The Sacramento Kings have certainly turned heads this offseason, but most of the NBA media remains on the fence about their expectations. After winning 48 games in 2022-23 and 46 last season, the Kings cannot afford another drop.
Thankfully, Monte McNair and the Sacramento front office put together a respectable offseason, headlined by one of the biggest blockbusters around the NBA.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale revealed what he believes Sacramento’s “biggest win” and “biggest loss” of their 2024 offseason was.
Favale writes that Sacramento’s biggest win this offseason is “the offense is so back,” regarding the sign-and-trade for six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan.
The Kings put together the best offense in the NBA just two seasons ago, but fell off a cliff and landed in the middle of the pack last season. The addition of a prolific scorer and improved playmaker like DeRozan will undoubtedly revive the Kings’ offense.
Keegan Murray vs DeMar DeRozan
Every day in practice now. pic.twitter.com/cOz23okq2k
— Skyler (KFR) (@SacFilmRoom) July 11, 2024
An offensive-minded trio of De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis will certainly give opposing defenses nightmares. The Kings have not had this type of offensive arsenal in years, and there is no reason why it should not be enough to take them back to the playoffs.
Favale’s biggest loss for the Kings offseason is “Devin Carter.” The Kings have as much experience picking in the lottery as any other NBA franchise, so finding themselves selecting 13th overall was not a surprise. It was a surprise, though, that they selected Providence Friars guard Devin Carter.
DEVIN CARTER WELCOME TO SACRAMENTO!!!#LightTheBeam pic.twitter.com/zUm33Uha78
— J r u e (@thatl0calguy) June 27, 2024
The Kings have been loaded with backcourt depth, especially with the emergence of Keon Ellis as one of the league’s prolific guard defenders. The Kings had two gaping holes in their team, wing depth and big man depth, so their decision to draft a guard was a headscratcher.
Carter is an outstanding prospect and will undoubtedly make an impact once he gets on the court, but the concern is that he might not touch a basketball court until 2025.
The 22-year-old rookie underwent shoulder surgery in July, sidelining him for at least six months. After the news, the Kings pivoted and signed veteran guard Jordan McLaughlin to fill his role, but the Kings and all of Sacramento want to see their lottery pick play as soon as possible.
I would not consider drafting Carter to be Sacramento’s “biggest loss” this offseason, especially knowing how talented the young guard is on both ends of the court.
Follow Inside The Kings on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!
