Though the Sacramento Kings don't seem to have too much hope outside De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, and 1st-year GM Monte McNair, there are a few ways for the franchise to significantly improve for 2021-22 and have a semi-decent chance to avoid becoming the team with the longest playoff drought in NBA history. Even though Luke Walton was retained, enough roster turnover would hopefully outweigh the mediocre coaching ability of Walton. GM McNair should look at the Phoenix Suns as a good model to orchestrate the Kings' return to relevancy. The Suns hired a new GM in James Jones, brought on a new coach in Monty Williams, and traded for a star in Chris Paul; this season Phoenix experienced massive improvement and finished 2nd in the West in the regular season. The Kings have hired a GM, but the other two steps are still in progress. This offseason, however, step #3 could be completed.
Trades
Trade #1:
SAC gets: Two first-round picks (PHX 2022, DEN 2023) // OKC gets: Marvin Bagley II, Jahmi'us Ramsey, second-round pick (ATL 2022)
Trade #2:
SAC gets: Maxi Kleber, second-round pick (DAL 2025) // DAL gets: Buddy Hield
Trade #3:
SAC gets: Domantas Sabonis // IND gets: Three first-round picks (SAC 2021, PHX 2022, DEN 2023), Richaun Holmes
Trade Breakdown/Reasoning
Trade #1: Bagley still needs more time to develop, and the Kings can't and shouldn't give it to him at this stage. The Thunder are a team that'll likely be rebuilding for a while, so taking on Bagley is a low-risk, high-reward scenario. OKC should have plenty of patience, and Marvin may well develop into something very special for the team. The Kings also throw in Jahmi'us Ramsey and a 2nd round pick, and in return OKC sends Sac 2 first-round picks (Phoenix's 2022 pick and Denver's 2023 pick), just a couple of the many many weapons in Sam Presti's vault.
Trade #2: With Haliburton in the fray, Hield doesn't make sense as a future King because a) running him at SF isn't a long-term solution, and b) his production in his current situation doesn't reflect his contract. The Kings get Maxi Kleber and a 2nd-round pick in return for Hield assets-wise, but the cap space will also be extremely valuable. On the Mavericks side of things, this could make sense as Dallas is trying to add shooters around Luka Doncic and Hield is one of the NBA's top marksmen (he'd probably benefit from a better situation, as have many former Kings in the past few years after leaving). With Doncic's enormous extension looming, the Mavs are likely to make major roster moves to build a better team around Luka and keep him happy. Hield could put Dallas in a slightly tricky situation cap-wise, but a potential Porzingis trade plus decisions on Josh Richardson and Tim Hardaway Jr. could free up space for more major moves.
Trade #3: The final trade is the biggest of them all. It's the Kings' equivalent of the blockbuster that Phoenix pulled off to acquire CP3 from Oklahoma City. With Richaun Holmes a free agent at the end of the 2020-21 season, moves were already going to have to be made if Sacramento wanted to keep him. Instead, Holmes is signed-and-traded to the Pacers and the Kings get another star in Domantas Sabonis. The two picks acquired from OKC are rerouted to Indy, along with the Kings' own 2021 1st-round pick (wherever the lottery takes it); perhaps the Kings throw in another future first that's heavily protected. As for the effects of the trade on Indiana, it seems likely that lots of moves are made during the 2021 offseason. The team already parted ways with rookie coach Nate Bjorkgren, and the hiring of the next coach could have an effect on the roster (and vice versa). Although the Pacers are losing their main offensive weapon and star in Sabonis, they'll get an instant fan-favorite Holmes (who signs a frontloaded deal with some partial guarantees in the later years) and three first-round picks. With these picks, Indiana will almost certainly pull off more trades to bring another star to the Pacers.
Roster Outlook
After these 3 trades, the Kings' starting lineup is set: De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Maxi Kleber, and Domantas Sabonis. While the bench improved significantly following the 2020-21 trade deadline, some of those impact players need to be re-signed or re-evaluated. Terence Davis came to Sacramento with major concerns about his off-court behavior, but seems to have remained clean in that regard so far and was very productive as the backup SG. Delon Wright and Damian Jones were underrated pickups that turned out quite well, and both have a year left on their contracts (FAs in 2022). Chimezie Metu was rewarded with a multi-year contract after impressing on a two-way deal, and 2020 rookie Robert Woodard figures to get minutes at backup SF (he has a legitimate shot at becoming a starter down the line). Moe Harkless is a free agent but could make a return. Some signings could be made to bring in some veteran depth (maybe a Garrett Temple or Alex Len return?) but Monte McNair and his team have been solid in bringing on low-risk depth pieces, and the G-League team has also played a big role in the development of some of these players.
Remaining Roster Moves
Re-sign Terence Davis to a 3-year deal (total value in the 16-22 million range) with the 3rd year as a team option (possibly with a partial guarantee) Re-sign Kyle Guy to a 1-year minimum deal Sign one or both of Moe Harkless/Alex Len to a 1-year minimum deal Fill out the rest of the roster
Cap space-wise, the '21-'22 salary cap is at 112 million, and the Kings after these trades and signings are around 107 million. The franchise took an especially hard hit from the pandemic, so starting the season with extra cap space is a likely outcome.
2021-22 Sacramento Kings depth chart
PG - De'Aaron Fox / Delon Wright / Kyle Guy SG - Tyrese Haliburton / Terence Davis / Justin James SF - Harrison Barnes / Robert Woodard / Moe Harkless PF - Maxi Kleber / Chimezie Metu / FA or undrafted player C - Domantas Sabonis / Damian Jones / Alex Len