From giving up Doncic to sending Halliburton away: How Kings Management plays a good hand of cards to a scattered

1. Draft fans' operations: Missing Doncic lays the foreshadowing of bad teams

1. 2018 second draw: Give up Doncic to choose Bagli In the 2018 NBA Draft, the Kings held the second draw. The boss wanted to choose Doncic, but then general manager Divac finally chose Marvin Bagli on the grounds that "Doncic and Fox's play style conflict." However, Bagley performed mediocrely in the king, and suffered constant injuries and failed to realize his talent. In contrast, Doncic averaged 20+5+5 in his rookie season and has now become the top star in the league. He has led the team to the playoffs many times to reach the finals last season, but the Kings lost the excellent opportunity to build the core of the team because they missed this genius.

2. Frequent trading moves: Send away the future star Halliburton

1. 2022 blockbuster transactions:

Haliburton replaced Sabonis Jr., with a huge rating gap. On February 9, 2022, the Kings made a deal that shocked the entire league, sending the outstanding Halliburton, Hilder and Tristan Thompson to the Pacers in exchange for Sabonis Jr., Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a second round pick. At that time, the media rated the Pacers with A, but the King was only D+. In the 2021-22 season, Halliburton played 51 regular season games for the Kings, averaging 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.7 breaks, shooting percentage of 45.7% and three-point shooting percentage of 41.3%. Such an outstanding performance is considered to be a coincidence with Fox's style of play and was given up.

2. Haliburton was reborn in Nirvana, and the king left the king with a sloppy game. After he grew up quickly in the Pacers, he scored twice and entered the Eastern Conference Finals. He is currently holding the match point with a 3:2 hand point in the Eastern Conference Finals and is expected to enter the finals. After winning Sabonis Jr., the Kings returned to the playoffs only after 17 years in the 2022-23 season and were eliminated in the first round. Since then, their record has declined again, and they missed the playoffs with 40 wins and 42 losses in the 2024-25 season. The player who was once regarded as a "coincidence" by the Kings is now shining elsewhere. In contrast, the Kings not only did not retain Fox, but also put the team in trouble.

3. Management confusion: frequent changes of coaches and players, and the idea of ​​building a team is vague.

1. The coaching team is like a revolving lantern, and the tactical system is difficult to take shape. On December 28, 2024, the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown, only more than a year after he took office. Previously, the Kings replaced 11 head coaches in the past 16 years. The frequent change of coaches has made the team's tactical system unstable and it is difficult for players to run-in. For example, DeRozan signed in the summer of 2024, hoping to increase his strength, but due to poor running-in, he had to give up.

2. The core players have been exchanged, and the direction of reconstruction is unclear

From Fox's abandonment of Doncic in 2018, to Fox's trade with Halliburton in 2022, to Fox's application for a deal and was sent away in exchange for Lavender in early 2025, the Kings' idea of ​​building a team around Fox completely failed. The combination of DeRozan + LaVine failed to achieve results in the East, and it was even more difficult to achieve in the fiercely competitive West. Sabonis Jr. also became interested in losing his team due to the team's poor record. The management's chaotic decisions on player trading have made the team unable to see the future.

4. The King's "bad": It's not that I have no money, but that I'm really brainless

1. Compared with other bad teams:

The management incompetence is fatal injury Some teams are bad because the boss is reluctant to spend money, while the Kings boss is not stingy in investment, but misses opportunities again and again due to the management's incompetence. I missed Doncic in 2018, but Halliburton was not trained and used in the 2020 draft. I was repeatedly at the bottom of the trading ratings, and I missed the coach selection and frequently changed core players. These are not funding issues, but management's decision-making mistakes.

2. Fans' Pain:

Hope, disappointment again and again. When the US media posted a photo of Halliburton wearing the Kings jersey and asked "How do you feel, Kings fans?", behind it was the endless sadness of the fans. The details of Halliburton crying after being traded make fans feel sorry for this player who has worked hard for the team. The current situation of the Kings has made fans unable to see the hope of next season. They can only sigh at the management's series of operations, making the team a laughing stock in the league.

Conclusion: Where is the future of the Kings?

From giving up Doncic to trading Halliburton, the Kings' management proved their incompetence with repeated inaccuracies. The team has been ruined for so many years, and the root cause is that the management does not have a clear idea of ​​building a team, the draft is misleading, the transaction is irrational, and the change of handsome men is like a joke. Now, Sabonis Jr. is determined to leave. It is still unknown whether Laven can adapt to the team. Does the Kings still have hope next season? Perhaps, only by completely changing the management's decision-making model can this team see a glimmer of possibility of rising, otherwise, the hat of "a thousand-year-old bad team" may have to be worn for a long time.