The Athletic’s 2026 Anonymous NBA Player Poll included this question: What’s the first team on your no-trade list? The Sacramento Kings came in third with 10.8% of the vote, behind the Washington Wizards (11.7%) and the Memphis Grizzlies running away with the top spot at 35.8%.
The reasoning behind Memphis scoring so poorly was:
“I’ll play anywhere, honestly,” one player explained. “But I would have to say Memphis is a place I don’t want to live. So that would be the reason why I wouldn’t want to play there.”
Said another player: “It has nothing to do with the team. It’s the location of the team.”
The reasoning behind the Wizards: “The team has not won 50 games in a season or reached the Eastern Conference finals since 1978-79. Its 17-65 record as it tanked this season likely perpetuated the losing-franchise narrative.”
The article didn’t go into detail as to the reasoning behind the Kings landing in the third spot, but who are we kidding? No one is the least bit surprised by this right? You don’t need me to drone on about this franchise, its decisions, its owner, its track record, its everything. We do that all year-long here at Kings Herald Dot Com.
Ask any Kings fan and they won’t have a problem quickly providing their own reasoning.
As a matter of fact, how about you all provide your reasons in the comments. Let’s hear it.
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