Sabonis is what made them so great.
This move worked out as poorly as Kings' skeptics said it would. After a slow start, the Kings fired 2022-23 Coach of the Year Mike Brown, and De'Aaron Fox ultimately requested a trade in the middle of last year. Which leads us to our final move, the Kings made.
Getting LaVine back for Fox all but guaranteed more changes
Listen, Fox put the Kings in a tough spot, as he reportedly only wanted to be traded to the San Antonio Spurs. Can you blame him, though? Playing with Victor Wembanyama seems pretty fun. The Kings got back three first-round picks, three second-round picks, and LaVine in a three-team deal with the Spurs and Bulls.
To me, this is the most understandable move, and if I'm keeping anyone out of this core, it's LaVine. Sure, his contract isn't ideal, but he provides high-level floor spacing and scoring. Regardless, it was always clear to me (and others) that this core was a house of cards and that the Kings would inevitably shake up this core.
Honestly, it was fairly surprising that we didn't see this happen in the offseason. Unfortunately, this shows me that the value for these three players isn't super high. I've already discussed Sabonis' flaws, especially on a competitive team. LaVine's contract ($43 AAV) and poor defense make things tricky. DeRozan's age (36), poor outside shooting, and defense also make things challenging.
While the value might not be ideal, the Kings should take what they can get and start a new era. Whether this means trading one or ideally all of these players, something has to be changed. The saving grace for the Kings is that they have all their picks (excluding the 2031 pick swap), making a rebuild feasible. The value might not be ideal, but the Kings will surely get some young talent for these players.