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Kings

May 5, 2006. That was the last time the Sacramento Kings <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200605050SAC.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">played in a playoff game</a>. That contest took place 5,863 days ago.&nbsp; To put that into context: During that 2005-06 season, Chris Paul was a rookie and Bruce Bowen, who was born in 1971, was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team. Steve Nash won his second consecutive MVP award and Boris Diaw was named the league's Most Improved Player.
The Kings made history last month, the type of history that no organization wants to be known for. Sacramento, who finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 30-52 record, failed to qualify for the postseason for the 16th straight season, breaking the NBA record for the longest playoff drought. (The Kings had been tied with the Buffalo Braves and Los Angeles Clippers prior.)
So, while <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-lottery-teams-who-should-trade-to-win-now-or-at-least-sooner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many teams in this year's draft lottery</a> are rumored to be interested in potentially trading their pick, arguably no team is more motivated to add an established player (as opposed to an unproven rookie) in hopes of avoiding a return trip to the all-too-familiar lottery dais next May than the Kings.
As proof of their urgency to win now, the Kings shocked pundits back in February by trading away Tyrese Haliburton, one of the league's most promising young point guards, to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a package that included Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis.&nbsp;
Thus, it isn't shocking to learn that Sacramento, who jumped up to land the No. 4 overall pick in last week's lottery, is reportedly willing to wheel and deal if presented with the right offer.&nbsp;
<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036369-nba-draft-buzz-insiders-explain-why-chet-holmgren-makes-sense-at-no-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a>, "there's a strong belief among rival teams that Sacramento will explore trading the fourth selection, either out of the draft entirely for an impact veteran or down later in the lottery to net a contributing rotation player in the process."
The other issue likely factoring into the Kings' thought process is that the top tier of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft</a> consists of three players (Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero), with a bit of a dropoff after those elite prospects. Nonetheless, "the uncertainty of the fourth selection could prompt eager teams to leap up to secure their prized prospect" which puts the Kings' front office in a "<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036369-nba-draft-buzz-insiders-explain-why-chet-holmgren-makes-sense-at-no-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strong trade position</a>," per Fischer.&nbsp;
Additionally, Mike Scotto of HoopsHype recently <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/aggregate-nba-mock-draft-lottery-jabari-smith-chet-holmgren-paolo-banchero-trade-rumors/">reported</a> that NBA executives "are monitoring the Sacramento Kings" as a team that could trade their pick "in search of player(s) that can help immediately." Scotto added that after acquiring Sabonis, the Kings have "made it clear the goal is to end the franchise's playoff drought" and that "rival teams are keeping an eye on Sacramento to trade this pick."
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So, let's examine some deals that might make sense for both the Kings and a potential trading partner.
Detroit Pistons send Jerami Grant, Saben Lee, Isaiah Livers and a second-round pick (No. 46 overall) to the Kings in exchange for the No. 4 overall pick, Richaun Holmes, Maurice Harkless and Alex Len
Earlier this offseason, Sacramento general manager Monte McNair <a href="https://account.sacbee.com/paywall/subscriber-only?resume=260358905&amp;intcid=ab_archive">conceded</a> that the team needs to add players who can knock down shots and fit in alongside the franchise's cornerstones, Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox.
"I think shooting, we can clearly acknowledge, will be a huge priority," McNair declared. "Length, athleticism, versatility &mdash; we've talked about all that as well. Obviously, you want the whole package, but shooting will be a big priority for us."
Grant most certainly checks those boxes. During his two years in Detroit, he has averaged 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 made treys and 1.1 blocks per game. He has shot over 37% from downtown on 4.5 attempts over the past four seasons and is a versatile, plus defender. As a stretch-4, Grant &mdash; who just turned 28 and is in the heart of his prime &mdash; could conceivably fit in well in the frontcourt alongside Sabonis, who likes to operate on the low block and is a good passer from the post. Moreover, Fox-Grant pick-and-rolls would be difficult to defend.&nbsp;
The issue in this potential trade is that Grant has just one season left on the three-year, $60 million deal he signed in 2020. However, as long as Grant is traded before Aug. 9, he is eligible to sign an extension with his new team for up to $112 million over four years. After previously spurning the Nuggets to sign with the Pistons, we know that Grant is not afraid to join a team that hasn't enjoyed recent success. Would he be willing to commit to Sacramento long-term? If so, a Big Three of Fox, Grant and Sabonis might be talented enough to finally push the Kings into the postseason.&nbsp;
For the Pistons, they would add Holmes (a quality center on a team-friendly contract) and enter next month's draft with 2 of the top 5 picks, which would allow them to add a pair of promising prospects to a core centered around Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes. 
Washington Wizards send Kyle Kuzma and the No. 10 overall pick to the Kings for the No. 4 pick, Justin Holiday and Terence Davis
After a disappointing end to his tenure as a Los Angeles Laker, Kuzma bounced back with a very productive season for the Wizards in 2021-22. He averaged 17.1 points and 1.9 made three-pointers while setting career-highs in rebounds (8.5), assists (3.5) and blocks (0.9) per game. He led the Wiz in double-doubles with 24 (which ranked tied for the sixth-most among all forwards in the NBA). Adding Kuzma's offensive versatility would provide Sacramento with some much-needed depth at forward. In addition, the Kings would still have a lottery pick, dropping back just six spots, which would allow them to add another young asset to the roster.&nbsp;
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The Wizards would likely entertain such a deal if they fell in love with a prospect &mdash; such as Keegan Murray, Jaden Ivey or Shaedon Sharpe &mdash; whom they feel relatively sure won't still be on the board at 10.
Kuz has two years left on his current contract but can opt out in the summer of 2023. However, he will be eligible to sign a four-year extension for up to $70 million this October if his $13 million player option for 2023-24 is declined.&nbsp;
A similar package featuring one of the Wizards' other young forwards (Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija or Corey Kispert) instead of Kuzma might also be feasible, depending on the value the Kings/Wizards place on the respective players.&nbsp;
Houston Rockets send the No. 3 overall pick and Eric Gordon to the Kings for the No. 4 pick, a (protected) future first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, Richaun Holmes and Justin Holiday
Is it possible that Sacramento views Smith, Holmgren or Banchero as talented enough to make a substantial impact as a rookie? If so, would the team be willing to pony up sufficient capital to move up one spot?
The Kings would snag one of this draft's three most prized prospects in this hypothetical scenario. The 7-foot Holmgren is one of the most versatile prospects to enter the draft in recent history. Banchero possesses a freakish combination of size, strength and athleticism. Smith projects as a lethal stretch-4 who could fit in nicely alongside Sabonis.&nbsp;
Gordon is a respected, established veteran with just one year of guaranteed money left on his contract. He shot a scorching 41.2% from three-point territory this past season, the second-best mark of his career.&nbsp;
Such a deal would make sense for the Rockets if they feel whichever of the top-tier prospects that falls to them isn't significantly better than the next highest-ranked player on their board. During a post-lottery press conference last week, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said Houston is <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1526739178557517824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1526739178557517824%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10036145-rockets-open-to-trading-3rd-pick-in-2022-nba-draft-if-a-deal-makes-sense-gm-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open to trading the No. 3 pick</a>.
"I'm definitely not gonna block them out," Stone <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1526739178557517824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1526739178557517824%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10036145-rockets-open-to-trading-3rd-pick-in-2022-nba-draft-if-a-deal-makes-sense-gm-says">told reporters</a>. "If they wanna talk, I'm always available to talk... If it's the case that they're interested in doing something, we're always available to listen. If there's something that makes sense for both teams, something will get done."
Adding a quality young center in Holmes would give the Rockets leverage in negotiations with Christian Wood, or potentially enable them to trade him out of Houston.&nbsp;
New York Knicks trade Julius Randle and the No. 11 overall pick to the Kings for Harrison Barnes, the No. 4 pick and a second-round pick (No. 37 overall)&nbsp;
Randle playing alongside Sabonis could be viewed as a clunky fit, but Sabonis did play 80% of his minutes at center for Sacramento after arriving via the midseason trade. The pairing would undoubtedly be problematic defensively, but the duo would be dynamic on the offensive end. Over the past two seasons, Randle and Sabonis were 2 of only 4 NBA players to average double-digit boards and more than 5 assists per contest. (The other two players in this club were Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo.)
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After being named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2020-21, Randle's offensive inefficiency regressed dramatically this past season. In addition, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/julius-randle-and-the-knicks-should-part-ways-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the relationship between Randle and Knicks fans turned toxic</a> at various points during the year. Yet, even in a "down year," he averaged 20.1 points, 9.9 boards and 5.1 dimes per game. A fresh start in California might help Randle regain his All-Star form. Also, he is under team control for at least three more years (he has a player option for 2025-26), which means the Kings wouldn't have to worry about their key players entering free agency anytime soon.&nbsp;
From the Knicks' perspective, this move would allow them to jump up and snag a highly-touted prospect, possibly combo guard Jaden Ivey, who New York was rumored to be interested in. And, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/julius-randle-and-the-knicks-should-part-ways-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as I wrote last month</a>, moving Randle would enable the Knicks to insert Obi Toppin (who averaged 27.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 made three-pointers per game in April) into the starting lineup while also clearing Randle's contract off their books. Barnes will celebrate his 30th birthday next week, but is still playing at a high level and has just one year left on his current deal.&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks trade John Collins and the No. 16 pick to the Kings for Harrison Barnes and the No. 4 pick
After signing a massive five-year contract worth $125 million last summer, Collins struggled with injuries and inconsistency in 2021-22. His disappointing production was one of the reasons Atlanta failed to meet lofty expectations this season. One year after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks spent much of this past season below .500 and were easily eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round.
Would they be willing to part way with Collins (and his contract) to jump 12 spots in the draft?&nbsp;
Much like the aforementioned Randle/Knicks deal, the Kings would have to decide if Collins could mesh with Sabonis and Fox.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets trade Gordon Hayward, the No. 13 pick and the No. 15 pick (via NOLA) to the Kings in exchange for Harrison Barnes, Maurice Harkless, Alex Len and the No. 4 pick
Attempting to determine Hayward's value league-wide is difficult. When healthy, he's been remarkably productive throughout his career. However, he's been plagued by injury issues and has missed 58 games since signing a four-year, $120 million pact with the Hornets in 2020. He has two years and $61.5 million left on his current contract, which also contains a 15% trade kicker.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer highlights a number of possible trades that the Kings could execute to improve their roster this summer.

Breaking down 6 hypothetical trades for the Kings' fourth draft pick

Following the Phoenix Suns&rsquo; shocking postseason exit, all eyes are now on Deandre Ayton's free agency.
After the Suns declined to sign Ayton to a five-year, rookie-scale max extension before the 2021-22 season, restricted free agency is now on the horizon for the athletic big man. During the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Ayton&rsquo;s agent Bill Duffy discussed Ayton's future on SiriusXM&rsquo;s NBA show.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re disappointed. We wanted a max contract,&rdquo; Duffy <a href="https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1527772160923619328" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;He went out and was a solider the whole year, played well, improved his statistics. So, we&rsquo;re proud of him. A lot of guys handle things differently, but he was very mature about it. Things will work out for Deandre. He&rsquo;s a valuable player. There&rsquo;s other teams in the league as well. He&rsquo;s a restricted free agent, so we&rsquo;ll see how this process unfolds.&rdquo;
Ayton averaged 17.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.7 blocks on a career-high 65.6% True Shooting percentage during the 2021-22 campaign. Ayton was a key asset for the Suns on both ends of the court, especially around the basket as an easy lob threat and defensive anchor. Ayton has been a key piece for the Suns, but is he worth a max contract? Based on Duffy&rsquo;s comments earlier this week, it sounds like Ayton&rsquo;s camp won&rsquo;t settle for anything less than the max entering free agency.
From the Suns&rsquo; perspective, they saw improvement from the 2018 No. 1 overall pick this season before the team's disappointing postseason showing.
&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s shown that he&rsquo;s improved each year, helps us on both the defense and the offense,&rdquo; Suns owner Robert Sarver told <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a> recently about Ayton. &ldquo;I think offensively, you see this year he&rsquo;s taken another good step in terms of his touch and his ability to score around the basket. So, he&rsquo;s been a key part of what we&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;
Taking all of this into consideration, what if Ayton's days in Phoenix are numbered? Here's a look at the most realistic sign-and-trade destinations for Ayton this summer.
Note: It's important to remember that sign-and-trade deals rarely return the same value as a traditional trade. The Suns have let it be known that they won't simply let an asset like Ayton walk for nothing. If Ayton&rsquo;s time in Phoenix is indeed over, the Suns won&rsquo;t be leaving the relationship empty-handed.
San Antonio Spurs
Spurs receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Jakob Poeltl, Devin Vassell, Tre Jones
San Antonio is one of the few teams this offseason with secured max-level cap space. All that needs to be done in order to chase Ayton is renounce the restricted rights to Lonnie Walker.
Being at the bottom of the NBA standings is new for the Spurs. After being one of the league's model organizations for over two decades, they have officially hit a playoff drought. San Antonio was hoping for some lottery luck, but now they have to try another plan to bring in a star.
San Antonio&rsquo;s dynamic young duo of Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson is so fun to watch, but the they need a third game-changer to take this rebuild back into playoff mode. Ayton would be an ideal solution, mainly because of his excellent two-way fit in the Spurs&rsquo; system. Dropping Ayton into the Spurs&rsquo; player-development program could make some in Phoenix worry about the long-term consequences of this deal.
For Phoenix, cooperating with a long-time rival would hurt. However, if the relationship between team and player becomes fractured, the Suns won&rsquo;t have much of a choice if he finds a max offer on the open market.
The Suns won&rsquo;t let Ayton leave Phoenix unless they receive strong assets in return. The Spurs can actually provide a solid package that helps in the short and long-term.
In this deal, Phoenix could land one of the most underrated big men in the Association as well as two young players who have shown flashes. The Jalen Smith experiment was a disaster for the Suns after taking him No. 10 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, and Vassell went one pick later. Phoenix can right that wrong while also obtaining an intriguing point guard to develop in Jones.
This feels like a win-win for both sides. San Antonio would have a new Big 3 in Ayton, Murray and Johnson, while the Suns could acquire their new starting center and two pieces to bolster the bench unit.
Charlotte Hornets
Hornets receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Terry Rozier, PJ Washington and draft compensation
There might not be a team with a more dire offseason need than the Hornets and their hole at center. Charlotte was one of my NBA League Pass teams this season due to their fun offensive pace, but the defense often bordered on disastrous. Montrezl Harrell and Mason Plumlee aren&rsquo;t going to cut it, so it&rsquo;s time for Charlotte to get aggressive.
Given Charlotte&rsquo;s roster, they would have to move some salaries around to make an Ayton chase realistic. Offloading Gordon Hayward&rsquo;s contract is going to be a tough task and they may even have to relinquish one of their top-15 picks to do so, but it would have to happen in order for them to pursue Ayton. Hayward is due $61.6 million over the next two seasons, and Charlotte simply can&rsquo;t afford to keep biting that bullet with restricted free agent Miles Bridges due for a payday and LaMelo Ball&rsquo;s own rookie-scale extension on the horizon. Trading away Hayward and Mason Plumlee would give the Hornets max space.
Landing Ayton is Charlotte's dream scenario. Not only would Ayton continue to get spoon-fed easy looks from an elite point guard, he would help stabilize the Hornets' defense to respectable levels. Thanks to his freakish athleticism, Ayton would be able to cover up a lot of holes around him defensively.
Phoenix would love to pull off a double sign-and-trade to nab Bridges, but that seems unlikely. Instead, this deal allows them to find their long-term answer at point guard post-Chris Paul. While Terry Rozier is a shot-chucker, he has improved as a playmaker in Charlotte. In the short-term, Rozier could step in as the Suns&rsquo; sixth man and provide the exact boost that they need in offensive guard creation. PJ Washington is an interesting add because he could slide right into the small-ball 5 role played previously by Dario Saric.
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Indiana Pacers
Pacers receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Myles Turner, Chris Duarte, TJ McConnell
What&rsquo;s the next step for Indiana? Long gone are Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Caris LeVert. Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner and Buddy Hield could be the next Pacers veterans to be shipped out via trade as Indiana fully embraces a rebuild attempt. It&rsquo;s been long overdue for the Pacers to pull the plug on the core that continued to stagnate once the postseason arrived.
A year later, Indiana&rsquo;s future looks much brighter with a talented, new-look core of Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson and whoever is selected at No. 6 overall.
Ayton couldn't ask for a better pick-and-roll partner than Haliburton. Already making magic happen with CP3, Ayton&rsquo;s rolling ability would help accentuate Haliburton&rsquo;s biggest strengths. Also, Ayton&rsquo;s defensive versatility would be a welcome arrival for a team that nosedived in that category last season.
For Indiana, the price would be hefty. Not only would this trade require a four-year max contract for Ayton, but the Pacers would likely need to ship out a key piece of their young core via sign-and-trade (such as Duarte).
This trade would be a huge win for Phoenix, but it also looks great for the Pacers. The Suns would have a starting center who adds floor-spacing equity and elite rim protection, a capable veteran backup point guard who can spell Paul at times, plus one of the most impactful rookie wings in the Association. Having to include Duarte could leave the Pacers apprehensive, but they are reportedly enamored with adding another explosive piece via the draft, as Jaden Ivey (Purdue), Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky) and Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona) have all been linked to Indiana early in the pre-draft process.&nbsp;
Detroit Pistons
Pistons receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart, Cory Joseph and draft compensation
Another team that has considered making a run at Ayton this offseason is the Pistons, and they can create max space very easily: trading away Kelly Olynyk&rsquo;s contract.
The Pistons struck gold with Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey and they are helping usher in a new era in Detroit. Ayton&rsquo;s arrival would be the final piece to the puzzle for a team seemingly pushing their chips in on postseason play as early as 2023.
It would be best for Ayton to land with a capable lead guard who can feed him regularly. Already capable of tallying 20 and 10 most nights, Ayton would be set up for long-term success alongside Cunningham and Bey.
The question is, what would the Pistons need to send Phoenix&rsquo;s way in order for this sign-and-trade to go through? It&rsquo;s going to be a lot, and it would be a blockbuster-type transaction.
Blockbuster indeed, because Grant is now heading back to the Valley in this scenario. If the Suns and Pistons want to cooperate on a Ayton deal, I have to imagine one of Grant or Bey would have to be involved. Stewart is another enticing trade chip because he&rsquo;s shown the versatility to space the floor from three-point range. While he doesn't have the same touch as Ayton, Stewart brings nastiness and a tenacity on both ends of the court that Phoenix would absolutely love.
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Atlanta Hawks
Hawks receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic
No ifs, ands or buts about it, Trae Young would make Ayton an All-Star next season. What a fun inside-out duo this is to envision. While Atlanta is nowhere close to reaching the necessary cap space to absorb a massive Ayton deal on their own, a sign-and-trade becomes feasible with all of the talent that could fit into the Phoenix roster.
For the Hawks, Ayton represents another foundational building block to place alongside Young for the long-term. John Collins could be the guy, but he&rsquo;s been in trade rumors for the past year with no signs of those slowing down. Onyeka Okongwu could also grow into that role, but the Hawks signing Clint Capela to a long-term extension perhaps signals that they see him more as a piece to the puzzle rather than a true building block.
Ayton would arrive in Atlanta and instantly average around 23 points and 12 rebounds per game. On box-score fit alone, this would be the best landing spot for Ayton thanks to the greatness of Young.
If Phoenix had drafted Luka Doncic rather than Ayton at No. 1 overall in 2018, Phoenix may have considered adding Clint Capela to their frontcourt. Four years later, Capela being re-routed to Phoenix in an Ayton sign-and-trade is a plausible scenario to imagine. Capela would provide similar numbers to Ayton while requiring less of an offensive workload. Meanwhile, Bogdan Bogdanovic might vault to the top the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year leaderboards in the near future. Bogdanovic and Cameron Johnson leading the Suns&rsquo; second unit? That&rsquo;s a filthy thought.
***
None of these trades are perfect, but they do illustrate how challenging it will be for Phoenix to find a home for Ayton while also returning the value they'd love to get back for him. Ultimately, it may be in the Suns' best interest to re-sign Ayton this offseason and trade him at some point down the road when his value isn't so depressed.
Whatever happens, Ayton&rsquo;s name will continue to pop up in rumors throughout the spring and summer until the Suns and Ayton's camp find common ground at the negotiation table. This situation could become awkward and dragged out, which would surely kick the trade rumors into high gear. This isn't the last we'll hear about Ayton and the possibility of him changing teams.
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With Deandre Ayton's future in Phoenix becoming murky, it's time to examine potential destinations for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Examining potential sign-and-trade destinations for Deandre Ayton

The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery was last night, so we now have our top-14 picks!
Unfortunately, many of these teams &mdash; like the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets &mdash; have grown accustomed to picking in the lottery year after year.
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Of those top-14 teams, some should try to win now. And no, that doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean they have to trade their first-round pick, especially after observing how Rookie-of-the-Year winner Scottie Barnes and runner-up Evan Mobley impacted winning this season. But, for some teams, you could say that if they were better at development, they wouldn&rsquo;t be in the lottery this often.
But we digress. Here are some teams who should strongly consider using their lottery pick in a win-now trade so that they&rsquo;re not back in the same position next season in an increasingly wide-open NBA.
(Did we include specific trade ideas? No, we aren't firing up the trade machine here. It's May, and what do you want? 2,500 words? On the Lottery? During the Conference Finals?)
Sacramento Kings
The Kings, who were the only team to jump in the lottery last night, have picks No. 4 and No. 37 in the upcoming draft, <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Kings.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along with all of their pending first-rounders</a> and many of their seconds.
Absolutely no team in the NBA needs to make the playoffs more than the Kings. The team was a perennial playoff participant from 1999 through 2006, which is hard to fathom since they haven&rsquo;t reached the postseason ever since. Their eight-straight playoff trips included four consecutive runs to at least the Western Conference Semifinals, with a Western Conference Finals trip in 2002. They have not made the playoffs since 2006; they&rsquo;ve only finished above 10th place in the West once, in 2019, when they went 39-43 &mdash; their best record in 16 years, and one of only two seasons in which they&rsquo;ve had more than 33 wins.
Last season, they made the now keystone Kings-Pacers trade, dealing Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristian Thompson for Domantas Sabonis (who represented them at the lottery), Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick. With the pairing of Sabonis (26 years old) and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (24 years old), it may make more sense to add a similarly aged starter who can help their 2022-23 presumed playoff push.
Also, expected on the roster next season is Davion Mitchell, who will enter his sophomore season but is already 23 years old and may earn an All-Rookie selection soon. Richaun Holmes saw his role take a hit once Sabonis arrived and missed much of the latter portion of the season <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/being-accused-ex-wife-domestic-010013091.html">dealing with a personal issue</a>. Otherwise, for now, Holmes, Harrison Barnes and Mitchell are among the players under contract for next season.
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Dealing the No. 4 overall pick could land them a damn good player. John Collins, Gordon Hayward, Julius Randle, Jerami Grant and Christian Wood are among those who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-nba-players-who-feel-destined-to-be-traded-this-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may find a new home this summer</a>. Could the Utah Jazz look to move on from <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donovan Mitchell</a> or <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudy Gobert</a>&nbsp;in the coming months?
The Kings will have to attach players to the No. 4 pick, but imagine if Sacramento could put another win-now piece alongside Fox and Sabonis? They should make some calls to see what a package built around the No. 4 pick could return.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite all of the draft picks the Thunder own, they simply can&rsquo;t draft everyone. In this year's draft, OKC owns No. 2, No. 12, No. 30 and No. 34. Over the next five years, they will have 17 first-round picks and 30 selections in total. This is something you do in NBA 2K when you plan on building a dynasty, but at some point, most virtual GMs realize that you need to start having actual players on your roster to win rather than just continually flipping players for picks while toiling at the bottom of the standings.&nbsp;
At some point, Oklahoma City needs to make its run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is about to enter the first season of his five-year, $172 million extension, which will see him earn just under $30 million next year. SGA turns 24 years old this summer and is a cornerstone for the franchise as their best player at the moment. Last year's No. 6 overall selection Josh Giddey looks like a keeper who almost certainly will be on an All-Rookie team this season. Lu Dort, Tre Mann, Kenrich Williams, Darius Bazley, Ty Jerome and Aleksej Pokusevski are all under contractual control for next season.
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OKC could quickly assemble a package for a high-level starter or borderline star to join SGA and Giddey, particularly with whoever else is retained. They have more than enough draft capital and could probably get close to anyone they want as a result. In terms of their roster, they just need good two-way players who fit what they&rsquo;re trying to build culturally and schematically. Literally, anything goes here.
At some point, the Thunder will have to package some of these draft picks or prospects. We'll see when Sam Presti decides to flip that switch.&nbsp;
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers are in a tough spot with Damian Lillard, and what Lillard wants will factor in to their decision-making. He clearly wants to win but, by all accounts, he prefers to stay in Portland. It may be difficult to check both of those boxes with the Blazers as presently constructed. In the Lillard-CJ McCollum era, Portland made the playoffs every season and reached one Western Conference Finals in 2019. They were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-salute-to-the-defiance-of-damian-lillard-and-cj-mccollum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often failed by suboptimal roster construction around Lillard and McCollum</a>, and then the elite backcourt would be unfairly blamed for the team's struggles.
With the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and the assumption that Lillard remains, what&rsquo;s their next move as they once again attempt to win with their elite 6-foot-3 shot creator? Lillard is due over $42 million next season, the second season of a four-year supermax that will include a player option worth close to $49 million in 2024-25.
Eric Bledsoe&rsquo;s $19 million and Josh Hart&rsquo;s $12 million are the only other big salaries on the books for next season. A decision awaits on dynamic guard Anfernee Simons, who is reminiscent of the aforementioned McCollum, as he is up for an extension this summer as he enters restricted free agency. <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/02/25/restricted-free-agent-to-be-anfernee-simons-i-100-want-to-stay-in-portland/#:~:text=signed%20a%20three%2Dyear%2C%20%2451.8,board%20career%20highs%20this%20season." target="_blank" rel="noopener">He reportedly wants to stay in Portland</a>.
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Ultimately, if the Blazers decide to package the No. 7 overall with some combination of players, could they look to include Simons via a sign-and-trade? It depends how aspirational a supposed deal could get and who they are getting in return. Only $3.9 million of Bledsoe&rsquo;s deal <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/eric-bledsoe-6900/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is fully guaranteed until June 29</a>, making him a prime trade-and-waive candidate between now and the draft.
Here's the reality: Portland&rsquo;s roster requires a full rebuild, but if Lillard is going to remain, selecting a rookie at No. 7 might not be ideal. And given their history and Simons' fit alongside Lillard, you might want to look at a big.

Bryan Fonseca argues that there are three NBA teams who should look to trade their lottery pick for a win-now piece.

Which NBA Draft Lottery teams should make a win-now trade?

The Sacramento Kings officially announced the hiring of Mike Brown as their new head coach with hopes he can end the NBA's longest playoff drought ever.
General manager Monte McNair said Monday that Brown was picked to replace interim coach Alvin Gentry. The Kings fired Gentry after a season during which they set an NBA record by missing the playoffs for a 16th straight year.
“Mike has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead winning teams throughout his long and successful coaching career,” McNair said in a statement. “He has worked with some of the best players in the NBA and is one of the league’s premier defensive minds. I am excited to bring his extensive experience to Sacramento.”
Brown currently is an assistant with Golden State and will remain with the Warriors for the rest of their playoff run. Brown previously had two stints as head coach in Cleveland, where he guided the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007, and had one stint as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brown is the latest former Golden State coach to take over the Kings.
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive took over the franchise in 2013 after being a minority owner with the Warriors and immediately hired Michael Malone off Golden State’s staff as his first head coach. 
Ranadive then hired former Warriors assistant Luke Walton as head coach in 2019 and promoted former Warriors assistant Gentry to interim coach after Walton was fired last November.
None of the moves have led to success for the NBA’s worst-performing franchise of the past 16 years.
The Kings have failed to make the playoffs in each of those seasons, setting the record for the longest drought in NBA history. They went 30-52 this past season under Walton and Gentry and their .366 winning percentage was their worst since the 2017-18 season.
Since moving to Sacramento in 1985, the Kings have had only one stretch of success, making the playoffs in all eight seasons under coach Rick Adelman from 1999-2006. Adelman was fired in 2006 and remains the only coach in the Sacramento era to post a winning record in any season.
Brown comes with a strong pedigree, having worked as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and Steve Kerr at Golden State.
He got his first head coaching job in Cleveland in 2005. He helped LeBron James and the Cavaliers make the Finals in his second season before getting swept by the Spurs. He was fired in 2010 after winning 127 games the previous two years but failing to get back to the Finals.
After a year off, Brown replaced Phil Jackson with the Lakers and didn’t have nearly the success he had in Cleveland. The Lakers went 41-25 in his first season and he was fired after starting the next season 1-4.
Brown returned to Cleveland the following season and went 33-49 before getting fired again after one season.
Brown was then hired in July 2016 by the Warriors to take over as lead assistant after Walton left to take over as head coach of the Lakers.
Brown takes over a team that allowed the second-most points in the NBA despite getting a lift on that end of the court from rookie Davion Mitchell. 
Point guard De’Aaron Fox was in and out of the lineup, missing 23 games with a variety of injuries. Two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis arrived in a deadline deal by general manager Monte McNair. Sabonis made a big splash in Sacramento before sitting out the final nine games with a knee injury.
Although McNair has brought some order to the front office, he still hasn’t been able to build a roster capable of contending for a playoff spot.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kings general manager Monte McNair said Monday that Mike Brown was picked to replace interim coach Alvin Gentry.

Kings announce hiring of Mike Brown as new coach

Prior this year's trade deadline, the Indiana Pacers were one of the NBA's busiest teams. When all was said and done, Indiana traded Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb, shifting their focus to building around their young core.
While Myles Turner's name was popping up in trade rumors quite a bit leading up to Feb. 10, the front office ultimately decided to keep Turner past the deadline. Initially, it was unclear if the Pacers planned to resume trade talks involving Turner over the offseason or if they truly wanted to hold onto him.
Now, we have an answer. According to <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/whats-next-for-nash-and-the-nets?s=r" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA insider Marc Stein</a>, the Pacers are no longer interested in moving Turner and want to keep him long-term.
On Monday, Turner <a href="https://twitter.com/Original_Turner/status/1518602463401627650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> that he "can't wait for next season." Privately, he has also expressed excitement about the chance to play with Tyrese Haliburton, whom the Pacers acquired from the Sacramento Kings as part of the Sabonis trade.
Turner has one year remaining on his current contract, and he'll earn $18,000,000 next season. He'll be extension-eligible this summer, so perhaps the two sides can come to an agreement on a new deal.
While Turner has been in the NBA for seven seasons, he just turned 26 years old last month, so he's not much older than Chris Duarte (who turns 25 in June) or Oshae Brissett (who turns 24 in June).
Turner's season ended in mid-January due to a stress reaction in his left foot. Prior to the injury, he averaged 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.5 threes in 42 games, while shooting 50.9% from the field, 33.3% from three and 75.2% from the free-throw line. Turner was on pace to lead the NBA in blocks per game for the second-straight season (and the third time in four years).
The Pacers finished the season 25-57, which was the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. In <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, Indiana is projected to draft Keegan Murray with the No. 5 overall pick and David Roddy with the No. 31 overall pick.

The Pacers shopped Myles Turner prior to this year's NBA trade deadline, but now Indiana wants to keep Turner long-term.

Despite trade talks, the Pacers want to keep Myles Turner long-term

The Indiana Pacers just wrapped up their worst season since 1989. Finishing with a 25-57 record, Indiana has decided upon a path it hasn't ventured down in decades.
On Christmas, the Pacers were in no man&rsquo;s land in the Eastern Conference sitting at 14-19. The frontcourt pairing between Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner was still working on occasion, but it didn&rsquo;t make any dent as a true competitor. Malcolm Brogdon was supposed to be Indiana&rsquo;s long-term answer as its primary floor general, but he could barely stay on the court due to injury woes. Speaking of injuries, Orlando Bubble superstar T.J. Warren didn&rsquo;t play in a single game this season due to a nagging foot injury; four total games over two full seasons for the former Phoenix Suns wing.
Indiana&rsquo;s vision for a sustainable contender just simply wasn&rsquo;t working. Running stagnant with a roster that was just competitive enough to sneak into the postseason, the Pacers finally pressed the rebuild button during the holiday season. From Dec. 25 and on, Indiana went on to an 11-38 finish.
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After trading away Sabonis and Caris LeVert, Indiana is now in an advantageous long-term position, even in spite of not conveying the first-round pick acquired via the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Cleveland will keep its first-round pick due to the loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, as the team misses the NBA Playoffs.)
The cupboard is anything but bare. Sending out Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings brought back a potential face of the franchise in Tyrese Haliburton. The second-year point guard from Iowa State continued to blossom in a more featured role away from De&rsquo;Aaron Fox in Sacramento. Haliburton averaged 17.5 points, 9.6 assists and 1.8 steals for Indiana, immediately planting himself as a primary pillar for the next great Pacers team.
Chris Duarte also made noise during his rookie campaign for Indiana before a nagging toe issue hampered his availability post-All-Star break. Showing a true scorer&rsquo;s mindset, Duarte displayed why he&rsquo;s another key piece to the Pacers&rsquo; puzzle.
Outside of the Haliburton and Duarte pairing, plus the exciting unknown ahead, the Pacers have one more young prospect that is so intriguing to project.
Isaiah Jackson, the No. 22 overall pick from the 2020 NBA Draft, has all the potential to take a massive sophomore jump in 2022-23.
Still a raw prospect, Jackson flashed tantalizing two-way talent in different spurts throughout the Pacers&rsquo; midseason downturn. The sample size for Jackson was small &mdash; 36 total games and 15 starts &mdash; but it&rsquo;s hard to ignore what the ceiling could look like for the former Kentucky Wildcat big man.
Over Jackson&rsquo;s final 18 games of the season, Indiana saw a glimpse of true two-way success. In only 21.6 minutes per game, Jackson averaged 12.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 2.2 blocks on an impressive 62.6% True Shooting percentage. When stretching those minutes to per-36 thresholds, Indiana&rsquo;s rookie was outstanding: 20.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 3.6 blocks.
The reason why Jackson is such a moldable piece of clay for Indiana is because of the uncertain future revolving around Myles Turner. Having been the subject of trade rumors for multiple years now, which again got red-hot back in February, Turner now enters the last year of his contract. If the Pacers were to decide to move off Turner this offseason, now would be the ideal time if it wasn&rsquo;t at the trade deadline, as it would allow Jackson to fully blossom.
Jackson showed already for the Pacers he can fill the Turner role seamlessly. Not only can Jackson rim-run and block shots at an above-average level, but the floor-spacing potential is certainly there as well. Also, unlike Sabonis and Turner, Jackson provides the Pacers an athletic lob threat that hasn&rsquo;t been present within the organization for years now.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Sheesh Isaiah Jackson 😳 <a href="https://t.co/MxOHikwsXL">pic.twitter.com/MxOHikwsXL</a>
&mdash; NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1513267754370953220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Indiana is in an ideal spot to choose any direction for Jackson&rsquo;s immediate future. Whether it be moved up into a starting role replacing Turner or slow-playing his development behind Turner one more season, Jackson&rsquo;s early trajectory is so promising. Jackson checks the rim-protection box with emphasis, plus the perfect pick-and-roll partner near the rim for Haliburton to execute with.
Entering arguably the most important offseason in franchise history, Indiana can continue to blow it all up and reset around an exciting core of young players. Haliburton, Duarte and Jackson are locked in. The future top-seven draft pick is cemented as well. Outside of that, anything is possible for the Pacers&rsquo; roster construction avenues.
Running in place for years at this point, the Pacers&rsquo; fresh start was much-needed. Now, it&rsquo;s time to see how all the new parts work together over an extensive long-term period. As far as the most interesting topics for the Pacers, Jackson&rsquo;s potential Year 2 jump could eventually change everything in Indianapolis.
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As the Pacers begin an extensive rebuild, don't forget about the potential long-term possibilities for big man Isaiah Jackson.

Isaiah Jackson provides Pacers ready-made Myles Turner replacement

With the 2021-22 NBA regular season in the books, let's examine the numbers and hand out some hardware to the cream of the fantasy crop.
Fantasy MVP: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
In regards to the NBA's actual Most Valuable Player award, a strong case could be made for several players (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mvp-rankings-jokic-edging-out-embiid-antetokounmpo-chasing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as I detailed two weeks ago</a>). However, in the fantasy-hoops universe, Nikola Jokic reigns supreme for the second-straight season. And it wasn't particularly close.
Not only was the Joker durable, appearing in 74 games, but he was remarkably efficient (shooting over 58% from the floor and 81% from the charity stripe). His all-around statistical production was mind-boggling, as he became the first player in NBA history to tally more than 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in the same season. As a cherry on top, Jokic saved some of his best work for the fantasy playoffs. Over his last five games, he averaged 37.8 points, 16.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.2 steals (joining Karl Malone as the second player in league history to record five-straight double-doubles with 35+ points in each game). Whether you played in a head-to-head or roto league, nobody was more valuable than Mr. Jokic.&nbsp;
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Orlando's Franz Wagner and Cleveland's Evan Mobley all posted impressive numbers in their rookie campaigns, but Barnes wins this race by a nose. Scottie appeared in 74 out of 82 games and became the only rookie since Luka Doncic to average at least 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a steal in their first season. Barnes is also the first rookie in Toronto's franchise history to record 1,000+ points, 500+ rebounds and 250+ assists. He finished the season ranked 66th overall in nine-category roto formats.&nbsp;
Most Improved Fantasy Player: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
This is another award that could go to a bevy of deserving players (such as Darius Garland, Jordan Poole and Ja Morant); however, in my opinion, Maxey gets the nod. Due to the drama and uncertainty surrounding Ben Simmons coming into this season, some fantasy pundits pegged Maxey as a late-round sleeper, but nobody could have expected Maxey to step in and step up as he did.&nbsp;
As a rookie in 2020-21, ​​Maxey averaged a modest 8.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 15 minutes a night while shooting just 30% from downtown, which resulted in him ranking 330th overall (behind players such as Edmond Sumner, John Konchar and Dean Wade) in nine-category fantasy leagues. Yet, as a starter out of the gates this season, Maxey averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 dimes, 3.2 boards and 1.8 treys, while converting 48.5% of his field goal attempts and 42.7% of his triple tries (including 48% from deep over the second half of the season). He finished the 2021-22 season ranked 35th overall in total fantasy value (ahead of fantasy stars such as Khris Middleton, Kristaps Porzingis and Domantas Sabonis). &nbsp;
Fantasy Coach of the Year: Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves 
On Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced that they signed Finch to a multi-year extension. And many fantasy GMs surely applauded the decision. The Timberwolves led the NBA in pace (101.47), which is the way into the hearts of fantasy folks. The Wolves also led the league in points per game (115.9) for the first time in franchise history, made three-pointers (1,211) and turnovers forced (1,339). Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, D'Angelo Russell and even Patrick Beverley benefited statistically from Minny's up-tempo offense.&nbsp;
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Defensive Player of the Year: Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
For those of us who invested in JJJ on draft day the last few years, he finally rewarded us with a monster campaign in 2021-22. Jackson was able to stay healthy (making 78 appearances), and not only did he lead the league in blocked shots per game (2.3), he also averaged just shy of one steal and six rebounds. Factor in his effectiveness and efficiency from behind the arc (he knocked down 128 triples), and it's easy to see why Jackson returned fourth-round fantasy value this season.&nbsp;
Biggest Bust: Tie between Russell Westbrook and Julius Randle
After Randle finished in the top-40 overall in 2020-21, Knicks fans and fantasy GMs who drafted him back in October were hoping the burly power forward would be able to replicate his shockingly impressive production. Yet, although his counting stats were solid, Randle's field goal percentage dropped from 45.6% down to 41.1%, his three-point percentage tumbled from over 41% all the way down to below 30.8% and his free throw percentage dipped from above 81% to 75.6%. Randle also tied his career-high in turnovers (3.4). Due to the poor shooting numbers, turnovers and lack of defensive stats, Randle ranked 127th overall (or just behind Bruce Brown in per-game value).&nbsp;
Westbrook also badly burned fantasy GMs in 2021-22. Russ racked up plenty of points, rebounds and assists (18/7/7) but didn't come close to matching the 22/12/11 he averaged with the Washington Wizards the year before. In addition, Westbrook's extraordinary inefficiency and high turnover rate ruined many a fantasy matchup for GMs who rostered Russ.
Pickup of the Year: Herb Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
Jones, the 35th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, was a complete unknown to the vast majority of fantasy hoopers heading into the 2021-22 season. He went undrafted in even the deepest of leagues and went scoreless in just three minutes of action in the Pels' season opener. However, due to his defensive tenacity and efficient offense, Jones carved out a role in New Orleans and began being scooped up off of waiver wires nationwide. He had earned a spot in the starting lineup by late November and never relinquished it.
Jones finished the season averaging 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks. He led all rookies in total steals with 130 (50 more than Scottie Barnes, who ranked second) and was third in blocks. According to Basketball-Reference, he is the only rookie in New Orleans' franchise history to tally more than 125 steals and 50 blocks (and just the seventh rookie in NBA history to do so, joining Michael Jordan, Nerlens Noel, Ron Harper, Ben Simmons, Willie Anderson and David Robinson). Of those seven, Jones is the only one to commit 100 or fewer turnovers. Jones finished the season ranked 77th overall in nine-category formats.&nbsp;
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With the 2021-22 NBA regular season in the books, Tommy Beer hands out some hardware to the cream of the fantasy crop.

2021-22 Fantasy Basketball Awards: MVP, ROY, Most Improved and more

Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard sent a clear message at the trade deadline.
It's time for a shakeup.
After posting a second straight losing record at home, missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years and recording their fewest wins in a season since 1984-85, the Pacers are embarking on their biggest offseason overhaul in years.
A three-trade flurry in February culminated in sending two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento and Caris LeVert, widely considered one of Pritchard&rsquo;s cornerstone pieces, to the Cavaliers.
&ldquo;This franchise, right now, is in one of the most exciting positions it could possibly be with the potential for a top-five pick and the potential to possibly have Cleveland&rsquo;s (first-round) pick," coach Rick Carlisle said, noting Indiana also holds Houston's early second-round pick. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to get it right in the draft, and we&rsquo;re going to have a great summer, and next year&rsquo;s going to be an exciting year.&rdquo;
Things certainly can't get much worse than they did this past season.
Injuries again derailed the Pacers' postseason plans as Carlisle won just 25 games in the first year of his second tenure with the team. Lengthy absences of guards Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell, forward T.J. Warren and center Myles Turner &mdash; all projected to be key rotational players &mdash; prompted Pritchard to pull the plug and start dealing.
The new plan is to build around point guard Tyrese Halburton. Indiana views the 22-year-old as a budding star, capable of ending its long quest to find a playmaking ball-handler.
Haliburton's new teammates embraced the move.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m especially excited about playing with Tyrese, just the way he came in here and made an impact on our organization, on our fans and on the guys around him," Turner said Monday. &ldquo;He makes everybody better."
What else did the Pacers learn from mixing, matching and experimenting with lineups over the final 26 games?
Buddy Hield, who came over from Sacramento with Haliburton, and Jalen Smith, who arrived in a trade with Phoenix, also were solid players. Rookie center Isaiah Jackson provides a different kind of post presence and rookie guard Chris Duarte became one of Indiana's most consistent players until an injured toe sidelined him.
Forward Oshae Brissett continued to develop, and Carlisle may have unearthed a couple more hidden gems with midseason pickups Duane Washington Jr. and Terry Taylor.
This summer could be equally busy as Pritchard tries to put the Pacers back in playoff position.
&ldquo;I think first we've got to get healthy, that's obvious and then it'll be up to the front office what pieces they add, what pieces they trade,&rdquo; Brogdon said. &ldquo;When you make a move like we did, a monumental move in the middle of the season, I think there are other moves that follow and I think we'll be seeing that this summer.&rdquo;
WHAT'S NEXT
Brogdon and Turner would be the most attractive trade candidates. Both are proven veterans, capable of helping a playoff team become a title contender and both are on expiring contracts. Brogdon counts $22.6 million against the salary cap while Turner, a two-time blocked shots champ, would be an $18 million cap hit. The Pacers could be looking to add more draft picks, free up cap space for free agency or add veterans.
WATCHING THE CAVS
The Pacers thought they'd definitely have two first-rounders when they got the Cavs' lottery-protected pick two months ago. But a late-season swoon has jeopardized that possibility. Cleveland finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and now needs to win one game to make the playoffs. Two losses would mean they'll keep the pick, preventing the Pacers from having three of the top 35 picks in June.
NOT FINISHED YET?
Fan favorite Lance Stephenson provided a second-half spark on and off the court for Indiana. While it seems unlikley Indiana would keep the soon-to-be 32-year-old on a young team building for the future, Stephenson isn't ready to end his career.
&ldquo;I'm just trying to keep my body strong and sharp," he said. "I'm just mad that the season is over because I feel great right now, I feel like I can keep going."

The Pacers are embarking on their biggest offseason overhaul in years.

Pacers start long offseason looking to overhaul roster

When Rick Carlisle was hired as head coach of the Indiana Pacers, the hope was that he could take the team to the next level. With veterans such as Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert, Indiana hoped to "become relevant in the East again," as Carlisle put it on media day.
This season didn't go as planned, as the Pacers are currently 25-55, which is the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Indiana has the NBA's 18th-ranked offense (109.1 points per 100 possessions) and 28th-ranked defense (113.5 points per 100 possessions). The team became sellers prior to the trade deadline, dealing away Sabonis, LeVert, Aaron Holiday and Jeremy Lamb.
Now, the Pacers' goals have changed. They are rebuilding around their young core, which features Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson, Goga Bitadze and Oshae Brissett among others. Even though the team is now focused on the future, Carlisle stressed that he isn't going anywhere.
&ldquo;Let me be absolutely clear: I&rsquo;m here to coach this team and coach this team for the long-haul," Carlisle said, per <a href="https://twitter.com/preston76/status/1512118135658319877" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacers' VP of Basketball Communications Michael Preston</a>. "I&rsquo;m not afraid of any aspect of a rebuild one bit. Not one single bit.&rdquo;
He also shot down speculation that he might move to a front-office role.
"I came here to coach&hellip; I want to put this to rest once and for all," Carlisle said, per <a href="https://twitter.com/preston76/status/1512116680742350858" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Preston</a>.
Since becoming a head coach, Carlisle's career record is 836-689. He led the Dallas Mavericks to a championship in 2011, and he won the NBA's Coach of the Year award in 2002. Prior to this stint with the Pacers, he worked in Indiana as an assistant coach (from 1997-2000) and a head coach (from 2003-2007).

Even though the Pacers are rebuilding, head coach Rick Carlisle stressed that he isn't going anywhere or moving to the front-office.

Rick Carlisle says he'll coach rebuilding Pacers 'for the long haul'

Award talk is ramping up as the season winds down. We all love debating these topics, but that's also the bad news. We&nbsp;all love debating these topics. Fun conversations devolve into bad-faith arguments if you aren't careful.&nbsp;
(Are you even online, watching television, having conversations with friends, if you aren't being bombarded with "Player X is the obvious, no-questions-asked MVP" arguments?)
I won't act like I'm above the awards talk &mdash; <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a> will be having an awards episode later this week &mdash; but this also seems like a good time to go off the beaten path since everyone's talking about the major awards.
Basketball is a simple game in its own right, but it is ruled by microskills. Wins and losses are decided by which teams &mdash; which players &mdash; can fill their roles the best. It would only make sense, then, to dig deeper and highlight players who are excelling within those roles.
With that in mind, I elicited the help of resident smart guys Jackson Frank and Mark Schindler to hand out some skill-specific awards. Before digging in, let's do some housekeeping.
<ul>
<li>We do not hate your favorite players. If they are not mentioned, it is simply because they weren't held in as high of a regard as the players who are mentioned.</li>
<li>To that point, there will be honorable mentions listed. That doesn't mean they are the&nbsp;only&nbsp;players worthy of that distinction.</li>
<li>You're more than welcome to disagree with these choices! That's the fun of it. Heck, we&nbsp;didn't have the same guys or order for these awards, but we were able to whittle things down.</li>
</ul>
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Now, let's hand out some awards.
BEST SCREENER: DOMANTAS SABONIS
Honorable mentions: Steven Adams, Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, Nikola Vucevic
I'll never forget Caitlin Cooper's article on Domas <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/12/2/20991829/domantas-sabonis-indiana-pacers-art-of-screening" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sabonis' screening</a> back in 2019. To that point, it was one of the first &mdash; if not the&nbsp;first &mdash; deep dive I've seen on someone's screening.
She touched on the sheer volume of screens Sabonis set; his sense of flipping the angle on screens to pry ball-handlers open. Knowing when to slip if defenses went with more aggressive coverages. Those astute observations remain true roughly three years later.
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Sabonis is more of a revolving door than a brick wall, but his ability to do both at a high level is what earns him this distinction. He only ranks <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle/?sort=SCREEN_ASSISTS&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third in screen assists</a> (5.5) this season, though he's led the NBA in each of the past two seasons.
It's worth pointing out the prowess of Rudy Gobert, who leads the NBA in screen assists (6.4). He's long been an underrated linchpin of Utah's offensive success. Heck, it feels like he's the reason screen assists have become part of the non-casual fan's vernacular.
Nobody has set more on-ball picks than Nikola Vucevic (3,167) this season, per Second Spectrum. His work with freeing Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan has been invaluable, especially at the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-demar-derozans-dagger-dime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">end of games</a>.
If you're a fan of bone-crushing screens, look no further than Steven Adams and Bam Adebayo. Second Spectrum tracks the percentage of screens that a defender "dies on"; it should come as no surprise that Adams leads the NBA by a solid margin (5.7%) among high-volume screeners, while Adebayo ranks third (3.9%). Quick hat tip to Kevon Looney (4.7%) for being sandwiched between those two; he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kevon-looney-the-warriors-unsung-hero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deserves more love</a>.
BEST SCREEN NAVIGATOR: HERB JONES
Honorable mentions: Alex Caruso, Mikal Bridges, Gary Payton II
The NBA is a pick-and-roll game. With the heightened emphasis on spacing and three-point shooting (linked, but not the same thing), elite ball-handlers have more room to operate. Add in the fluctuating scale of physicality allowed from defenders, and it's pretty darn hard to contain people.
The fact that Herb Jones, a second-round draft pick, is already among the NBA's elite defenders is flat-out insane. You simply can't keep this guy out of a play unless you have a crowbar present.&nbsp;
He does a phenomenal job of staying attached to ball-handlers. He's able to re-connect if he's bumped on screens, but also has the length to duck under picks and offer strong contests anyway.
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If you want a number, let's go back to the die-on-screen percentage. Among 28 players who have faced at least 1,000 picks this season, only Desmond Bane (0.6%) has been washed out less frequently than Jones (0.9%).
There's some context needed. Players in heavy switching schemes will naturally have a lower percentage than those who have to fight over screens while their big drops back. Even if you filter only for the screens being fought over, Jones has a top-five mark among high-volume defenders (minimum 300 picks fought over), per Second Spectrum.
Now, factor in Jones getting the opposing team's best perimeter option; because of that, Jones defends more picks per 100 possessions (29.7) than Bane does (22.4). He should be getting legit All-Defense love.
The same could be said for Alex Caruso before injuries derailed his season. During the Bulls' run as the East's top seed, Caruso set the table with his gnarly defense at the point of attack.
Mikal Bridges likely&nbsp;will&nbsp;make an All-Defensive team this year for his work. He doesn't miss games, he plays high minutes and he relishes the matchups he's tasked with.&nbsp;
There may not be a better point-of-attack defender than Gary Payton II on a per-possession basis, though he gets dinged a bit for his lack of workload.
BEST HELP DEFENDER: GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Honorable mentions: Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, Robert Williams III, Marcus Smart, Evan Mobley
Here's a minute's worth of help rotations from Giannis this year. Hit me up on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@NekiasNBA</a>) and let me know which clip is the one that makes you laugh, because it will absolutely happen.
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It remains wild to me that this can be considered a down year for Giannis, and he's still been one of the most destructive forces in basketball. He's had to toggle more roles this year with the extended absence of Brook Lopez. When tasked with being an off-ball roamer &mdash; his best role &mdash; he's been able to blow things up.
It's been a pretty wild year for mess-cleaner Rudy Gobert. He is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact/?sort=DEF_RIM_FG_PCT&amp;dir=-1&amp;CF=DEF_RIM_FGA*GE*4&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of three players</a> defending at least four shots at the rim (7.0) and allowing a field-goal percentage under 50% (49.9%); Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. (4.8, 49.6%) and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-isaiah-hartenstein-is-the-clippers-secret-weapon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaiah Hartenstein</a> (4.7, 47.6%) are the others.
The same can be said for Robert Williams III (get well soon!), whose deployment on weak shooters has unlocked his prowess as a shot-blocker. That hack has been a pretty big part of Boston's elite defense.
It feels like some of the shine is wearing off of Evan Mobley's campaign. He's been more of an anchor than helper since Jarrett Allen has gone down; don't sleep on what he's been able to do in the helper role though. His unique blend of size, length, mobility and discipline has allowed him to shut things down. Whether he's rotating from the weak side or causing havoc as part of the zone, he's already one of the most feared defenders in the league.
Kudos are in order for the work Draymond Green and Marcus Smart put in. They are two of the best communicators in the NBA, able to call out opposing sets and direct switches to flatten out actions. Neither are traditional weak-side rim-protectors, but Green wins with his positioning and verticality while Smart takes charges like he doesn't give a single [expletive] about his well-being.
SHORT-ROLL THREAT: NIKOLA JOKIC
Honorable mentions: Joel Embiid, Dwight Powell, Deandre Ayton
In normal circumstances, I'd call Jokic a basketball computer due to his ability to map the floor and make great decisions on a whim. In light of the banter around the MVP conversation, it's probably best to keep Jokic and "computer" out of the same sentence.
With no Jamal Murray, you don't see Denver ball-handlers get all-out trapped too often. But on the occasions that Jokic is able to face a 4-on-3, 3-on-2 or 2-on-1, the inevitablitity pops out. What do you with a player with Jokic's passing chops and intermediate scoring ability?
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You pray. That's what you do.
His MVP-candidate counterpart in Joel Embiid doesn't exhibit the same skill as a passer, but he brings the funk as a scorer. Whether it's bullying smaller defenders at the rim, or slowing things down to sprinkle in pull-up jumpers, scrambling defenses don't have much of a shot.
Deandre Ayton has made real strides as a scorer in these situations. If we want to talk about intermediate scoring, you have to shine line on his career-high 59.0% clip on shots between 3 to 10 feet.
And then, there's Dwight Powell. He's generating well over 1.2 points per possession when shooting or passing out of a trapped ball-screen, a number sandwiched between Jokic and Embiid. He's long been one of the NBA's underrated roll men; his improvements as a passer have nearly made trapping Luka-led pick-and-rolls untenable.
BEST DRIVER: LUKA DONCIC
Honorable mentions: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ja Morant
Speaking of Luka, he narrowly edged out our candidates as the NBA's best driver. It's become commonplace to describe a lead ball-handler as one that plays at their own pace &mdash; oddly enough, sub-elite athletes seem to make up 100% of the list of those players. But Luka really does.&nbsp;
He doesn't blow past you; he freakin'&nbsp;bodies you while going 6 miles per hour, then contorts his body for rim finishes or dimes to open teammates.
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Doncic ranks <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second in the NBA</a> in drives (22.4), leads the NBA in assists via drives (3.0) and is converting 55.3% of his shots off drives. That 55.3% clip ranks fifth among 53 players averaging at least 10 drives a game.
If Luka's style isn't your speed, I'd once again like to present Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the NBA's funkiest driver. Differing stride lengths, off-foot gathers, quicker-than-usual scoop shots against unsuspecting defenders. He's got the juice, man.
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SGA's got the stats, too. He leads the NBA in drives and free-throw attempts drawn, and boasts a comically low turnover rate despite passing at a higher rate than Trae Young.
And then there's Ja Morant, who glides through the air like he belongs there. He's the NBA's leader in paint points for a reason.
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Three unique talents with contrasting driving styles. You truly love to see it.
BEST PASSER: TRAE YOUNG
Honorable mentions: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Chris Paul
While we're on Trae Young, there's nobody in the league doing what he's doing right now. He may just join Nate "Tiny" Archibald as the second player to lead the NBA in total points and assists. And to the latter point, he gets the "best passer" tag for being able to make every read in the book while being my size.
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Teams are geared to defend Young. They throw size on him. They trap him. They pre-rotate to take away his common reads, and yet, he counters all of your counters. He's the NBA's premier lob-thrower while being a skip-pass savant. He doesn't need to see over your defense because he already knows where everyone is.
If you do enjoy the advantage of looking over the top of defenders, it's hard to argue against Luka Doncic. There really isn't a coverage you can play that prevents him from dotting you up. A growing favorite: watching Doncic get trapped, only for him to casually string it out before tossing a dart.
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I'm not sure there's much more to be said about Nikola Jokic at this point. Between his long distance hookups after boards and preternatural sense for finding cutters, it's been&nbsp;time to discuss where he ranks among the top passers of all-time, period. He's top five in my book, and that's probably conservative.
Oh, right, Chris Paul is leading the NBA in assists without really turning the ball over. Another year in the office.
BEST DUNKER: MILES BRIDGES
Honorable mentions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, KJ Martin, Obi Toppin, Jarrett Allen
It is hard not to enjoy the musical stylings of Miles Bridges. It is also hard not to enjoy the musical&nbsp;stylings of Miles Bridges.
I could bore you with the numbers, like him being one of four non-bigs to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022_shooting.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rank in the top 15</a> of total dunks (13th, 116). But honestly, just look at what this dude does with a runway. It's skillful violence.
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The combination of power and pretty (he has some fire&nbsp;windmills in his film) gives him the edge over the inevitability of Giannis (third, 174) and Jarrett Allen (fourth, 164), as well as the suddenness of KJ Martin (15th, 111) and Obi Toppin (23rd, 93).
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Nekias Duncan, Jackson Frank and Mark Schindler team up to hand out some skill-specific awards for the 2021-22 season.

Introducing the 2021-22 NBA Superlative Awards

CJ McCollum and Jaxson Hayes each scored 23 points and the New Orleans Pelicans clinched a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, beating the Sacramento Kings 123-109 on Tuesday night.
Brandon Ingram added 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Pelicans (35-44), who never trailed. New Orleans has won four of five.
Damian Jones had 22 points for Sacramento. The Kings, who were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday for an NBA-record 16th consecutive season, trailed by three at halftime but couldn&rsquo;t keep up when the Pelicans went on a shooting streak in the second half.
New Orleans led by three at halftime, then pulled away with seven 3s in the third quarter &ndash; one by five different players and two from Trey Murphy III.
Sacramento got within 105-99 in the fourth quarter before McCollum scored down low and Ingram followed with two free throws.
That helped the Pelicans inch closer to returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18, when they were coached by Alvin Gentry &ndash; currently the Kings interim coach. New Orleans has stayed in the hunt this season despite being without star forward Zion Williamson, who hasn&rsquo;t played since fracturing his right foot and undergoing surgery in the offseason.
The Pelicans were also missing Jonas Valanciunas (right ankle soreness) against the Kings but it hardly mattered. New Orleans held a 44-36 rebounding advantage and outscored Sacramento in the paint 58-44.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: New Orleans shot 9 of 15 on 3s in the second half.
Kings: Jones made six of his first seven shots and scored 15 points before halftime. &hellip; De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (wrist) and Domantas Sabonis (left knee) remain out.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Travel to face the Trail Blazers on Thursday. New Orleans has won both games against Portland this season.
Kings: Play the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The Pelicans clinched a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, beating the Kings 123-109 on Tuesday night.

Pelicans beat Kings 123-109, clinch Play-In spot in West

Play-In and playoff time are right around the corner in the dwindling NBA season. As such, most of conversations will understandably revolve around the league's premier teams. It's easy for the teams at the bottom to get lost in the shuffle. They generally reach a point where lottery odds take precedence; in some instances, important young pieces are getting shut down like the veterans are.
I wanted to take a moment to highlight some players who are likely flying under the radar. You have to take post-All-Star break stretches with at least two grains of salt, but this is a time for unheralded players to stretch themselves. In a best-case scenario, they wind up showing you something that transfers to the next season.
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Here are a few players &mdash; just a few! &mdash; who have caught my eye recently.
KILLIAN HAYES
The Stats: 13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists (1.4 turnovers), 2.8 steals over last five games&nbsp;
The Skill: Downhill Comfort
It's been a hectic start for Killian Hayes, a high-upside guard project who's had his career derailed by injury woes to this point. Young ball-handlers need live reps to work out the kinks of their game; Hayes hasn't consistently been able to do that, which make his flaws look even worse when he's been on the floor.
Hayes is in the midst of finding himself though. He's one of the most underrated guard defenders in the sport already, boasting off-ball prowess and a knack for getting over or&nbsp;ducking under picks and remaining attached.&nbsp;
Offensively, there's been a bit of a chicken-or-egg ordeal with him. He's shown legit passing chops from the jump, but his ability to create advantages &mdash; via explosive drives or out of fear of his jumper &mdash; hasn't been there. Putting him off-ball has led to teams ignoring him as a threat.
That's what makes Hayes' recent aggression worth paying attention to. This is probably the most I've seen him generate paint touches.
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How about this: Hayes is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612765&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">converting over 68%</a> of his shots via drive over this five-game stretch. That's wildly impressive, and likely unsustainable. The rising drive volume is the key here. After averaging 6.0 drives per game <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612765&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1&amp;SeasonSegment=Pre%20All-Star" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before the All-Star break</a>, that number has risen to 7.1. Over the last five, it's up again to 8.8.
If Hayes can get downhill more consistently, that should open up more passing windows for him. If you want to zoom out a bit, that should unlock some off-ball opportunities for Cade Cunningham so he doesn't have to create all the time (even though he's probably good enough to do so.)
Don't sell your Hayes stock, folks.
BRANDON WILLIAMS
The Stats: 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists (2.8 turnovers), 1.6 steals over last five games
The Skill: Pick-and-Roll Passing
The Blazers are an absolute mess right now, but that's mostly fine. They're playing for lotto odds and hoping to make some "keep Damian Lillard" splashes in the offseason.
In the meantime, can I just say I've oddly enjoyed the dynamic between Brandon Williams and Drew Eubanks? Also, did you know Eubanks was averaging nearly 18 points and 12 rebounds over his last five games? You do now!
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But seriously, Williams has a real feel for pocket passing. There's a pace to him that allows him to operate with slower rollers. I've also seen enough skips in his film to say he can make most of the reads you want from him.
The question becomes: What level of a shooter is he going to be? The three-point shooting has fluctuated in both directions since he's been given more reps, and the pull-up middy <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/pullup/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612757&amp;sort=PULL_UP_FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hasn't been great either</a>. There's enough craft there to be excited about though. I'm curious to see what he looks like in a more defined role next season.
DAMIAN JONES
The Stats: 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists (1.5 turnovers), 1.8 blocks over last six games
The Skill: Playmaking
Damian Jones had stops with Golden State, Atlanta, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers before landing in Sacramento. Go down the line; you don't think the Dubs could use a vertical spacer like this? Think the Suns would rather have Bismack Biyombo than Jones? Would the Lakers turn down young talent to... well actually, nevermind.
Jones has&nbsp;really&nbsp;been balling since newbie Domantas Sabonis has been out of the lineup. Averaging 17 and 8 is nothing to sneeze at, and he's predictably getting busy as a roll man and glass-cleaner.
What's been interesting &mdash; the Kings are putting the ball in his hands a little. You won't confuse him with Sabonis, but he's been allowed to be a handoff hub in Delay sets. And when the Kings are able to draw two to the ball, Jones hasn't looked entirely out of place as a short-roll decision-maker.
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Expectations of "traditional" centers are changing. If you aren't good enough to build the boat around, you'll need to complement stars with something. Some bigs have attempted to expand their range to the three-point line &mdash; something Jones has dabbled with on occasion this season &mdash; while others are becoming more adept as initiators. That Jones is showing flashes in the latter should add to his value moving forward.
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI
The Stats: 14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 9.0 assists (4.3 turnovers), 0.8 steals over last four games
The Skill: Decision-Making
Let's start right here, because what the heck.
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That is Aleksej Pokusevski getting&nbsp;Chris freakin' Paul&nbsp;on a rip-through foul. After that, you get Pokusevski running a pick-and-roll and freezing Cam Johnson with a jump pass to the corner. The pass accuracy was off, but it's hard not to appreciate the level of manipulation.
It's easy to point to the recent triple-double, but the overarching thing is that Pokusevski looks more comfortable on both ends as of late. The shot is falling for him at nearly a 48% clip &mdash; wildly impressive considering the amount of movement attempts he fires. He's made some real strides on the ball too. He's still trying some wild stuff, but the chaos is more controlled.
Pre-break, Pokusevski had an assist rate of 11.6 and a turnover rate of 16.2. Since then, he's been firmly in the positive (22.0 to 16.7). Both numbers have shot up during this four-game stretch (35.1, 26.2) but, he's still largely been a plus-playmaker statistically.
Skipping steps in pick-and-roll. No-looks in transition. Timely "one more" passes when the ball gets to swinging. The level of ball placement with some of his interior reads should not be possible for a guy his size.
I have been, I am and I will continue to be intrigued by Poku.&nbsp;
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>What Houston Rockets forward KJ Martin brings to the table as a (violent) dunker and weak-side shot-blocker should be well documented at this point. I think he's also firmly proving you can't leave him completely open. I'm not buying him being a 48% shooter from deep like he has been since the All-Star break (on "meh" volume), but the form and touch are to the point where he should be accounted for as a spot-up option.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I'd keep an eye on Markelle Fultz (13.8 points, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals over his last five) if I were you. The burst looks solid, as does the defense. So much focus has (understandably) been on his injury history and whatever the heck happened with his jumper, but that's one crafty dude with the ball in his hands.</li>
<li>Nothing deep here, just want to say I'm glad Goga Bitadze is showing some signs of life in a weird context. Related: I have no idea what Indiana's big man room is going to look like next season.</li>
</ul>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Nekias Duncan highlights some young (role) players on struggling teams who are worth keeping an eye on.

Views from the bottom: 4 young NBA players to keep an eye on

Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points, Jordan Poole added 22 and the Golden State Warriors held off the Sacramento Kings 109-90 on Sunday night.
Nemanja Bjelica had season highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds to go with his six assists in the Warriors&rsquo; second straight win &mdash; something they hadn&rsquo;t done since early March.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing for seeding at this point and we really want to get as high as we can in the standings,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care how we got here, we got here. We&rsquo;ve had all kinds of injuries and adversity. Our guys have stuck together and competed, and here we are.&rdquo;
Harrison Barnes had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who were eliminated from playoff contention for an NBA-record 16th consecutive season.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been here the last two years and I can tell you in my opinion things are headed the right way,&rdquo; Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s some work to be done but everybody here is willing to put in the hours and put in the work and find a way to get the monkey off the back.&rdquo;
Sacramento lost all four games against Golden State this season.
One day after coming back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz and clinch a playoff spot, the Warriors nearly went the opposite way, letting a big lead slip away. Sacramento trailed by as much as 26 but got within 93-86 late in the fourth quarter following Damian Jones&rsquo; short jumper.
Draymond Green found Gary Payton Jr. cutting along the baseline for a layup and Wiggins followed with a 3-pointer for the Warriors. After Jones scored for the Kings, Green fed Jonathan Kuminga for a dunk and Wiggins hit another jumper.
Kuminga finished with 17 points as the Warriors won their 50th game of the season.
&ldquo;It was a huge weekend for us just getting back to playing our brand of basketball,&rdquo; said Green, who picked up his 14th technical this season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to be back where we are. Now we have to continue to build and try to roll into these playoffs.&rdquo;
The Warriors, already without Stephen Curry for the remainder of the regular season because of a left foot sprain, were also missing Klay Thompson, Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala. Those three were held out because of the back-to-back.
Green, who has been nursing a lower back injury, convinced the coaching staff ti let him play in both games.
&ldquo;I need reps,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;I felt good. They gave me the option to play so I took the option.&rdquo;
HONORING SHOOTING VICTIMS
Before the game, the Kings held a moment of silence was held for victims of the mass shooting that occurred early Sunday morning three blocks away from the Golden 1 Center. Six people died and 12 were wounded. Police have said at least two shooters were involved.
Kerr and Gentry both called for stricter gun control regulations.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so, so sorry for the victims and their families,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just time. It&rsquo;s time for us to do something about it instead of have another moment of silence and then send thoughts and prayers.&rdquo;
Gentry called the shooting &ldquo;an incredible tragedy.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s unfortunate that something like that can still happen nowadays in an environment where everybody is really out having fun, just trying to have fun and have a good time,&rdquo; Gentry said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a sad day. I hope this is not something that our city is remembered for because it&rsquo;s a great place with a lot of great people that live here.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State has won 50 or more games in eight of the last 10 seasons.
Kings: De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (right hand) and Domantas Sabonis (right knee contusion) did not play.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host the Lakers on Thursday.
Kings: Host the Pelicans on Tuesday for the final home game of the season.

Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points, Jordan Poole added 22 and the Warriors held off the Kings to eliminate them from playoff contention.

Warriors win second straight, beat struggling Kings 109-90

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; The worst losing streak of Miami's season is over. Not only that, but the Heat returned to the top of the Eastern Conference.
And now a road trip with massive seeding implications awaits.
Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Heat beat the Sacramento Kings 123-100 on Monday night to stop a four-game slide.
Tyler Herro had 20 for the Heat, who improved to 36-5 when scoring at least 110 points.
&ldquo;Felt amazing to get back in the winning column," Herro said.
The Heat (48-28) are leading the East again, a game ahead of No. 2 Milwaukee and No. 3 Philadelphia (both 46-28, with the Bucks holding the tiebreaker edge there). Boston started the day No. 1 in the East; the Celtics (47-29) fell to fourth, percentage points behind the Bucks and 76ers after losing to Toronto.
&ldquo;We got back to being who we are," Butler said.
Davion Mitchell scored 21 points for Sacramento, which got 17 from Harrison Barnes.
Miami's 23-point victory margin was its largest since a 24-point win at Atlanta on Jan. 12. And Miami looked exactly the way Kings coach Alvin Gentry expected &mdash; especially after the Heat had dropped their last four.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t read a whole lot into that,&rdquo; Gentry said. &ldquo;I think if you look at their team and the way they go out, they will be a huge factor when the playoffs start anyway. I think it&rsquo;s a wakeup call.&rdquo;
Sure looked like one. Sacramento scored the first six points, Miami scored the next nine and never trailed again.
Damian Jones had 15 points, Donte DiVincenzo 12 and Trey Lyles 11 for the Kings.
After spending most of March at home &mdash; the Heat have played 11 of their last 12 games in their own building &mdash; a three-game road swing starts Wednesday in Boston. It moves to Chicago on Saturday, then Toronto on Sunday for what will be a celebration of Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s time with the Raptors and probably a game with significant seeding implications for both clubs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to compete for something,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the end-all, be-all. It&rsquo;s a really competitive race in the East. This is what you always want. You want the games to have meaning and context and significance to them. That&rsquo;s basically every game right now in the Eastern Conference. That makes it very compelling.&rdquo;
Miami inserted Max Strus &mdash; celebrating his 26th birthday &mdash; into the lineup for Duncan Robinson. The move came with Robinson averaging 8.4 points on 32% shooting from 3-point range in his last seven games, one of several rough stretches he&rsquo;s had this season.
&ldquo;These are tough decisions," Spoelstra said.
But it worked wonders for Robinson. He had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point territory.
&ldquo;Good to get back on track," Robinson said.
TIP-INS
Kings: Sacramento isn&rsquo;t sure if De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (sore right hand) and Domantas Sabonis (bruised left knee) will return this season. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re trying to get to the point where they can come back,&rdquo; Gentry said. ... Sacramento went 10-20 vs. Eastern Conference teams this season.
Heat: Miami finished 18-12 against the Western Conference, its best mark since going 20-10 in 2013-14. ... The lineup shakeup led to Miami using its 19th different starting five this season. The Heat are 9-2 when Strus starts.
BEST (AND WORST)
Miami is 29-5 (.853) all-time at home against Sacramento, by far the best record the Heat have on their own floor against any opponent. The Kings franchise &mdash; including the Cincinnati and Kansas City days &mdash; struggles in Miami like nowhere else; its second-worst road record all-time comes on trips to Portland, where Kings teams have gone 19-90 (.174).
RESPECT
When Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Larra&ntilde;aga was introduced and acknowledged cheers from his seat during a second quarter timeout, Spoelstra &mdash; who doesn&rsquo;t always pay attention to what&rsquo;s happening during stoppages in play &mdash; was among those who clapped and pointed his way. Larra&ntilde;aga and the Hurricanes lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight on Sunday, ending the deepest NCAA Tournament run in school history.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit Houston on Wednesday.
Heat: Visit Boston on Wednesday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 22 and the Heat beat the Sacramento Kings 123-100 to stop a four-game slide.

Heat snap 4-game losing streak by topping Kings, 123-100

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Miami Heat beat the Sacramento Kings 123-100 on Monday night to stop a four-game slide.
Tyler Herro had 20 for the Heat, who improved to 36-5 when scoring at least 110 points.
Davion Mitchell scored 21 for Sacramento, which got 17 from Harrison Barnes.
Miami snapped its longest losing streak of the season, and the 23-point margin was the largest for the Heat since a 24-point win at Atlanta on Jan. 12.
And Miami looked exactly the way Kings coach Alvin Gentry expected. His prediction that the Heat would look different after a four-game slide was spot on.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t read a whole lot into that,&rdquo; Gentry said. &ldquo;I think if you look at their team and the way they go out, they will be a huge factor when the playoffs start anyway. I think it&rsquo;s a wakeup call.&rdquo;
Damian Jones had 15 points, Donte DiVincenzo 12 and Trey Lyles 11 for the Kings.
After spending most of March at home &mdash; the Heat have played 11 of their last 12 games in their own building &mdash; a road trip now awaits that will significantly factor into how the No. 1 seed in the East is won.
Miami goes to Boston on Wednesday, Chicago on Saturday, then Toronto on Sunday for what will be a celebration of Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s time with the Raptors and probably a game with significant seeding implications for both clubs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to compete for something,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the end-all, be-all. It&rsquo;s a really competitive race in the East. This is what you always want. You want the games to have meaning and context and significance to them. That&rsquo;s basically every game right now in the Eastern Conference. That makes it very compelling.&rdquo;
Miami inserted Max Strus &mdash; celebrating his 26th birthday &mdash; into the lineup for Duncan Robinson. The move came with Robinson averaging 8.4 points on 32% shooting from 3-point range in his last seven games, one of several rough stretches he&rsquo;s had this season.
But it worked wonders for Robinson. He had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point territory.
TIP-INS
Kings: Sacramento isn&rsquo;t sure if De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (sore right hand) and Domantas Sabonis (bruised left knee) will return this season. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re trying to get to the point where they can come back,&rdquo; Gentry said. ... Sacramento went 10-20 vs. Eastern Conference teams this season.
Heat: Miami finished 18-12 against the Western Conference, its best mark since going 20-10 in 2013-14. ... The lineup shakeup led to Miami using its 19th different starting five this season. The Heat are 9-2 when Strus starts.
BEST (AND WORST)
Miami is 29-5 (.853) all-time at home against Sacramento, by far the best record the Heat have on their own floor against any opponent. The Kings franchise &mdash; including the Cincinnati and Kansas City days &mdash; struggles in Miami like nowhere else; its second-worst road record all-time comes on trips to Portland, where Kings teams have gone 19-90 (.174).
RESPECT
When Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Larra&ntilde;aga was introduced and acknowledged cheers from his seat during a second quarter timeout, Spoelstra &mdash; who doesn&rsquo;t always pay attention to what&rsquo;s happening during stoppages in play &mdash; was among those who clapped and pointed his way. Larra&ntilde;aga and the Hurricanes lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight on Sunday, ending the deepest NCAA Tournament run in school history.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit Houston on Wednesday.
Heat: Visit Boston on Wednesday.

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 15 rebounds and the Heat snapped a four-game skid.

Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis has a bruised left knee and will be re-evaluated once the Kings return from their upcoming five-game trip, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1506055493491564558" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.</a> Imaging shows no structural damage after Sunday's collision vs. Suns. Kings will only have four games left after re-evaluation on April 2.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
ESPN Sources: Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis has a bruised left knee and will be re-evaluated once Kings return from upcoming five-game trip. Imaging shows no structural damage after Sunday's collision vs. Suns. Kings will only have four games left after re-evaluation on April 2.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1506055493491564558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<div class="css-1dbjc4n"><a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1506056264245252105" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woj added</a> that Sabonis won't be on the Kings' upcoming trip, which would have included his return to Indiana since being traded.</div>
<div class="css-1dbjc4n">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Sabonis -- a two-time All-Star -- has averaged 18.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 15 games since a trade deadline deal with the Pacers. Sabonis won't be on upcoming trip -- including Wednesday's return against the Pacers, sources said.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1506056264245252105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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</div>

Domantas Sabonis has a bruised left knee that will sideline him throughout Sacramento's upcoming road trip.

Woj: Domantas Sabonis has bruised knee, to be re-evaluated shortly

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Landry Shamet made a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in overtime moments after missing an open look beyond the arc and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 127-124 on Sunday.
Damian Jones gave the Kings a 121-120 lead with a putback dunk not long after the Suns star Devin Booker fouled out. Shamet&rsquo;s 25-foot try missed, but Phoenix grabbed the rebound. Following a timeout, Shamet hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game to put the Suns ahead by two.
After Mikal Bridges &mdash; who had 27 points for short-handed Phoenix &mdash; made the second of two free throws, Jones made one from the stripe, but missed the second. Aaron Holiday grabbed the rebound and Torrey Craig dunked.
Booker scored 19 of his 31 points in the third quarter as the Suns won their fifth straight to improve to 58-14 &mdash; nine games ahead of second-place Memphis for the best record in the league.
Shamet finished with 21 points. Center Deandre Ayton had 12 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Backup center JaVale McGee had 14 points before fouling out in overtime.
Already missing All-Star point guard Chris Paul (broken right thumb) and sixth-man Cam Johnson (right quad contusion), the Suns were with without backup point guard Cam Payne because of a non-COVID-19 illness. Jae Crowder, who returned following a two-game absence due to groin soreness, limped off with a right foot injury in the third quarter.
Davion Mitchell, starting in place of injured point guard De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, had 28 points and nine assists for Sacramento. Domantas Sabonis had 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists before leaving with an apparent left knee injury in the fourth quarter. The Kings have lost 10 of 13.
Booker put the Suns ahead 110-108 with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter before Mitchell&rsquo;s layup forced overtime. McGee scored six of the Suns first eight points in overtime.
TIP-INS
Suns: Booker has 136 career games with 30 points or more. &hellip; Phoenix had almost as many turnovers (eight) as assists (10) in the first half. &hellip; Elfrid Payton started at point guard for the Suns.
Kings: Fox sat out a second straight game because of a right hand injury.
UP NEXT
Suns: At Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Kings: At Indiana on Wednesday night.
&nbsp;

Landry Shamet made a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in overtime and the Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 127-124.

Shamet hits key 3-pointer in OT, Suns rally to beat Kings

We're in the midst of a ridiculous scoring explosion.
Since the All-Star break, there have been 26 instances of a player scoring at least 40 points. Twenty different players have achieved the feat, ranging from superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, stars like Darius Garland, quality starters like Gary Trent Jr., gap-fillers like Josh Hart and bench assassins like Jordan Clarkson.&nbsp;
If the single-game excursions don't do it for you, consider that 11 players are averaging north of 30 points since the break. Only three pulled it off during the 2019-20 season &mdash; the infamous Orlando Bubble year &mdash; and that's the high mark of the past decade. We'll see what happens as the post-break sample grows, but we're in rare air right now.
The list of 11 is filled with single-name guys: LeBron, Jokic, Embiid, Giannis and Trae to point out a few. But then you get towards the bottom, and you see a pair of Kentucky Wildcats.
There's De'Aaron Fox, who is 11th in scoring (30.4 points per game) while dishing out nearly 8 assists per contest. His turbo-charged attacks &mdash; both on the ball or flowing into handoffs and cuts alongside his shiny new All-Star Domantas Sabonis &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/deaaron-fox-is-blossoming-alongside-domantas-sabonis-but-whats-next-for-the-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have been fruitful</a>. It helps that the jumper (38.6% from three on 5.7 attempts) is falling right now.
And then, right above him on the list is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is quietly averaging 30.6 points over his last 10 games.
He isn't just getting buckets, but he's doing it efficiently. His 62.9% True Shooting percentage is one of the best marks in the league among high-usage players. The impressive part is that the bulk of his success has come in the interior.
Frankly, there's no driver in the league like SGA. There are numbers to quantify that; he's averaging the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star&amp;sort=DRIVE_PTS&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fourth-most drives</a> since the break (22.9), ranks second in drive scoring (13.9) and is the only player converting more than half of his drive-based shots (51.5%) while attempting at least 10 of them per game.
While we're at it, here are how some notable names are faring on <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shots-general/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star&amp;sort=FG2A&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-point shots</a> since the All-Star break:
<ul>
<li>Brandon Ingram: 63.6% on 15.4 attempts</li>
<li>Giannis Antetokounmpo: 61.3% on 15.2 attempts</li>
<li>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 57.6% on 15.8 attempts</li>
<li>Ja Morant: 51.2% on 18.4 attempts</li>
<li>Joel Embiid: 45.9% on 15.0 attempts</li>
</ul>
Truly, you have to watch him. Despite having sub-elite burst, a sub-elite handle and a middling vertical pop, SGA consistently gets to his spots. Factor in his supporting cast (read: general lack of spacing), and his numbers become nonsensical. He simply shouldn't be this efficient within his context, but he's good enough to make it work.
He is a beacon of flexibility and deceleration. His ability to vary his stride length &mdash; some steps are quick and choppy, others are longer &mdash; is top-tier stuff. Gaining leverage is the name of the game, and SGA stops-and-slithers his way into it on a majority of his drives.
Defenders are rarely at risk of being blown by in a traditional sense, but they can never catch up to him. More accurately, they can never match his timing.
Take this play, for example.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;">
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/p41xu9" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
</div>
Cody Martin doesn't do anything wrong here. He's squarly in front of SGA when the drive starts. Even with SGA attacking his front foot, Martin is never out of position ... until the second step on the gather.
That second step is longer and more powerful than the first, allowing SGA to gain a little bit of an advantage when gliding through the air. That turns this:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_15_17_59_20_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
Into this:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_15_17_59_33_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
Watching SGA duck under defenders is a hidden joy. You don't have to be Allen Iverson-fast if you can get your shoulder into a guy's chest.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/jwd36h" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Martin reaches in space, but SGA counters with a behind-the-back dribble. With Martin upright, SGA crosses back to his left&nbsp;and sinks low&nbsp;to create the early advantage.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_15_18_11_21_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
He now <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1503721522053238785?s=20&amp;t=0mgvyxKROeC9qeB3tz4COw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has Montrezl Harrell (Micro Shaq???) on a patch of land</a>. He's able to get lower than him, too, then catch Harrell off guard with a Steve Nash-ian scoop. Harrell's barely off the ground by the time the shot's up.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_15_18_16_36_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
The gather timing is wild enough; SGA altering his level of explosion on the gather is some nasty stuff.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7jw9ho" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Look at how silly he makes Mason Plumlee look. Plumlee goes with a full-blown vertical contest &mdash; typically the right thing to do! &mdash; but because SGA leads at 10% capacity, he's able to slide under Plumlee for an unbothered layup.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has seemingly found a hack early on in his career: the actual moves don't have to change much if you alter the timing enough to throw defenders off. The stop-and-start nature of his game keeps his enemies off-balance; his finishing moves deliver the final blow.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the unique driving ability of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Stop and start: Taking a drive with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Once more, the Sacramento Kings are toiling in the NBA&rsquo;s version of no man&rsquo;s land. On the verge of missing the playoffs for the 15th straight season, when will a light finally shine at the end of this franchise's depressing tunnel?
After the Kings traded away very promising second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for All-Star center Domantas Sabonis at last month&rsquo;s trade deadline &mdash; a blockbuster deal for both sides &mdash; they decided the time was now to push some chips into the middle of the table. With the long-standing postseason drought still in full effect, the Kings are trying to capitalize on the new Play-In era of the Association. Although Sacramento is 20 games below .500 at 24-44, the team is within shouting distance of the final Play-In slot at No. 10 in the Western Conference.
The biggest beneficiary of jettisoning Haliburton and bringing aboard Sabonis has been the cemented face of the franchise, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. Involved in trade rumors himself all season long before acquiring Sabonis, Sacramento&rsquo;s commitment to Fox has paid off in spades over the last month.
Since Feb. 9, the day Sabonis first put on a Kings uniform, Fox has put up some incredible numbers, averaging 28.2 points, 6.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds on an outstanding 59.2% True Shooting percentage. Functioning alongside a big man who can be the hub of an offense, plus creating for others around him, Fox is finally blossoming into an All-Star type of lead guard in Sacramento.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
When comparing Fox&rsquo;s stats before Sabonis, there&rsquo;s no wonder why the Kings decided to pull the trigger and take a real risk committing to Fox over Haliburton long-term as the No. 1 option.
Pre-Sabonis: 21.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 53.4 TS%, 27.7 USG%
Post-Sabonis: 28.2 points, 6.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 59.2 TS%, 28.7 USG%
As you can see, the difference for Fox is massive now playing next to a legitimate running mate who can take the pressure off him. Sabonis has allowed Fox to be fully weaponized within the Kings&rsquo; fast-paced offense, getting downhill to the basket with ease thanks to the new gravity now provided to do his damage.
Now becoming a real legitimate sample size spanning over a month, Fox is showing the goods as to why Sacramento committed a rookie-scale max extension when he was first eligible. Fox was the only hope for Kings fans, as the team otherwise operated within a discombobulated environment. Now, with Sabonis forming a lethal 1-2 offensive punch with Fox, there&rsquo;s at least a foundational idea in place to build further around them.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Fox ➡️ Ox Sabonis is up to 15 points after sinking his first seven shots 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/qA12UGhFgK">pic.twitter.com/qA12UGhFgK</a>
&mdash; Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1500255932294434817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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What still remains an issue, though, with this tandem is the lack of defensive integrity. Sure, the offense has real potential to produce firepower on a consistent basis now, but it won&rsquo;t matter without getting stops on the other end.
Sabonis is the polar opposite of a defensive anchor, consistently worked by strong and aggressive bigs down low. Fox has also lagged behind in this department, really taking a step back the past couple of seasons with his effort as an on-ball defender. In the 299 total minutes Fox and Sabonis have shared the floor together, the Kings are still getting outscored by 2.4 points per 100 possessions. The sole reason for that is because of their horrific job of attempting to contain opposing offenses from doing whatever they want; it checks in at a 118.7 Defensive Rating. If you compare that to team-centric numbers on defense, Sacramento would rank last in the NBA for points allowed per 100 possessions.
Even if the Kings miss the play-in tournament, they are set up well in 2022-23 to finally make a real playoff push. Fox and Sabonis are already locked in, but so is versatile veteran forward Harrison Barnes. Davion Mitchell has flashed some promising potential in his rookie campaign playing on or off-ball alongside Fox. The cupboard is not completely barren in Sacramento, and one more swing of good lottery luck fortune could put them in position to add the much-needed third pillar to vault them into serious postseason discussions.
Just imagine how much better off the Kings would be long-term building a winning program around Fox and Sabonis if they brought in a tantalizing draft prospect like Chet Holmgren from Gonzaga. He&rsquo;s the ideal piece to the puzzle to place next to Sabonis, offsetting serious defensive concerns with a legitimate rim-protector. Very similar to the blueprint Sabonis already experienced with the Pacers, it seems necessary for this whole process to reach its max output down the road.
The Kings are not a laughingstock anymore, but trying to shed that label for over a decade has taken a toll on the organization. If the pendulum swings in the team's favor, Sacramento can finally escape proverbial basketball hell.
Fox&rsquo;s ascension since the arrival of Sabonis has brought clarity to how the Kings&rsquo; lead guard can operate next to a really talented secondary option. Some would argue Sabonis is a better player than Fox, but these flashes we&rsquo;re seeing on a more consistent basis from the former Kentucky Wildcat as of late are super promising for what&rsquo;s next regarding his career arc.
Although it seems far-fetched, the Kings are positioning themselves within their win-now window. The commitment has already taken place by shipping off arguably their most consistent player in Haliburton last month.
Sacramento&rsquo;s vision of building a dynamite offense with Fox and Sabonis is already showing positive results. Now, it&rsquo;s time to see whether it maintains for a last-chance play-in push or a full-on surge in 2022-23.
Fox is already benefiting from this new look in Sacramento, but what other pieces will soon fall into place for what will be a massive offseason once more for the playoff-starved organization?
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Since acquiring All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox is taking serious steps forward for the Kings as their No. 1 option.

De'Aaron Fox is blossoming alongside Domantas Sabonis, but what's next?

The NBA suspended Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis one game without pay on Wednesday for aggressively confronting and making contact with an official who called him for a technical foul.
Sabonis was ejected in the fourth quarter of Monday night's game against the New York Knicks after receiving double technicals.
The first was for unsportsmanlike reaction to a called foul. He then &ldquo;approached and bumped the official in a hostile manner,&rdquo; the league said, which led to the second technical and his ejection.
The Kings said in a statement that they disagreed with the suspension.
&ldquo;He is a consummate professional and the ultimate competitor,&rdquo; the team said. "We stand behind Domas, and he has our full support.&rdquo;
Sabonis had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Kings in the 131-115 loss. The Knicks rallied from a 20-point deficit.
&ldquo;It was just a frustrating game,&rdquo; Sabonis said afterward. &ldquo;We keep getting these leads playing the right way and we just can&rsquo;t come out in the second half and sustain it.&rdquo;
Sabonis will serve his suspension Wednesday night when the Kings play host to the Denver Nuggets. He is averaging 17.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 11 games for Sacramento since being acquired from the Indiana Pacers before the trade deadline.

Domantas Sabonis was ejected in the fourth quarter of Monday night's game against the Knicks after receiving double technicals.