NEW ORLEANS — Fresh off redemptively destroying the heavily favored Golden State Warriors in a win-or-go-home game — stomping as bluntly as it did to them in the same building a year ago. Opponent’s Season – The Sacramento Kings skipped last week’s game and entered New Orleans with growing confidence.
There are organizations that believe they can and should Defeated the Pelicans, who were without the injured Zion Williamson. And, if that initial mission is accomplished, they have enough talent to at least threaten the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA playoffs. They built a winning streak (94-70) in two years under coach Mike Brown, and in the process ended an embarrassing 16-year playoff drought in North American professional sports at the time.
But those good vibes quickly faded in another loser-homecoming game in New Orleans. Vivek Ranadivé, the Kings’ controlling owner, sat stoically watching the season end from a courtside seat near the team’s bench. Immediately after the game, he walked into the tunnel, walked directly out of the arena through the loading dock, and trudged into an offseason filled with delicate decisions.
An hour later, as players and coaches began to grapple with their failure to make the playoffs, one veteran was asked: Is there at least some level of stability developing despite the apparent regression?
“Yes,” said the veteran. “Because we’re not going to give up on our front office, we’re not going to fire our coaching staff. This is a very big deal in Sacramento.
Brown signed a four-year contract in the summer of 2022. So, for all practical purposes, next season is the final guaranteed year of his current deal.
In the coaching world, this is often extended time. According to league sources, Brown wants to make a long-term commitment at his own market value and bring a lot of work. Since his arrival, the Kings’ legitimacy has grown, both as a basketball entity and as a business entity. But a delicate negotiation awaits.
Success comes at a price. Steve Kerr ($17.5 million per year), Gregg Popovich ($16 million per year) and Monty Williams ($13 million per year) have reset coaches since the Browns signed their contracts market. He won’t ask for Kerr or Popovich’s money, but given the reputation and resume, it’s fair to assume that the offer would need to be in the double-digit million range per year.
Will Ranadive reward Brown for the progress he’s made? Will he focus on the bigger picture of the game here and the need for coaching stability that the Kings have long shunned? Or might he be hesitant to pay increased market value because their absence from the playoffs this season gives him reason to pause?
Ownership has been taking a wait-and-see approach so far, team sources said, with people around the team feeling that bizarre results — a huge win against the Warriors, a crushing loss against the Pelicans — could lead to Stress greatly affects future decisions.
This is a dangerous game. Ranadive has yet to make an extension offer to Brown. Both sides have known this discussion was coming for months, but the outcome will set the tone for the Kings’ next season. Without determination, it has the potential to become a distraction.
The Kings are 15-8 against six of the eight teams in the Western Conference playoffs this season. They swept the Lakers in four games, finishing with wins over the Denver Nuggets 3-1, the Minnesota Timberwolves 2-1, and 2-2 wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns. . They have reason to believe they can compete with the league’s top players.
“I feel like we got better,” Domantas Sabonis said. “We just couldn’t finish some games. We dropped a few and the West was tougher. We kind of put ourselves in a bad situation.
Two problems surfaced: They couldn’t address the Pelicans’ length and shooting. New Orleans outscored them 6-0 in a tricky game that kept killing them at the wrong times. Then there are the more debilitating problems. The Kings are often out at the wrong times. Here’s a list of the non-playoff teams that beat them: Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards. The Rockets have done this three times. The Kings won just two fewer games than last season (48-46) but still fell from third to ninth in the crowded Western Conference standings and ultimately failed to make the playoffs.
“It’s easy to focus on the last two weeks,” Harrison Barnes said, referring to the Kings’ 3-6 record. “People say, ‘Oh, look at the Dallas game, back-to-back games against the Pelicans and Suns.'”
Those losses came after key players Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter went down with season-ending injuries, and the Kings fell from the fifth or sixth seed (where they sat for most of the season) to ninth Seed team.
“But I think a lot of games early in the season (are to blame),” Barnes said. “There were games where we didn’t show up, there were games where we didn’t take the right approach. Add that up and you see where things end up, if we could have won three, four, five more games, where would we be?
Four more wins would mean the fifth seed would be in Game 1 of its playoff series after a week off.
“To me, I think it’s a step that has to be taken,” Barnes said. “Look at the six teams that made the playoffs (before the play-ins). Those teams performed well against teams that were below .500. That’s a step we didn’t take this year.
Mike Brown and the Kings dropped from third to ninth in the Western Conference this season. (Sergio Estrada/USA Today)
A step back is not welcome by Ranadive or any of the kings, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone. He bought the team in 2013, went through six coaches before Brown, and displayed an impulsive personality that has always been scrutinized. But things have turned around a bit, and his once-tattered reputation has been repaired in NBA circles. The return to the postseason last season was a happy moment for him and his team. To achieve this, he appointed a series of key staff members who have been crucial to its recent success.
Longtime Houston Rockets executive Monte McNair took his first general manager job in September 2020, succeeding Vlade Divac’s tumultuous departure . McNair built a respectable front office and sparked a Kings resurgence. He drafted Tyrese Haliburton and Keegan Murray, traded Haliburton for Sabonis, and built around the trio of De’Aaron Fox, Sabonis and Murray.
Brown, who was hired in May 2022, was poached from the Warriors, a team Ranadive knew well, where he served as a minority owner. Brown became the first unanimous NBA Coach of the Year in his first season with the team. Viewed against the backdrop of the Kings’ tragic history, this pairing of front office and coaching is certainly a success.
However, while team sources say Brown is certain to return next season, discussions about his value beyond the 2024-25 season could become complicated if Ranadive is unwilling to reinvest in the partnership , may make people feel uncomfortable.
It’s about basketball and Business. Not only did Brown lead a winning program in Sacramento, but the team’s ability to stay relevant throughout the season was a game-changer financially when it came to keeping fans engaged.
This is a big change from the Kings of the past, when even their most ardent loyalists lost interest once the team fell down the rankings in the second half of the season. The perception of the Kings around the league and the agent community has improved significantly since Brown’s arrival. While the Kings offense, which was the league’s best two seasons ago, has taken a step back, Brown sees long-term promise as the defense — which has been a problem in Sacramento — improved from 24th in his first season to second. 14th place this season. As Brown’s side sees it, the case for justifying a new market-cap deal is long.
However, for Ranadive, the presence of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Jekyll must be frustrating. The Kings’ Hyde style ultimately cost them an invitation to the playoff party. If you want to reach consensus, you need to be somewhere in between.
Ranadive posed with his daughter Anjali on the court about an hour before the season ended in New Orleans on Friday night. They held up the back of the denim jacket Anjali wore to the game and posted it on Instagram. Munch’s name and number were spray-painted on it.
On March 29, Luka Doncic fell on Monk’s right knee and sprained his medial collateral ligament. Monk couldn’t save the day, depriving the Kings of their third most productive player down the stretch, prompting an unanswerable “what if?” about this team’s playoff ceiling.
Now there’s another question: What if Monk leaves this summer?during an interview Competitor In early March, Monk expressed his desire to return. Owners, front office, coaches and teammates all want him back.
But the Kings are in financial crisis. CBA rules limit what they can give Monk. The maximum projected starting salary they can offer is $17.4 million, which could translate into a four-year, long-term offer of up to $77.9 million if extended under the maximum allowable raise period.
There is concern that a team with ample cap space, knowing those constraints, would suddenly make a similar long-term offer in the $100 million range that might be too lucrative for Monk to refuse. He’s 26 and nearly quit the league a few years ago.
“Money makes the world go round,” Fox said. “You can’t play this game forever. We have a short window of time to play basketball. Not everyone is going to be (LeBron James) or (Chris Paul) and play 19, 20 years. Whenever possible, you have to Being able to get paid. That’s what Vince Carter told me. He played 21, 22 years and I’d love to have (Malik) back, but I don’t know what the future holds.
If Monk leaves, the Kings won’t be able to use all that money in free agency. They will be limited to the mid-level exception, which is expected to be $12.9 million. There should be some rotation players in that range, but the bigger question is whether this team needs a more significant player in the order of Fox and Sabonis.
This needs to be done through trade. Having missed the playoffs, the Kings retained their first-round pick in June’s draft. Either the 13th or the 14th. They still owe Atlanta a top-12 protected first-round pick next season in exchange for Huerter’s trade.
But the draft asset cabinet is still full, and they have plenty of mid-sized contracts to facilitate trades. Barnes will make $18 million next season. Hurt earned $16.8 million. Trey Lyles made $8 million.
Kings management is protective of Murray amid trade talks for Pascal Siakam and others near the trade deadline. It’s hard to imagine this change.But when McNair was interviewed Competitor Last summer, he did say we would move forward quickly if given the chance: “I think we’re in a position now where if we play aggressively, we’re going to be one of the teams that can beat our opponents.” That fan On the door.
That’s the problem with these kings. They are now trapped on the doorstep of something special.
They have foundational players like Fox and Sabonis whose presence improves their collective bottom line, but lack the kind of dynamic talent (perhaps even at the high end) and depth to elevate them into true contenders. They added Sasha Vesenkov and Chris Duarte last summer, but neither was able to crack the regular rotation.
The flexibility they have in their roster heading into the summer could lead to real improvement, but the uncertainty on that front is enough to spark some anxiety. Do they have the organizational continuity that is so important in times like this? This part remains to be seen.
“There are still things to work on,” Fox told reporters after the loss to the Pelicans. “It’s not getting easier in the West. It’s disappointing not to make the playoffs. But it’s something that needs to be built…Obviously, it’s more consistent now than it was in the past. But as a team, we have to get better. You always Don’t know what will happen.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb/ Competitor; Photos by Rocky Widnern, Kelsey Grant, Jed Jacobsohn/NBAE/Getty Images)
