Kings Receive Respectable Season Grade From Bleacher Report

How would you analyze this regular season for the Sacramento Kings?

Apr 7, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) shoots a three point / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

It's been an up-and-down season for the Sacramento Kings leading to this year's playoffs. With around a week to go until we hit the postseason, this squad sits at the eight-seed in the Western Conference at 45-33, currently set for a place in the Play-In tournament, a bit of a step down from their three-seed finish in 2022-23.

However, when considering all factors, the outcome of this season may not be the worst-case scenario for the Kings. In Bleacher Report's latest article grading each team's year, Andy Bailey gave Sacramento a B for 2023-24, noting it as "exceptionally quiet" when it came to their transactions.

"Transactionally, it's been an exceptionally quiet 2023-24 for the Sacramento Kings.And with a relatively young rotation and last season's "Light the Beam" fueled breakout, it was easy to wrap your head around a "run it back" approach. Part of that meant re-signing undrafted free agent Keon Ellis, who had his two-way deal converted to a regular contract in February. And having him on the roster is suddenly vital, with both Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter out with injuries. One could argue that the team hovering around the middle of the conference in February may have necessitated a more aggressive deadline approach, but it's probably fine to foster a slow build around Domantas Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray."

Outside of the almost-blockbuster move occurring to send Pascal Siakam to Sacramento from the Toronto Raptors, there hasn't been much activity on the Kings' front in a team-building aspect. After seeing the success this roster had a year ago, it was logical to give this young group another run following their first-round exit to the Golden State Warriors.

The team is projected to finish with similar records two years in a row, so it can't be considered the worst decision to abstain from making any drastic changes to the lineup. However, the surrounding competition in the conference has gotten significantly better, making the route to postseason success that much more difficult for Sacramento.

Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves have surged onto the scene in the West, while powerhouses like the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers exist as well. Without the star power to match up in Sacramento, it might be hard to expect any different results from a year ago. If that's the case, expect some adjustments this summer.

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