The Kings won their season finale against the Suns, 109 to 98. Sacramento will officially host the Play-In tournament game for the 9 vs. 10 matchup on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Post-Game Thread: Kings 109, Suns 98
Light the Beam!
By Akis Yerocostas | 89 Comments | Apr 13, 2025
NBA: Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings
Apr 13, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie gestures to the Phoenix Suns bench after the game at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images
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I know Anthony Davis didn’t play in today’s game, but is he officially dealing with an injury or were the Mavs just resting him?
Dodging Fo- eh Domas.
He still shows signs of dealing with that adductor injury he suffered. I think he’d have played if the Mavs were prioritizing their chance at the 9th seed.
Gotcha. Wonder if he’ll be good to go when we play them on Wednesday.
The Kangz way would be for him to miss the game and the Mavs to get an easy win.
Sundance! Kings Win!
Kings win
Im more concerned with our draft pick positioning then I am with the play-in.
Anyone with a quick analysis of where we stand in the draft order?
We ended up with the same record as Atlanta at 40-42. If staff were tuning into the Mavs game, they should have whispered to the coaching staff that we didnt have to win this game to improve our chanches of keeping the pick. I think they did exactly that by removing the starters but our players were too stupid to lose a meaningless game.
Without a miracle the pick is gone. That’s where we stand. So no playoffs (most likely), no pick and not much chance to get better next year. It’s pretty bleak.
The only minor satisfaction for me would be:
Kings beat Mavs
Griz beat Dubs
Kings beat Dubs
This would not change my disappointment over the regular season or concerns about the future, but it would be a small ray of light. Like a beam, perhaps.
Boy am I with you on this.
Agreed 100%.
Should that scenario play out and the Kings end up making the “real” playoffs and go up against OKC, I, for one, do not consider that an improvement over last year. This year’s team finishing below .500 and lucking into two wins in the play-in is NOT a cure all that makes for a successful season.
That only thing that would make this season successful, in my eyes, is beating OKC in round 1…and I’m not keeping my hopes up for that.
On a side note, I haven’t watched that last few games. I’ve spent that time doing more things with my family and being outdoors. It’s like a Sober October from Kangz…only it’s April.
The only thing that would make it a successful season in my eyes is Vivek selling.
So if the Kings went through the play-in, beat OKC in round 1, and went in to win the NBA title this season, it wouldn’t be a successful, in your eyes?
Huh? I pretty plainly said I’d consider it successful if they made it out of round one.
I was responding to Amonk81.
Ahhh, sorry.
Yeah in that scenario at least this dumpster fire of a season would be a tiny bit more palatable.
So if the Warriors beat the Grizzlies and we then throw a handgrenade into Memphis play-offs hopes, you will not be satisfied in a minor way?
Not really. It would take a strong 1st round showing at that point – competitive games on the way to a 6 game series lost against OKC. Again, this would be a minor satisfaction in an otherwise disappointing season.
Your petiness towards the Warriors does you credit, sir.
Generally speaking, I don’t care too much about that stuff. But there are enough Lakers and Dubs fans locally that I never mind a good peeing in their Cheerios.
We definitely can get better next year. It all depends on who goes and who stays. If the Kings get a new front office this summer and IMO they will then and then if Vivek keeps his nose out of the decisions than we have a good chance of getting better,
I keep hoping for this, but Vivek has yet to keep his nose out of decisions. Hes created a weird vibe throughout the entire organization that brings everything down.
Cause if he did stay out, I agree, it’s not that difficult to get good.
Trade Monk and DDR. Get a 3/4 and PG. D and 3. Run O through Sabonis.
But alas, huge egos don’t tend to weaken.
I agree on trading Monk and DDR. I am 50 50 on Sabonis. He is a great rebounder and passer but what we need in my opinion is someone who can defend the paint. A rim runner and good shot blacker. Sabonis has been here now what 3 years and in 2 of them with good players around him like Fox and company we really haven’t done much. The last 2 years have proven that. IMO I as good as he is in most areas he is not the winner we need. If he reavalueates this summer it tells me it is what Fox was doing and eventually was traded. If you trade Sabonis along with Monk and DDR you will get a lot of value hopefully. It all depends on the FO and Vivek finally seeing the light and stays out out there way. Just as an example if Sabonis is traded to the Pistons, they really want him, then I see us getting Ivey(our new point guard) Duren as center and adding Harris to make it work money wise we have 2 starters for next year. Just a thought.
Yeah I mean if those things happen it’s possible. The Vivek part just seems impossible though.
I forgot to let you know I added Carter to the Sabonis trade. Makes it more plausible and IMO Fultz can do the backup to Ivey. He just needs that chance.
We are currently tied with Atlanta for the 14th best record in the NBA. One of Atlanta, Chicago, or Miami will make the playoffs as the 8 seed. If it’s Atlanta, the Kings are 14th. If it’s one of the others, then the Kings and Hawks are tied for 13th.
Sacramento’s pick is top 12 protected. The only scenario we keep our pick is if we jump in the lotto.
Should Dallas beat the Kings, make the playoffs, and ATL also miss the playoffs, wouldn’t there be a coin flip between ATL and the Kings for the 12th pick? In that scenario the only teams guaranteed to get the 11th spot are either the Bulls or Heat, which would leave the 12th spot between the the Hawks and Kings.
You’re correct. Would be pretty funny that in that coin flip scenario both team would be hoping to lose the coin flip.
Right!!?? I was just thinking that! It’s a narrow needle to thread to keep the pick, but the weight of that coin flip would be heavy.
I believe if Dallas, Atlanta, and either of Chicago or Miami make the playoffs, we’re in the bottom twelve (unless Orlando or the other WC play-in loser lottery ahead of us). As others have said the past week, an extremely unlikely needle to thread. But it’s still there at this point, if I’m reading the scenarios correctly.
I believe giving this pick to Atlanta frees up our 2026 pick (please confirm this), and this becomes a bigger asset to acquire players or just keep the pick. The Kings are certainly capable of whiffing on the 12th pick this year if they get it. I’ve looked at the mock drafts and there are players that have decent ability in that range but nothing that says franchise-changing. Nothing that even says a player around 12 is better than LaRavia or Lyles for that matter (and they may both be gone). I would be OK if they traded Sabonis if we got a serious package back. JV and Domas as a two-headed center has been pretty good this year. A rim protector/runner can be had through trade or free agency. Not like Aaron Gordon but perhaps someone for just that role replacing Lyles on the roster. I think most people agree there’s a lot of talent on the roster, just a lousy fit. That means there are many valuable pieces that can be traded to get the team in a good position to be better and younger for the next 3-4 years. I know that requires FO and coaching competence but that’s available out there this year, too.
It frees up the 2026 and 2027 Kings picks because they have that San Antonio pick from the Fox trade.
Tyrese Haliburton was taken at #12. Any lotto pick is worth keeping, IMO.
Offense needs alot more interior movement. Defense needs to stop dribble penetration and 3s. Do not just jack up 3s!!
Is this where Luke Loucks would have stepped in? I’d really love to understand the coaches’ analysis of weaknesses and strategy.
Well, it’s post-season play for the Kings now. Might as well cheer them on and see how well they can perform. Go Kings!
OT, who is the lady in the picture behind Doug, in the white shirt with red bands at the sleeves?
I’ve seen her plenty of games courtside this season (I believe even on the road a few times), and she is enthousiastic as heck. Fun to see. I didn’t notice her the previous seasons.
Her name is Linnea Willis Smith, she’s a local businesswoman and a diehard Kings fan. She’s had a couple local news profiles you can find if you search by name (she’s willingly put her name out there, which is also the reason I feel comfortable saying it directly). From her courtside demeanor and her interviews, she seems awesome.
This is a video interview of her from last year.
Great, thank you.
Cool, thanks.
Yeah, she indeed seems awesome.
First basketball executive to go this offseason.
Zion being injured really screwed with that team. I thought Griffin had assembled a solid roster, but they just couldn’t get over the injuries to Zion, Ingram, etc.
The Daniels/Murray trade is hard to assess because Murray got injured. But they gave up a lot to get Murray, and Daniels has looked pretty good this year.
I could see Griffin as a Monte replacement, if Vivek happens to go that direction.
Yeah, it’s kind of hard to lay blame for all the injures to the Pels at the feet of the GM. There were a pretty good team when healthy last yearr, but flamed out in the first round after they once again lost Zion.
Youngman!!!
Looks like the Pelicans are retaining the head coach Willie Green, so if that holds, it’ll be a case of hiring the GM after the coach….sounds familiar.
His trades have been more than questionable, but the dude has a solid draft history, especially in the 2nd round.
1st round picks: Zion (1), Dyson Daniels (8), Yves Missi (21)
2nd round picks: Sam Merrill (60), Nick Richards (42), Jared Butler (40) Herb Jones (35)
Adding…
Side question: Who assembles the training staff/medical team? Is it the owner? GM? President of Basketball Ops? I am asking this because if Griffin constructed the training staff, then NOPs failures are on him, despite his success in the draft and roster constructiin. Their continued failure to manage injuries is what killed them this season. A healthy Murray, CJ, Missi, Zion, Ingram line up is dangerous, at least on paper.
Because a good training staff avoids most injuries and remedies the other ones in the blink of an eye?
That’s a difficult take to subscribe to, IMO.
Rik, i was talking more about weight management, strength and conditioning, and evaluation stuff. If you hire people with a good eye and feel for injury management, you can prevent players from returning too early and further aggravating injuries. It also helps if your medical staff is well-funded. Getting injured is impossible to prevent or predict, but preventive medicine increases your chances of faster and uncomplicated recovery.
Automatic thumbs up when I see this GIF.
Laravia can only do 1 thumb up, for now
A broken LaRavia sounds very painful.
Monte might want to keep a couple of extra cardboard boxes around the office. I’ve said it before: My prediction is that Chris Webber will be the next Kings GM. Part of Vivek’s calculation is that Webber is beloved in Sac and no one wants to say anything bad about him, so this insulates Vivek from (very well deserved) criticism as well.
I’ll go with sock puppet Jeremy Lamb, with Anjali providing the fist and Vlade as an unpublicized consultant.
Fist?
Oohhhh…kinky!
No surprise here with the Suns.
Denver or Memphis?
I’d take him here in Sac. Coach Bud is a damn fine coach. Not his fault the Suns were poorly constructed.
I’d absolutely hire Bud and David Griffin. That’s a much better outcome than anything else I can think up.
For sure.
Vivek: You don’t say?
*goes on to hire Webber as GM, Vlade as 1st seat assistant coach, J-Will as offensive coordinator, and extends Christie.
I actually wouldn’t mind J-Will on the staff. I think he could really help Carter and Ellis develop their PG skills.
Having skills and teaching skills are not the same. In the same vein, you could make Peja the shooting coach.
I’d like to know that he’s an asset on the development side with some sort of resume/experience.
But, that’s just me. If he wants to follow a path of coaching, this is likely his best chance for the opportunity (Matina, Vivek).
Everyone has to start somewhere. Barbosa retired from the NBA, and the same day was signed by the Warriors as a mentor coach. I think he has done well in his short time since retiring.
I don’t think J-Will wants to coach, though. He seems to enjoy his quiet life, out of the spotlight, doing some podcasts and basketball camps.
Peja already had his time here as player development coach and had minimal impact. Same with BJax, though he did well in Stockton.
I would like a new GM first, one with the ability to tell Vivek and Matina to stand down (spoiler alert: Not going to happen). That GM can then hire whomever he/she likes as the HC,
also Not going to happen
Oh no question I just mean that if the off season ended with Griffen as GM and he hired Bud that wouldn’t be a bad outcome considering some of the crazy stuff we’ve heard.
Why did Bud leave/get fired from Atlanta and Milwaukee? I know the Suns job was a losing one before he took, and only a deep playoff run would even allow him to retain that job.
Bud left the Hawks at the end of his deal, I believe, and went off to coach the Bucks. He was fired from the Bucks after they lost as a #1 seed to the Heat. That being said, they also lost Giannis in that series. Bud also lost a family member, IIRC, during that series.
Cool little fact, Bud was President of Basketball Operations while also coaching the Hawks. He worked with Wes Wilcox.
Lost Giannis in the series and lost his job for that. Life must be tough for a coach that had just won an NBA Finals.
I think the Kings are going to move forward with a GM that wants to keep Christie. That will be Vivek’s mandate, imo. I guess it sells more tickets by having a familiar face on the sidelines??? He doesn’t get that winning more games also increases revenue.
Doug has been fine. He has had little stability with the roster this season since he took over, and the injuries late in the season made it harder to assess him.
My list is GM, then roster, then coach. Put another way, the list of head coaches that can improve the current roster is probably very small and very unavailable. Might as well just pay Brown and Christie until you fix the hierarchy and the holes in the roster. I don’t see Budenholzer having a WAR of more than a game or two at most with the current ownership, front office and roster.
Also, it would not surprise me if Mike Brown winds up in SA in some capacity.
I don’t think Doug is going anywhere. Vivek and Matina seem to want him coaching the team.
Isn’t Wes Wilcox the guy who helps manage the University of Utah program? Or am I confusing him with someone else?
Go Runnin’ Utes!
Seems like the end of the season is just now catching up to the craziness of the season:
Mike Brown in December
Taylor Jenkins in March
Michael Malone in April – In season.
The coaching shuffle to new teams will start soon.
Here in Sacramento, I am expecting the opposite: At whatever spot the Kings land now – Was yesterday the Last Beam of the season? – the next day (or so) I expect to hear how the Kings have inked a contract to promote Interim Coach Doug Christie to Head Coach.
The Monte McNair part is yet to be determined and mixed with trepidation and fear either way. If he stays – can he handle the responsibilities? He was hired as mostly a cap manager and draft pick guy, Wes Welker the player trade guy. Well, there’s no draft and this team needs a roster reckoning. Will Advisor Vlade Divac, Jeremy Lamb and Anjali World be the de facto GMs with MM doing their bidding? Will there be a fire and hire? Whom?
Wes Wilcox, not Wes Welker. Welker was an NFL Receiver.
This is not the first time I’ve done that. I’ve got Welker over Wilcox on the brain, apparently.
Things are gonna tougher for you, dear sir, since Wes is in Utah and the Jazz have a…ugh…Wessler Kalker as center. I mean.. Kesker Waller…uh…i give up.
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