Sacramentp Kings Nightmare Rebuild Could Make Them the NBA’s Worst Team

Dec 19, 2021; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings mascot Slamson gestures during the fourth quarter of the game between the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports Pity the Sacramento Kings. They can’t win for losing.In fact, they can hardly win at all.The final standings might indicate otherwise, but the Kings were the most disjointed team in the NBA at the end of last season. Nobody needed to win the lottery more than they did.But they didn’t. Not even close.In a caged version of ping pong where all they had to do was finish among the top four to record their biggest win of the season, they got bounced to an unlucky seventh.That's where they landed Darius Acuff Jr., the one-year Arkansas star who immediately conjured up ugly memories of Eric Musselman, the recent Razorbacks coach.These guys can’t catch a break.So they wisely went about starting over again.They offered their best player, Domantas Sabonis, to Detroit for a guy who doesn’t want to play for the Pistons anymore.They said no. And it went downhill from there.They lowered the price on DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook … and got skunked. 0-for-4.DeRozan wound up leaving for nothing and Westbrook, given the option of returning to the Kings or taking up pickleball, suddenly became very interested in learning about “the kitchen.”And then came the REAL bad news: LaVine and Monk chose NOT to retire.The result is a rarity in the changing face of the NBA this season: A bad team that’s actually gotten worse.And talk about the worst possible time for this to happen. The new, incredibly ill-conceived lottery rules kick into action this year … just when there’s a team that – get this – legitimately will try to win and still finish with the worst record.These guys truly can’t win for losing. But, hey, they’re guaranteed no worse THAN THE 12TH PICK.Even before the balls are inflated, the Kings clearly know they’re doomed this season.How can you tell? They’ve gone as far as to pay $3.5 million to hire a posterboy for their pending miseries.His name is Ben Simmons.Seriously, the Kings signed BEN SIMMONS … AKA: The Human Shot Clock Violation.Sadly, two others teams could suffer the same ultimate fate this year when the league’s THREE doormats get slapped with technical fouls in the lottery.Here are my predictions for the Kings’ escorts to the Basement Ball …Milwaukee BucksCredit the Bucks for picking the right time to fold a losing hand.They tried to improve by setting a high price on Giannis Antetokounmpo, but no sale.And they knew better than to accept equal value, because standing still is moving backward in an improved Eastern Conference these days.Getting four young players and four draft picks is exactly what the doctor ordered for a brighter future. It’ll help the Bucks slide down the Eastern standings without anyone noticing that they’re tanking.Brooklyn NetsLike the Kings, the Nets might have avoided this distinction with a little lottery luck. Alas, they finished sixth … which at least was one spot better than Sacramento.Competition for the league's third-worst team could come from the Pelicans, should they decide to go the Giannis route with Zion Williamson at midseason.But the Nets have astutely positioned themselves to trump that by holding onto Michael Porter Jr. and bringing Julius Randle home. They make Brooklyn the team to call at the deadline.It’s called trade tanking, and it’s legal … well, at least for another year.