When the Los Angeles Clippers traded Tobias Harris to the Philadelphia 76ers, we thought it signaled good news for the Sacramento Kings. Trading your best player at the deadline normally suggests that a team isn’t interested in the playoffs. With the Clippers sitting in the 8th seed just ahead of the Kings, the path to the playoffs seemed wide open. But according to the Athletic’s Sam Amick, we may have been to hasty in our celebration.

Amick goes on to add that despite the potential cost of their pick, the Clippers won’t rest players until they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

This means the Kings will be watching the standings on two fronts (and by the way, you can easily keep track of the playoff chase here). The need to keep ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and overtake the Los Angeles Clippers. No easy task. Despite the turmoil with the Lakers, they still have LeBron James. You can’t rule them out. And the Clippers still have a great team despite the Harris trade.

This isn’t to say the Kings can’t make the playoffs. Amick goes so far as to say he thinks the Kings are the most likely of the three teams to make the 8th seed. The Kings are becoming the darling of the NBA, with opposing players singing their praises and League Pass junkies praying for a first round series between the Kings and Warriors. The Kings could pull this off, but it’s not going to be easy.

If the Kings want to be the 8th seed, they’re going to have to earn it.