The Kings have been one of the best stories of the 2022-23 NBA season.
In its first year under head coach Mike Brown, Sacramento did away with nearly two decades of misfortune, ending a 17-year playoff drought by earning the West's 3 seed with a 48-34 record.
Sacramento's turnaround was far from overnight, as the franchise's resurgence is one that is several years in the making. It begins with De'Aaron Fox, who was selected fifth overall by the Kings in 2017 and is currently the franchise's longest-tenured player.
After Sacramento's Game 1 victory over Golden State, Fox said his belief that this group could be special dated "back to the deadline last year" when he "saw what we had and what we can do" before the team added even more talent in the offseason.
How was this Kings roster built? Here's how savvy front-office moves resulted in Sacramento ending its lengthy playoff drought.
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How Kings built team to end historic NBA Playoff drought
Adding homegrown talent through the NBA Draft
In missing the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons, Sacramento has had its fair share of lottery picks over the years — some were hits, some were misses. And while most moved on via trade or free agency, three Kings' lottery picks remain on the roster, each of whom plays a key role.
- De'Aaron Fox, selected fifth overall by the Kings in the 2017 NBA Draft
- Davion Mitchell, selected ninth overall by the Kings in the 2021 NBA Draft
- Keegan Murray, selected fourth overall by the Kings in the 2022 NBA Draft
As outlined above, Fox is the longest-tenured member of the team and is fresh off of the first All-Star appearance of his career. Mitchell's numbers may not jump off the page, but he plays a key role as a reserve guard with elite defensive traits.
Murray has lived up to the billing of a top-five pick. As a full-time starter, Murray set a new rookie record with 206 3s in his first NBA season, doing so at a 41.1 percent clip. As a result, Murray was named a finalist for 2022-23 Rookie of the Year.
Timely trades round out core
Savvy moves have allowed Sacramento to build out its roster, as four key players were acquired via trade. It begins with Harrison Barnes, who is the franchise's second-longest tenured player behind only Fox.
In order to receive talent via trade, a team must also part ways with talented players. Look back at the details of trades that allowed Sacramento to bring in major contributors.
Harrison Barnes trade details (2019)
Kings received
- Harrison Barnes
Mavericks received
- Justin Jackson
- Zach Randolph
Domantas Sabonis trade details (2022)
Kings received
- Domantas Sabonis
- Justin Holiday
- Jeremy Lamb
- 2023 second-round pick
Pacers received
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Buddy Hield
- Tristan Thompson
Trey Lyles trade details (2022)
Kings received
- Trey Lyles
- Josh Jackson
- Donte DiVincenzo
Pistons received
- Marvin Bagley III
Clippers received
- Vanja Marinkovic
Kevin Huerter trade details (2022)
Kings received
- Kevin Huerter
Hawks received
- Maurice Harkless
- Justin Holiday
- 2024 first-round pick (lottery protected)
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Becoming a free-agent destination
Sacramento made a major move in the 2022 offseason to sign Malik Monk to a two-year deal worth $19.4 million. After spending a season with the Lakers, Monk elected to sign with the Kings to reunite with his college teammate in Fox.
After signing with the Kings, Monk explained that his decision was rooted in the idea that he, Fox and Huerter made for a group that could "change the culture" and bring Sacramento back to its winning ways.
Monk was the big splash, but the franchise added Richaun Holmes as a free agent in 2019 and in 2021, reunited with Alex Len, who signed with the franchise after a brief stint during the 2019-20 season.
In 2022, the franchise added another veteran with championship experience by signing Matthew Dellavedova, who has been a vocal figure in the locker room.
Kings contracts, salary table
For the 2022-23 season, the Kings rank 20th in the NBA in active cap, a figure that does not include dead cap or salary cap holds for players that are not on the roster.
Sacramento's active cap figure of $131.7 million ranks 14th out of 16 teams in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, ahead of only the Grizzlies ($123.7 million) and Cavaliers ($121.7 million).
While Fox is under contract through the 2025-26 season, Barnes is set to enter free agency this offseason and Sabonis is currently slated to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-24 season.
| Player | Age | 2022-23 Salary |
| De'Aaron Fox | 25 | $30,351,780 |
| Domantas Sabonis | 26 | $18,500,000 |
| Harrison Barnes | 30 | $18,352,273 |
| Kevin Huerter | 24 | $14,508,929 |
| Richaun Holmes | 29 | $11,215,260 |
| Malik Monk | 25 | $9,472,219 |
| Keegan Murray | 22 | $8,008,440 |
| Davion Mitchell | 24 | $4,833,600 |
| Terence Davis | 25 | $4,000,000 |
| Alex Len | 29 | $3,918,600 |
| Matthew Dellavedova | 32 | $2,628,597 |
| Trey Lyles | 27 | $2,625,000 |
| Chimezie Metu | 26 | $1,910,860 |
| Kessler Edwards | 22 | $1,637,966 |
| P.J. Dozier | 26 | $539,450 |
| TOTAL | $131,710,467 |
(All salary figures and contract information via Spotrac)
