Editing Sacramento Kings (section)

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2020}}

===1923–1944: Rochester Seagrams===
The basis of a purely-professional team in [[Rochester, New York]], which came into existence in 1945, was two decades of a sponsored [[Semi-professional sports|semi-professional]] team, the Rochester Seagrams. Canadian distiller [[Seagram]] was the team's main sponsor and received the bulk of what monies were made. One of the team's early stars was [[Les Harrison (basketball)|Lester Harrison]], a local high school star of some publicity before joining the team. Harrison later became the team's captain, coach, manager, and chief scout over the next two decades. Among visitors to Rochester to play the team were the [[Original Celtics]], the [[New York Rens]], and the [[Harlem Globetrotters]].

===1945–1957: Rochester Royals===
[[File:Rochester Royals logo.svg|left|thumb|150px|The logo of the Rochester Royals]]
With news that [[World War II]] was approaching its end, the [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]] (NBL) announced that it was expanding, and Harrison was approached for interest in a franchise. While the sponsored semi-professional team balked at additional expenses involved, Harrison and his brother Jack, a lawyer, jumped at the chance. They pooled money to meet the steep entry fee of $25,000 {{USDCY|25000|1945}} and were granted an NBL franchise. Their team, the Rochester Royals, pushed the Seagrams out of their local facility, smallish [[Edgerton Park Arena]].

The best players were the returning Navy and Army players now being released from the war. There was no draft for the league in the selection of new players. So, Harrison was able to scoop up several name stars for his new team, among them [[Bob Davies]], [[Red Holzman]] and William "Fuzzy" Levane, as well as NBL free agents like [[George Glamack]] and [[Al Cervi]]. The result was a strong league champion in their first season of existence as the Royals during the 1945–46 season.

The team had two more seasons of success during their NBL years, which permitted the team to play non-league opponents. During all three years, 1945–1948, the team played over 300 total games, hosting most of them.

The Royals defected to the NBL's rival, the [[Basketball Association of America]] (BAA), in 1948 along with the [[Fort Wayne Pistons]], [[Minneapolis Lakers]], and [[Indianapolis Jets|Indianapolis (Kautskys) Jets]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=Curtis Harris |title=How the NBA's 75th anniversary sweeps away its early history |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/01/21/nba-history-nbl-baa/ |access-date=23 June 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=21 January 2022}}</ref> A year later, the BAA and the NBL merged to become the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA).<ref>{{cite news |title=NBL, BAA merge, end pro net war |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republic-nbl-baa-merge-end-pro-net/149768648/ |access-date=21 June 2024 |work=The Republic |agency=UP |date=4 August 1949 |page=11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{open access}}</ref>

The move to the BAA took away Rochester's profitable exhibition schedule and placed it in the same Western Division as the Minneapolis Lakers. Of the two best teams in professional basketball, only one of them could play in the league finals from 1949 to 1954. Minneapolis, with [[George Mikan]], was almost always better during playoffs than the Royals. With their smallish arena and now-limited schedule, the Royals became less profitable even as the team finished no lower than second in its division in both the NBL and BAA/NBA from 1945 to 1954.

[[File:Red Holzman, Rochester Royals, 1950.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Red Holzman]]]]
The Royals won the NBA title in [[1950–51 NBA season|1951]] by defeating the [[New York Knicks]] 4–3. It is the only NBA championship in the franchise's history. The title, however, did not translate into profit for the Royals. The roster turned over in 1955, except for star guard [[Bobby Wanzer]], who soon became the team's new coach. The team moved to the larger [[Rochester War Memorial]] in 1955. The NBA even agreed to host their [[NBA All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] there in [[1956 NBA All-Star Game|1956]]. But the Royals were now a losing team filled with rookies, and did not turn a profit. Meanwhile, the NBA was putting pressure on Harrison to sell or relocate his team to a larger city. With this in mind, the 1956–57 season was the Royals' last in Rochester.

The Royals' stay in Rochester featured the services of nine future members of the Basketball Hall of Fame: Al Cervi, Bob Davies, [[Alex Hannum]], Lester Harrison, Red Holzman, [[Arnie Risen]], [[Maurice Stokes]], [[Jack Twyman]], Bobby Wanzer, while others proved prominent in other fields, such as [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] member [[Otto Graham]], Hollywood Walk of Famer [[Chuck Connors]], and [[Jack McMahon]].

===1957–1960: Early years of the Cincinnati Royals===
In April 1957, the Harrison brothers moved the Royals to [[Cincinnati]], a city that was then trying to obtain an NBA expansion franchise. This move followed a well-received regular-season game played at [[Cincinnati Gardens]] on February 1, 1957. The change of venue had been said to have been partly suggested by Jack Twyman and Dave Piontek, who were two of several roster players on the new Royals from that area. Cincinnati, which had a strong college basketball fanbase then, and no [[National Football League|NFL]] franchise to compete with (until the [[Cincinnati Bengals|Bengals]] joined in 1970 after two seasons in the [[American Football League|AFL]]), was deemed the best choice for the Harrisons, who also considered other cities. The Royals name continued to fit in Cincinnati, often known as the "Queen City".

During the team's first NBA draft in Cincinnati, the team acquired [[Clyde Lovellette]] and guard [[George King (basketball, born 1928)|George King]]. They teamed with the 1–2 punch of Maurice Stokes and Twyman to produce a budding contender in the team's first season in the Queen City. But injuries and the loss of star guard [[Si Green]], the #1 overall pick of the 1956 NBA draft, to military service dropped the team into a tie for second place in the NBA Western Division during the 1957–58 season's second half.

In the season's finale, All-Pro star [[Maurice Stokes]] struck his head when he fell after pursuing a rebound. He shook off the effects of the fall, even as he had briefly been unconscious. After Game One in the playoffs three days later, Stokes' head injury was greatly aggravated by airplane cabin pressure during the flight back to Cincinnati for Game Two. He suffered a seizure and was permanently hospitalized, a tragedy that greatly shook the team. Stokes, a tremendous talent who could play center, forward and guard, was 2nd in the NBA in rebounds and 3rd in assists, a double-feat only [[Wilt Chamberlain]] has matched for a full season. The impact of losing Stokes was such that the team nearly folded. Six of the team's shaken players simply retired on the spot.

Fellow All-Star Twyman rose to All-Pro level over the next two seasons for Cincinnati, even as the team posted two 19-win seasons. The 1958–59 Cincinnati team featured five rookies, with Lovellette, King and other key players having left the team in the wake of Stokes' tragic injury. The Harrisons, wanting out at this point, sold to a makeshift local group, headed by Thomas Woods, Cincinnati Gardens management, and a number of local businessmen.

Jack Twyman came to the aid of his teammate, and even legally adopted Stokes. Raising funds for Stokes' medical treatment, Twyman helped him until his death in April 1970. The 1973 feature film ''[[Maurie (film)|Maurie]]'', which co-starred actors [[Bernie Casey]] and [[Bo Svenson]], dramatized their story.

Shooting often for the beleaguered team, Twyman was the second NBA player to ever average 30 points per game for an NBA season. Twyman and Stokes were later named Hall of Famers.

===1960–1970: The Oscar Robertson era===
[[File:Oscar Robertson 1966.jpeg|thumb|Robertson averaged over 30 points per game in six seasons and won six NBA assist titles while with the Royals.]]
In 1960, the team was able to land local superstar [[Oscar Robertson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/oscar-robertson|title=Oscar Robertson Bio|work=NBA.com|access-date=March 5, 2020|archive-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221193352/https://www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/oscar-robertson|url-status=live}}</ref> Robertson led a team that included Twyman, [[Wayne Embry]], [[Bob Boozer]], [[Bucky Bockhorn]], [[Tom Hawkins (basketball)|Tom Hawkins]] and [[Adrian Smith (basketball)|Adrian Smith]] over the next three seasons. The Royals reversed their fortunes with Robertson and rose to title contender. An ownership dispute in early 1963 scuttled the team's playoff chances when new owner [[Louis Jacobs (businessman)|Louis Jacobs]] booked a circus for Cincinnati Gardens for the week of the playoff series versus the champion [[Boston Celtics]]. The Royals' home games were at [[Xavier University]]'s [[Schmidt Field House]].

In late 1963, another local superstar, [[Jerry Lucas]], joined the team. The Royals rose to the second-best record in the NBA. From 1963 to 1966, the Royals contended strongly against Boston and the [[Philadelphia 76ers]], but won no titles. In the [[1964 NBA draft]] the Royals drafted rookies [[George Wilson (basketball, born 1942)|George Wilson]], [[Bill Chmielewski]], [[Steve Courtin]] (later traded to 76ers), and [[Happy Hairston]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hairsha01.html|title=Happy Hairston|publisher=Basketball-Reference.Com|access-date=March 13, 2020|archive-date=July 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707225651/http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hairsha01.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The team's star players throughout the 1960s were [[Oscar Robertson]] and Jerry Lucas. Robertson met with individual success, averaging a triple-double in [[1961–62 NBA season|1961–62]] and winning the Most Valuable Player award in [[1963–64 NBA season|1964]]. Robertson was a league-leading scorer and passer each season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016428.html|title=Oscar defined the triple-double|last=Flatter|first=Ron|date=February 4, 2008|website=ESPN.com|publisher=ESPN|access-date=March 13, 2019|archive-date=December 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202182252/http://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016428.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Lucas was Rookie Of the Year in 1964, led the league in shooting, and later averaged 20 rebounds per game over four seasons. Both were All-NBA First Team selections multiple times. The team failed to keep some promising players, though, and played in the tough NBA East division, dominated by the Boston Celtics, even as a Baltimore team played in the West Division for three years, denying the team likely visits to the NBA Finals.

During the [[1966–67 NBA season|1966–67 season]], the Royals began playing some of their home games in neutral sites such as [[Cleveland]] (until the [[Cleveland Cavaliers|Cavaliers]] began play in 1970), [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]] and [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]]. This did wound their local fan base in Cincinnati, though, and fortunes for the team continued to steadily decline. That year, they would host the [[1966 NBA All-Star Game]], with Smith scoring 24 points to be named All-Star MVP. As of 2021, it is the last time that the franchise has hosted an All-Star Game. In the summer of 1968, Owner Louis Jacobs died and ownership went to his sons [[Jeremy Jacobs|Jeremy]] and Max Jacobs.

New coach [[Bob Cousy]] traded Lucas in 1969. Robertson was traded to [[Milwaukee Bucks|Milwaukee]] in 1970, where he immediately won an NBA title. Both transactions were unpopular with the fan base, resulting in a home attendance decline and eventually the franchise's move to [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] which was announced on March 14, 1972.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/15/archives/kansas-city-to-get-cincinnati-royals.html "Kansas City to Get Cincinnati Royals," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Tuesday, March 14, 1972.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312225459/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/15/archives/kansas-city-to-get-cincinnati-royals.html |date=March 12, 2022 }} Retrieved March 12, 2022.</ref> The NBA Board of Governors voted 16&ndash;1 to permit the transfer nine days later on March 23. Before a crowd of 4,022, the Royals defeated the [[Washington Wizards|Baltimore Bullets]] 132&ndash;114 in its final home game at [[Cincinnati Gardens]] the following night on March 24. The team represented Cincinnati for one last time in a 135&ndash;122 win over the [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] witnessed by 10,289 at the [[Cleveland Arena]] two nights later on March 26.<ref>[https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2015/10/05/the-interesting-intersection-of-the-cincinnati-royals-and-cleveland-cavaliers/73392842/ Dyer, Mike. "The interesting intersection of Cleveland Cavaliers, Cincinnati Royals," ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'', Monday, October 5, 2015.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313000603/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2015/10/05/the-interesting-intersection-of-the-cincinnati-royals-and-cleveland-cavaliers/73392842/ |date=March 13, 2022 }} Retrieved March 12, 2022.</ref>

===1972–1985: Kansas City–Omaha/Kansas City Kings{{anchor|Kansas City–Omaha Kings}}===
After moving to Kansas City, the Royals renamed themselves the '''Kings''' to avoid confusion with the [[Kansas City Royals|Royals]] baseball team. Now dubbed the '''Kansas City–Omaha Kings''', the team split its home games between the 7,316-seat [[Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, Missouri)|Municipal Auditorium]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri]] and the 9,300-seat [[Omaha Civic Auditorium]] in [[Omaha, Nebraska]].

The <!-- then- -->Cincinnati Royals had been looking at Omaha as a market as early as 1968, playing twelve "home games" in Nebraska from 1968 to 1971.<ref>Two previous NBA games had been held in Omaha: one between the then-[[Atlanta Hawks|Milwaukee Hawks]] and the [[Rochester Royals]] (the future Kansas City Kings) in 1954, and one between the [[Atlanta Hawks|St. Louis Hawks]] and the [[San Francisco Warriors]] in 1965.</ref> From [[1972–73 Kansas City–Omaha Kings season|1972]] to [[1974–75 Kansas City–Omaha Kings season|1975]], the KC–Omaha Kings played a total of 42 regular season contests (but no playoff games) in Omaha. In 1975, the club became simply the [[Kansas City Kings]] (moving into the new 16,785-seat [[Kemper Arena]] the [[1974–75 Kansas City Kings season|previous season]]). The team did not abandon Omaha completely, playing <!--ten more in 76-77--> several games there through the [[1977–78 Kansas City Kings season|1977–78 season]].<ref name=ktdch/><ref name=kwiot77/><ref name=ggpmk/> For the next two seasons, they played several home games in [[St. Louis]].

====1972–1976====
[[File:Nate Archibald 1974.jpeg|thumb|[[Nate Archibald]] led the NBA with 34.0 points and 11.4 assists per game in the [[1972–73 Kansas City–Omaha Kings season|1972–73 season]].]]
The team netted a new superstar in point guard [[Nate Archibald]], who led the league in scoring and assists in the [[1972–73 Kansas City–Omaha Kings season|1972–73 season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/nate-archibald|title=Legends Profile: Nate Archibald|work=NBA.com|access-date=January 7, 2017|archive-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904204323/http://www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/nate-archibald|url-status=live}}</ref>

While still in Cincinnati, the team introduced a most unusual uniform design, which placed the player's surname below his number. The design remained intact through the first several seasons of the team's run in Sacramento, even when the shade of blue on the road uniforms was changed from royal blue to powder blue, and the script '"Kansas City"' which adorned the road jerseys was scrubbed after the move in favor of a repeat of the "Kings" script on the home shirts. The Kings' back jersey template was later adopted by the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] and the [[NBA Development League]], as well as the NBA during the [[NBA All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] since 2006.

The Kings had some decent players throughout. [[Tom Van Arsdale]], the shooting forward, "Jumpin" Johnny Green, and [[Matt Guokas]] helped Archibald in the first year in Kansas City. [[Toby Kimball]] was a fan favorite. [[Jimmy Walker (basketball, born 1944)|Jimmy Walker]] teamed with Archibald as the Kings made the playoffs the second year. Sam Lacey, an effective passing center, became one of the most dependable players in the league. Archibald became the first player to lead the league in scoring and assists in the first season in Kansas City. However, the management traded Archibald and wasted high draft picks. Bob Cousy gave way to [[Phil Johnson (basketball, born 1941)|Phil Johnson]], who was fired midyear in 1977 and replaced by [[Larry Staverman]], a player on the team on two separate occasions when it was in Cincinnati (Staverman coached for a brief time and then resigned in May 1981 to take up the role of team president's assistant for the [[Cleveland Browns]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/06/sports/transactions-112908.html |title=Transactions - The New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 6, 1981 |accessdate=January 13, 2022 |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201061952/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/06/sports/transactions-112908.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====1976–1984====
The Kings finally achieved some success in their new home when they hired [[Cotton Fitzsimmons]] as coach. Fitzsimmons won the Midwest Division in 1978–79 with rookie point guard [[Phil Ford (basketball)|Phil Ford]], who was [[NBA Rookie of the Year]] in 1979. Kansas City was led by shooting guard [[Otis Birdsong]], strong on both offense and defense, all-around shooting forward Scott Wedman, and passing center [[Sam Lacey]], who had a trademark {{convert|25|ft|m|adj=on}} bank shot. They drew an average of 10,789 fans to [[Kemper Arena]] that season, the only time during their tenure in KC that average attendance was in five figures (the attendance at the peak was only two-thirds of Kemper's capacity). The Kings later played several home games in St. Louis during the early 1980s to large crowds. Most Kansas City sports fans preferred to spend their entertainment dollar on the Royals, who won the American League West division championship four times in five seasons between 1976 and 1980, and reached the [[1980 World Series]].

The Kings made the playoffs in [[1979–80 Kansas City Kings season|1979–80]] and again in [[1980–81 Kansas City Kings season|1980–81]], despite finishing the 1980–81 regular season at {{winpct|40|42|record=y}}. The Kings made a run in the [[1981 NBA playoffs]], reaching the Western Conference finals; these were the franchise's first playoff victories since 1964, and their only ones ever in Kansas City. [[Ernie Grunfeld]] played the point in this run in place of an injured Ford, as KC used a slow half-court game to win the first two rounds. Power forward Reggie King had a remarkable series, dominating the opposition. They then faced the [[Phoenix Suns]] in the Conference Semifinals and won three of the first four games before having to withstand consecutive victories by the Suns to force a [[List of NBA game sevens|Game 7]] that saw them prevail 95–88 to become the first #5 seed to eliminate a #1 seed and also the second road team to win a Game 7 after leading 3–1. They then faced the [[1980–81 Houston Rockets season|Houston Rockets]], also 40–42 in the regular season, but lost in five games in the Conference Finals. Lacey, the last remaining Cincinnati Royal to play for the Kings, could not keep up with Rockets superstar center [[Moses Malone]]. (The Kings did not win another playoff series for two decades.)

However, a series of bad luck incidents prevented the team from building on its success. [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] owner [[Ted Stepien]] lured Wedman and Birdsong away with big contract offers. In 1979, the roof literally fell in at Kemper Arena because of a severe storm, forcing the team to play most of the 1979–80 season at the much smaller Municipal Auditorium. The ownership group sold the team to [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] interests for $11 million. The general manager was fired in a scandal in which he was found to be reusing marked postage stamps.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Story Of The Most Bizarre Scandal In NBA History {{!}} The Touchback |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f7v7gWSr1o |access-date=February 23, 2024}}</ref> When the Kings rehired [[Joe Axelson]] as general manager, they brought back the man who had previously traded Oscar Robertson, Norm Van Lier, Nate Archibald and Jerry Lucas, and used the third pick in the [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] dispersal draft on [[Ron Boone]]. Axelson stayed on after the Kings left Kansas City where, in their last game ever, fans wore Joe Axelson masks. Axelson later said he hoped his plane would never touch down in Kansas City.

Axelson became the first general manager in the history of sports to fail with the same franchise in four cities: Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha and Sacramento. He was not fired for good until he rehired coach Phil Johnson, whom he had fired in mid-season in Kansas City ten years before. The Kings also entered this period competing with the [[Kansas City Comets (1979–1991)|Kansas City Comets]] of the [[Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992)|Major Indoor Soccer League]] (MISL) for the winter sports dollar, when the Comets were led by marketers—the Leiweke brothers. Their final season in [[1984–85 Kansas City Kings season|1984–85]] resulted in a {{winpct|31|51|record=y}} record, as fans stayed away from Kemper Arena in droves, with average attendance of 6,410. Long-time ABA and NBA star, [[Don Buse]], played his final professional season for the Kings.

Ownership began looking for a new home for the team. Poor attendance and lack of sponsorship dollars (the team was third in sports market share by a significant margin behind the NFL's Chiefs (even though they went 14 consecutive seasons without a playoff berth, covering the Kings' entire stay in Kansas City) and MLB's Royals) were the main reasons. Also, Kansas City had a much stronger following for the [[Kansas Jayhawks]] and [[Missouri Tigers men's basketball|Missouri Tigers]] college basketball teams than they did the NBA's Kings.

The franchise was sold for $10.5 million on June 8, 1983, to a six-man, [[Sacramento, California]]-based investment group led by Joseph Benvenuti who had a 50% interest and [[Real estate development|real estate developer]] Gregg Lukenbill who was the managing partner. The new ownership group honored the remaining two years of the Kings' [[lease]] with [[Hy-Vee Arena|Kemper Arena]] which expired in June 1985 but also had a five-year option that eventually was never exercised.<ref>[https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/06/08/The-Kansas-City-Kings-of-the-National-Basketball-Association/9348423892800/ Gosselin, Rick. "The Kansas City Kings of the National Basketball Association...," ''United Press International'' (UPI), Wednesday, June 8, 1983.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227110939/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/06/08/The-Kansas-City-Kings-of-the-National-Basketball-Association/9348423892800/ |date=February 27, 2022 }} Retrieved February 27, 2022.</ref> A $12-million conversion of an 82,000-square-foot [[warehouse]] into what would become the [[ARCO Arena (1985)|first ARCO Arena]] was announced on October 15, 1984.<ref>[https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/16/The-owners-of-the-Kansas-City-Kings-say-they/1704466747200/ "The owners of the Kansas City Kings say they...," ''United Press International'' (UPI), Tuesday, October 16, 1984.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227110940/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/16/The-owners-of-the-Kansas-City-Kings-say-they/1704466747200/ |date=February 27, 2022 }} Retrieved February 27, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/12/sports/kansas-city-may-lose-kings.html "Kansas City May Lose Kings," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, January 12, 1985.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227110937/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/12/sports/kansas-city-may-lose-kings.html |date=February 27, 2022 }} Retrieved February 27, 2022.</ref> The transfer of the Kings to Sacramento was officially approved by NBA team owners on April 16, 1985, with the only contingency being the construction of an [[Sleep Train Arena|arena seating more than 16,000]].<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-04-17-8501220559-story.html Moulton, Dan. "NBA Approves Kings' Move to Sacramento," ''Chicago Tribune'', Wednesday, April 17, 1985.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227110937/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-04-17-8501220559-story.html |date=February 27, 2022 }} Retrieved February 27, 2022.</ref>

===1985–1991: Early years of the Sacramento Kings===
The Kings moved to their current home of [[Sacramento, California]] in the [[1985–86 NBA season]], with their first Sacramento season ending in the first round of the Western Conference [[1986 NBA playoffs]]. The starting lineup was [[Reggie Theus]], [[LaSalle Thompson]], [[Mark Olberding]], [[Terry Tyler]], and [[Mike Woodson]], with [[Larry Drew]], [[Eddie Johnson (basketball, born 1959)|Eddie Johnson]], [[Otis Thorpe]], and [[Joe Kleine]] coming off the bench. However, despite fan loyalty the Kings saw little success in subsequent seasons, and the team did not make the playoffs again until the [[1996 NBA playoffs]] in the [[1995–96 NBA season]]. Some of their failure was attributable to misfortunes such as the career-altering car crash suffered by promising point guard [[Bobby Hurley]] in 1993, and the suicide of [[Ricky Berry]] during the 1989 off-season; some was attributed to poor management such as the long tenure of head coach [[Garry St. Jean]] and the selection of "Never Nervous" [[Pervis Ellison]] with the first overall pick in the [[1989 NBA draft]]. Former Kings television broadcaster [[Jerry Reynolds (basketball coach)|Jerry Reynolds]] (1987, 1988–90) and NBA legend [[Bill Russell]] ([[1987–88 NBA season|1987–88]]) were the earliest head coaches.

====1988–1989: Ricky Berry====
[[Ricky Berry]] was selected by the Kings in the first round, 18th pick overall in the [[1988 NBA draft]]. He had a dazzling rookie year in the [[1988–89 NBA season|1988–89 season]] shooting 40.6 percent from the three-point range. The Kings also drafted [[Vinny Del Negro]] (selected by the Kings in the second round, 29th overall pick in the [[1988 NBA draft]]) and acquired [[Rodney McCray (basketball)|Rodney McCray]] from the [[Houston Rockets]]. In his first year with the Kings, [[Rodney McCray (basketball)|McCray]] made [[NBA All-Defensive Team|1988 NBA All-Defensive First Team]]. It was the first season the Kings would play without [[Reggie Theus]] and [[LaSalle Thompson]] (both part in the original team from Kansas City) or [[Joe Kleine]] (selected by the Kings as first round, sixth pick overall in the [[1985 NBA draft]]). Thompson was drafted by the Kings in the first round, fifth overall pick in the [[1982 NBA draft]]. It was also the last year that [[Michael Jackson (basketball)|Michael Jackson]] (selected by the [[New York Knicks]] in the second round, 47th pick overall in the [[1986 NBA draft]] but who played his entire career with the Kings) and [[Ed Pinckney]] (selected 10th overall by the [[Phoenix Suns]] in the [[1985 NBA draft]] and played for the Kings from 1987 to 1989) played for the Kings. On February 23, 1989, [[Brad Lohaus]] and [[Danny Ainge]] were traded to the Kings from the [[Boston Celtics]] for Joe Kleine and Ed Pinckney. In June of the 1989 off-season, Lohaus was then acquired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the [[1989 NBA expansion draft]]. In August of the 1989 off-season, Berry was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Fair Oaks, California, at age 24 following an argument with his wife.

====1989–1990: Pervis Ellison====
Following the loss of [[Ricky Berry]], [[1989–90 NBA season|1989–90 season]] featured [[Pervis Ellison]], who was first overall pick in the [[1989 NBA draft]] by the Kings, and acquisition [[Wayman Tisdale]] (from the [[Indiana Pacers]], second pick overall in the [[1985 NBA draft]]). An injury kept Ellison on the sidelines for 48 of 82 games of his rookie year, after which he was traded to the [[Washington Bullets]]. Tisdale would go on to play for the Kings for five years. It was the last season that [[Danny Ainge]], [[Kenny Smith]] (who had an impressive showing in the 1990 NBA [[Slam Dunk Contest]]), [[Rodney McCray (basketball)|Rodney McCray]], [[Harold Pressley]] (selected by the Kings in the first round, 17th overall pick in the [[1986 NBA draft]]), [[Vinny Del Negro]], [[Greg Kite]], and [[Ralph Sampson]] played for the Kings. In 1990, Ainge was traded to the [[Portland Trail Blazers]], [[Kenny Smith]] was traded to the [[Atlanta Hawks]], and [[Rodney McCray (basketball)|Rodney McCray]] was traded to the [[Dallas Mavericks]].

====1990–1991: Lionel Simmons====
[[Lionel Simmons]]—nicknamed L-Train—was drafted by the Kings in the [[1990 NBA draft]] in the first round, 7th pick overall. In his first season, he made the [[NBA All-Rookie First Team]]. He would go on to play his entire career (1990–1997) with the Kings and had 5,833 career points. [[Antoine Carr]] (acquired from the [[Atlanta Hawks]]) played for the Kings in the [[1990–91 NBA season]] and then was traded to the [[San Antonio Spurs]]. Free-agent [[Leon Wood]], who would later become an NBA official, played for the Kings but was let go on Christmas Eve of 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wait Continues for Leon Wood|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-01-18-sp-375-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 18, 1991|access-date=February 16, 2016|archive-date=August 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817133723/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-01-18/sports/sp-375_1_leon-wood/2|url-status=live}}</ref> Also notable that [[Bill Wennington]] was acquired from the [[Dallas Mavericks]] and played for the Kings for the [[1990–91 NBA season|1990–91 season]] and after a successful career with the [[Chicago Bulls]] returned to the Kings for his final season in [[1999–2000 NBA season|1999–2000]].

===1991–1998: The Mitch Richmond era===<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Sacramento Kings.svg|150px|right|thumb|Primary logo, 1994–2016]] -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Sacramento Kings alternate logo.svg|150px|right|thumb|Alternate logo, 1994–2016]] -->
The early 1990s were difficult for the Kings. Sacramento was known for having strong fan support, and while they won over 60 percent of their home games, the team struggled on the road, going 1–40 on the road in a single season. But prayers were answered when they acquired [[Mitch Richmond]], who previously played for the [[Golden State Warriors]]. The former [[NBA Rookie of the Year]] was selected as an All-Star six times while making the All-NBA Second Team three times.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/kings/sacramento-kings-history-mitch-richmond-1#|title=Sacramento Kings History: Mitch Richmond|website=Kings.com|publisher=NBA Media Ventures LLC|access-date=March 5, 2017|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806231259/https://www.nba.com/kings/sacramento-kings-history-mitch-richmond-1|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Garry St. Jean]] was chosen as new coach in 1992 and coached the team all the way through 1997, where he was replaced by Eddie Jordan.

During the 1990s, Sacramento had other stars like [[Spud Webb]], [[Kurt Rambis]], [[Wayman Tisdale]], [[Walt Williams]], [[Olden Polynice]] and [[Brian Grant]], but they only lasted with the team for a few years. After the [[1992–93 NBA season|1992–93 season]], Rambis was traded to the [[Los Angeles Lakers]]. After the [[1993–94 NBA season|1993–94 season]], Tisdale was traded to the [[Phoenix Suns]]. After the [[1994–95 NBA season|1994–95 season]], Webb was traded to the [[Atlanta Hawks]] for [[Tyrone Corbin]]. Midway through the [[1995–96 NBA season|1995–96 season]], Williams was traded to the [[Miami Heat]] for [[Billy Owens]] (who was drafted by the Kings in 1991, and traded to Golden State for Richmond). After the [[1996–97 NBA season|1996–97 season]], Grant became a free agent and signed with the [[Portland Trail Blazers]].

One accomplishment the team achieved under St. Jean during their tenures was a playoff appearance in 1996. The series was lost 3–1 to the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] who, led by [[Gary Payton]] and [[Shawn Kemp]], finished as that year's conference champions. They did not make a playoff appearance again while Richmond was still on the Kings. He was soon traded along with [[Otis Thorpe]] to the [[Washington Wizards]] for [[Chris Webber]] in May 1998.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/15/sports/nba-webber-traded-to-sacramento.html|title=NBA; Webber traded to Sacramento|date=May 15, 1998|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=May 7, 2011|archive-date=November 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112091737/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/15/sports/nba-webber-traded-to-sacramento.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Although Richmond was lost, this trade proved to be one of the keys to finally achieving playoff success after so many seasons of mediocrity.

===1998–2006: “The Greatest Show on Court"===
The Kings drafted [[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Jason Williams]] in the [[1998 NBA draft]], signed [[Vlade Divac]], and traded for [[Chris Webber]] prior to the lockout-shortened season of [[1998–99 NBA season|1998–99]]. These acquisitions coincided with the arrival of [[Peja Stojaković]] from [[PAOK BC]] (Greece), who had been drafted in [[1996 NBA draft|1996]]. Each of these moves was attributed to general manager [[Geoff Petrie]], who has won the [[NBA Executive of the Year Award]] twice.

Led by new head coach [[Rick Adelman]], and aided by former [[Princeton University|Princeton]] head coach [[Pete Carril]], the Kings' [[Princeton offense]] impressed others for its quick style and strong ball movement. Some criticized the Kings for their poor team defense, Williams's "flash over substance" style with its many turnovers, and Webber's failure to step up in important match-ups. Still, they quickly garnered many fans outside of California, many of whom were drawn to the spectacular pairing of Williams and Webber. In 1998–99, they went 27–23, their first winning season in nearly twenty years and their first since moving to Sacramento. The new arrivals Webber, Williams, and Divac all played key roles in this resurgence; Divac ranked near the top of the team in most statistics, Webber led the league in rebounds and was named to the [[All-NBA Second Team]], and Williams was named to the [[NBA All-Rookie First Team]]. In the playoffs, they were matched up against the defending Western Conference Champions, the [[Utah Jazz]]. After winning game 1 by 20 points, the Jazz surrendered two consecutive playoff games to the Kings. They would turn the series around, however, and win the last two to keep the Kings from advancing in the playoffs.

In [[1999–2000 NBA season|1999–2000]], the Kings' only notable transaction was trading shooting guard [[Tariq Abdul-Wahad]] to the [[Orlando Magic]] in exchange for veteran shooting guard [[Nick Anderson (basketball)|Nick Anderson]]. They finished eighth in the Western Conference with a 44–38 record and were matched up with the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in the first round of the playoffs. Once again, however, the Kings failed to advance, losing the series 2–3 against the Lakers.

[[2000–01 NBA season|The following season]], the Kings traded starting small forward [[Corliss Williamson]] to the [[Toronto Raptors]] for shooting guard [[Doug Christie]], a move made to improve the subpar defense. They also drafted Turkish power forward [[Hedo Türkoğlu]], further improving their bench rotation. Stojaković moved into the starting small forward role, where he and Webber proved to complement each other extremely well, and as the Kings continued to improve, their popularity steadily rose, culminating in a February 2001 ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' cover story entitled "The Greatest Show on Court" with Williams, Christie, Stojaković, Webber, and Divac gracing the cover. That year, they went 55–27, their best in 40 years. In the playoffs, they won their first series in 20 years, defeating the [[Phoenix Suns]] three games to one, before being swept in the second round by the [[Los Angeles Lakers|Lakers]], who eventually won the NBA Championship.

In July 2001, Jason Williams was traded, along with Nick Anderson, to the [[Memphis Grizzlies|Vancouver Grizzlies]] for [[Mike Bibby]] and [[Brent Price]]. Despite Williams's often spectacular play, the Kings had grown tired of his recklessness and turnovers; Bibby would provide much more stability and control at the point guard position. This move was complemented by the re-signing of Webber to a maximum-salary contract, securing their superstar long term. With Bibby taking over for Williams, they had their best season to date in [[2001–02 NBA season|2001–02]]. Though not as exciting or flashy as they had been in previous years with Williams, the team became much more effective and disciplined with Bibby at the helm. They finished with a league-best record of 61–21, winning 36 of 41 at home. After easily winning their first two playoff matchups against the Stockton and Malone-led Jazz and the [[Dirk Nowitzki]]-led [[Dallas Mavericks]], respectively, the Kings went on to play the archrival and two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, regarded as one of the greatest playoff matchups in history. In a controversial series,<ref>{{cite web|last=Sheridan|first=Chris|title=2002 Lakers-Kings Game 6 at heart of Donaghy allegations|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=June 11, 2008|access-date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=January 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111161930/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401|url-status=live}}</ref> the Kings lost in seven games, one game away from what would have been the first [[NBA Finals]] and a chance at the first professional sports championship in Sacramento history. This was a crushing blow to the Kings; after losing to their archrivals in a highly controversial series, the team would begin to decline and age in the years that followed. Many commentators and journalists would question the decisions made by the referees during game 6, specifically that the Lakers were awarded a staggering 27 free throws in the fourth quarter, many of which came from what were in retrospect proved to be no-calls.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gallagher|first=Matt|title=Did NBA Referees Snatch Destiny From The Sacramento Kings?|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/06/the-nba-s-greatest-ugliest-series.html|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=June 6, 2012|access-date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=March 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321020650/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/06/the-nba-s-greatest-ugliest-series.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Following game 6 even print newspapers began to question the legitimacy of the game. Most notably, the ''[[New York Post]]'' ran a front cover with a headline entitled "Foul Play"; it also published a related article suggesting that the game was rigged.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Stefanie |title=DIRTY REF CALLS PLAYOFFS BIG RIG |url=https://nypost.com/2008/06/11/dirty-ref-calls-playoffs-big-rig/ |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |date=June 11, 2008 |access-date=April 29, 2016 |archive-date=June 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630234822/http://nypost.com/2008/06/11/dirty-ref-calls-playoffs-big-rig/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/2008-06-11-front.jpg |title=FOUL PLAY |work=New York Post |access-date=April 28, 2016 |archive-date=October 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011201151/https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/2008-06-11-front.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> NBA analyst [[David Aldridge]] (then working for [[ESPN]]) spoke on the game:

{{cquote|''There is nothing I can say that will explain 27 free throws for the Lakers in the fourth quarter – an amount staggering in its volume and impact on the game. It gave ''me'' pause. How can you explain it? How can you explain a game where [[Scot Pollard]] fouls out when he's two feet from [[Shaquille O'Neal]], or that [[Doug Christie]] is called for a ridiculous touch foul just as Chris Webber spikes Bryant's drive to the hoop, or that [[Mike Bibby]] is called for a foul deep in the fourth quarter after Bryant pops him in the nose with an elbow?''<ref>{{cite web |last=Aldridge |first=David |title=Perception more harmful to NBA than reality |url=http://static.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2002/columns/aldridge_david/1389713.html |publisher=ESPN |date=June 2, 2002 |access-date=March 27, 2015 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215603/http://static.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2002/columns/aldridge_david/1389713.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

The 2002 Western Conference finals left many fans wondering whether the Kings could have gone on to win a title, and debate would continue for many years after the events of the series.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rzodkiewicz |first=Oscar |title=Should the 2002 Sacramento Kings have Won an NBA Title? |url=http://beatfromtheburgh.sportsblog.com/posts/160179/should_the_02_sacramento_kings.html |work=Beat From The Burgh |access-date=March 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140613185320/http://beatfromtheburgh.sportsblog.com/posts/160179/should_the_02_sacramento_kings.html |archive-date=June 13, 2014 |date=September 3, 2013}}</ref> Later, due to [[2007 NBA betting scandal|allegations]] raised by former NBA referee [[Tim Donaghy]], the NBA set up a review of the league's officiating. Lawrence Pedowitz, who led the review, concluded that while game 6 featured poor officiating, there was no concrete evidence that the game had been fixed.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pedowitz|first=Lawrence B.|title=Report to the Board of Governors of the National Basketball Association|url=http://www.nba.com/media/PedowitzReport.pdf|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=October 1, 2008|access-date=September 12, 2012|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110120832/http://www.nba.com/media/PedowitzReport.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Kings went 59–23 and won the division during [[2002–03 NBA season|the following season]], seeking to avenge their playoff loss to the Lakers. After defeating the Stockton- and Malone-led Jazz in the first round and winning game 1 against the [[Dirk Nowitzki]]-led [[Dallas Mavericks]] in the second round, the Kings appeared to be on the brink of another Western Conference Finals berth. However, [[Chris Webber]] sustained a major knee injury in game 2, and the Kings lost in a seven-game series. Webber's knee required major surgery. He returned mid-season in [[2003–04 NBA season|2003–04]] a season in which the Kings were seeking another chance to avenge their playoff loss to the Lakers, but without his quickness and athleticism, which had been the focal point of his style of play, it was not the same. Despite that, the Kings still managed to defeat the Mavericks in the first round and after winning game 1 against the [[Kevin Garnett]]-led [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] in the second round, the Kings appeared to be on the brink of their second Western Conference Finals berth in three years, but the Kings ended the season with a defeat to the Timberwolves in a seven-game series.

====2004–2006: Decline====
[[File:2005 Sacramento Kings.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The Sacramento Kings in 2005]]
The [[2004–05 NBA season|2004–05 season]] marked change for the Kings, who lost three starters from the famed 2002 team. In the off-season of 2004, Divac signed with the Lakers, which prompted the Kings to sign [[Brad Miller (basketball)|Brad Miller]] to start at center. Early in the season, Christie was traded to the [[Orlando Magic]] for Cuttino Mobley, and in February, Webber was traded to the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] for three forwards ([[Corliss Williamson]], [[Kenny Thomas (basketball)|Kenny Thomas]], and [[Brian Skinner]]). Thomas and Skinner failed in their attempt to replicate Webber's impact, and as a result the team's record suffered. The Kings lost in the first round of the playoffs to the [[Seattle SuperSonics]]. The 2005 off-season continued with changes, when they traded fan-favorite [[Bobby Jackson (basketball)|Bobby Jackson]] for [[Bonzi Wells]] and acquired free agent [[Shareef Abdur-Rahim]].

The 2005–06 season started poorly since the Kings had a hard time establishing team chemistry. Newcomers Wells and Abdur-Rahim made major contributions early, but both were injured and missed a significant number of games. As the Kings' season continued, general manager Petrie decided to make a major move. Stojaković was traded for [[Ron Artest]], a talented yet volatile forward known for his temper. Despite doubts that he would be able to replace the huge production of Stojaković, Artest and the Kings went 20–9 after the 2006 NBA All-Star break, the second best post-All-Star break record that season. Despite a winning record of 44–38, it was clear that they were not the same team of years past. The Kings were seeded 8th in the Western Conference playoffs and were matched up in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs. Though the Kings were surprisingly competitive, the Spurs eliminated them 4–2. This was the end of their era of competitiveness and started a 16-year playoff drought which continued until 2023. The 2006 off-season began with the disturbing news that head coach Rick Adelman's contract would not be renewed. The Kings named Eric Musselman as his replacement.

===2006–2009: Change and transition===
In 2006–07, the disappointing play of the Kings was coupled with the distraction of legal troubles. Coach [[Eric Musselman]] pleaded no contest to [[DUI]] charges early in the season, while Artest got into trouble for neglect of his dogs, and was later accused of [[domestic assault]]. The Kings relieved Artest of basketball duties, pending investigation, then later reinstated him. They finished the season 33–49 (their worst in 9 years) which landed them in fifth place in the Pacific Division. They posted a losing record (20–21) at home for the first time since 1993–94. Their season included a seven-game losing streak that lasted from January 4 to 19. The Kings missed the [[2007 NBA playoffs]], the first time in eight seasons. Musselman was fired in April. The Kings' future appeared to rest on the shoulders of [[Kevin Martin (basketball, born 1983)|Kevin Martin]], who was a lead candidate for 2007 NBA Most-Improved Player of the Year.

[[File:kevinmartin.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Kevin Martin (basketball, born 1983)|Kevin Martin]] shoots a free throw at a Kings home game.]]
The 2007 off-season was a time of change. Head coach Musselman was replaced by former Kings player, [[Reggie Theus]]. The Kings selected [[Spencer Hawes]] with the 10th overall pick in the [[2007 NBA draft]]. In addition, they acquired [[Mikki Moore]] from the New Jersey Nets. Martin signed a contract worth $55 million, extending his period with the team for five more years. The Kings lost key players over the off-season, with backup Ronnie Price leaving for the Utah Jazz, and Corliss Williamson retiring.

They claimed fourth-year [[Beno Udrih]] off waivers from Minnesota. Udrih quickly assumed the starting position for an injured Bibby. It was announced in February that the Kings had traded Bibby to the [[Atlanta Hawks]] for [[Tyronn Lue]], [[Anthony Johnson (basketball)|Anthony Johnson]], [[Shelden Williams]], [[Lorenzen Wright]] and a 2nd round draft pick. The move was presumably made to clear cap space. Bibby had been the last player from the Kings team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2002.

The Kings improved by five games and finished the 2007–08 season 38–44 and missed the playoffs by a bigger margin (12 games) than the previous season (8 games). They went 26–15 at home and 12–29 on the road. After selling out every home game since 1999, the 2007–08 season sold out only three games at ARCO Arena with attendance averaging 13,500 fans per home game, almost 4,000 below capacity.

Following a quiet 2008 off-season, it was confirmed on July 29, 2008, that the Kings would trade Artest and the rights to [[Patrick Ewing Jr.]] and [[Sean Singletary]] to the [[Houston Rockets]] in exchange for former King [[Bobby Jackson (basketball)|Bobby Jackson]], [[Donté Greene]], a future first-round draft pick, and cash considerations<ref>{{cite web|last=Stein|first=Marc|title=Rockets agree to send pick, Greene, Jackson to Kings for Artest|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3510261|work=ESPN.com|date=July 31, 2008|access-date=July 31, 2008|archive-date=October 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018233827/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3510261|url-status=live}}</ref> for [[Rashad McCants]] and center [[Calvin Booth]].

[[Reggie Theus]] was fired in the middle of the 2008–09 season, giving way to [[Kenny Natt]] as the interim head coach. The Kings continued to struggle under Natt, ending up with the NBA's worst record for the 2008–09 season at 17–65. On April 23, 2009, Kings' Vice President Geoff Petrie announced the firing of Natt and his four assistants, Rex Kalamian, Jason Hamm, [[Randy Brown (basketball)|Randy Brown]] and Bubba Burrage.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kings fire interim coach Natt, four assistant coaches|url=http://www.nba.com/2009/news/04/23/kings.natt.fired.ap/index.html|agency=Associated Press|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=April 23, 2009|access-date=April 23, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426080203/http://www.nba.com/2009/news/04/23/kings.natt.fired.ap/index.html|archive-date=April 26, 2009}}</ref>

===2009–2012: Arrival of Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins===
{{main|Sacramento Kings failed relocation attempts}}

Despite having the best odds to win the top overall pick in the [[2009 NBA draft]], the Kings obtained the 4th overall pick, the lowest they could possibly pick, to the outrage of many fans. Along with new head coach [[Paul Westphal]], they selected [[Tyreke Evans]]. With the 23rd pick, they selected [[Omri Casspi]] from Israel.

[[File:Tyreke Evans.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Tyreke Evans]] won the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year award.]]
On April 27, 2010, Evans was the first Sacramento-era player to receive the [[NBA Rookie of the Year Award]]. Evans also became the fourth player in NBA history to average 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game as a rookie, joining [[Oscar Robertson]], [[Michael Jordan]], and [[LeBron James]].

On June 24, 2010, the Kings selected [[DeMarcus Cousins]] with the 5th pick of the [[2010 NBA draft]]. They also selected [[Hassan Whiteside]] with the 33rd pick of the [[2010 NBA draft]].

Despite the excellent play of Cousins and Evans, both of whom were front-runners in Rookie of the Year voting<ref>{{cite press release|title=Kings' Evans takes home T-Mobile Rookie of Year award|url=http://www.nba.com/2010/news/04/29/ROY.release/|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=April 29, 2010|access-date=June 15, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610232027/http://www.nba.com/2010/news/04/29/ROY.release/|archive-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/2011/news/05/04/rookie-of-the-year/index.html|title=Blake Griffin named 2010–11 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year|work=NBA.com|access-date=June 30, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429161346/http://www.nba.com/2011/news/05/04/rookie-of-the-year/index.html|archive-date=April 29, 2014}}</ref> and received [[NBA All-Rookie First Team|All-Rookie First Team]] honors,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/2010/news/04/30/allrookie.2010/|title=NBA.com: Evans, Jennings, Curry unanimous All-Rookie team picks|website=[[NBA.com]]|access-date=June 30, 2015|archive-date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612045808/http://www.nba.com/2010/news/04/30/allrookie.2010/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/2011/news/05/11/all-rookie-team-2010-11/index.html|title=Unanimous pick Griffin leads T-Mobile All-Rookie team roster|work=NBA.com|access-date=June 30, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612193144/http://www.nba.com/2011/news/05/11/all-rookie-team-2010-11/index.html|archive-date=June 12, 2015}}</ref> the Kings still ranked near the bottom of the NBA, going 25–57 in Evans' rookie year, and 24–58 in Cousins' rookie year. Much of this was due to the poor fit of the roster around Evans and Cousins, and the uninspired coaching of Westphal.

The 2010–11 season was marked with uncertainty towards the end of the season. Frustrated by the lack of progress towards an arena and dwindling profits from other businesses, the [[Maloof family|Maloofs]] sought an immediate relocation of the franchise to Anaheim. The move seemed certain towards the end of the year, with Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds emotionally signing off at the final home game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. But after a vote by the NBA Board of Governors, the relocation effort was ended, to the glee of the fans.

In the 2011 NBA draft the Kings traded for the draft rights of [[Jimmer Fredette]] in a three-team deal with the [[Charlotte Bobcats]] and the [[Milwaukee Bucks]], with the Kings receiving [[John Salmons]] sending [[Beno Udrih]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings_draft_pick_release_2011_06_23.html|title=Kings Acquire John Salmons and Draft Rights to Jimmer Fredette in Three-Team Trade|date=June 23, 2011|website=Kings.com|publisher=NBA Media Ventures LLC|access-date=March 5, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806193234/https://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings_draft_pick_release_2011_06_23.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This move was heavily panned by fans and media; by moving down in the draft and losing longtime starter Udrih for the unproductive Salmons, most found it difficult to find a bright spot in the deal. Westphal would shortly be fired, with Warriors assistant [[Keith Smart]] hired as his replacement. Around this time, the team took the slogan "Here we rise!" for its marketing campaign. Amidst various relocation rumors and locker room tensions, the Kings had yet another unsuccessful season. One of their few bright spots was rookie [[Isaiah Thomas (basketball)|Isaiah Thomas]]. Due to criticisms about his height (5'9" in shoes) and playmaking ability, Thomas slipped to the 60th and final pick of the draft. Despite this, and the presence of college superstar Fredette, Thomas earned the starting spot, finishing the season with averages of 11 points and 4 assists per game and earned a selection to the NBA All-Rookie team. In the [[2012 NBA draft]] they selected [[Thomas Robinson (basketball)|Thomas Robinson]] out of [[Kansas]].

Because of an unproductive rookie season by Robinson, he was traded with [[Francisco García (basketball)|Francisco García]] and [[Tyler Honeycutt]] to the [[Houston Rockets]] in exchange for [[Patrick Patterson (basketball)|Patrick Patterson]], [[Toney Douglas]] and [[Cole Aldrich]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Thomas Robinson, 2012 No. 5 overall pick, dealt by Sacramento Kings to Houston Rockets|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/8968568/thomas-robinson-2012-no-5-overall-pick-dealt-sacramento-kings-houston-rockets|publisher=ESPN|date=February 21, 2013|access-date=March 22, 2013|archive-date=February 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224005535/http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8968568/thomas-robinson-2012-no-5-overall-pick-dealt-sacramento-kings-houston-rockets|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2013–2015: Franchise restructuring===
On May 16, 2013, the [[Maloof family]] reached agreement to sell the Kings to a group led by Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur [[Vivek Ranadivé]] for a then-record NBA franchise valuation of $535 million. Ranadivé, 55, named [[Raj Bhathal]], 71, founder of [[Tustin, California|Tustin]]-based Raj Manufacturing,<ref name="test">{{cite web|last=Pierson|first=David|title=Some businesses think big during the downturn|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-13-fi-expand13-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=January 13, 2009|access-date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402205330/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/13/business/fi-expand13|url-status=live}}</ref> one of the largest swimwear companies in the nation, as one of the investors in a consortium to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the franchise's longtime owners, the Maloof family, for a reported $348 million. The group fought off a rival bid that would have moved the team to [[Seattle]] after the NBA's Board of Governors rejected investor [[Chris R. Hansen|Chris Hansen]]'s bid to [[Failed relocation of the Sacramento Kings#Seattle|relocate]] the team.<ref name="Raj">{{cite news|last=Liddane|first=Lisa|title=Swimwear magnate invests in NBA's Kings|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/kings-510021-bhathal-sports.html|work=[[OC Register]]|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=August 21, 2013|archive-date=September 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930070404/http://www.ocregister.com/articles/kings-510021-bhathal-sports.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Kings to stay in Sacramento as owners reject Seattle move|url=http://www.nba.com/2013/news/05/15/kings-stay-in-sacramento.ap/index.html|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=May 15, 2013|access-date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=June 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608085019/http://www.nba.com/2013/news/05/15/kings-stay-in-sacramento.ap/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The new owners intend to keep the team in [[Sacramento]].<ref name="bee">{{cite news|last=Bizjak |first=Tony |author2=Ryan Lillis |author3=Dale Kasler |title=Sacramento group, Maloof family reach deal for Kings |url=http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/16/5427622/kings.html |work=[[Sacramento Bee]] |date=May 16, 2013 |access-date=May 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602175155/http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/16/5427622/kings.html |archive-date=June 2, 2013 }}</ref> On May 28, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale, ending several years of efforts by other cities to take possession and move the Kings out of Sacramento.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bizjak |first=Tony |title=NBA Board of Governors unanimously approves sale of Kings |url=http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/28/5453258/nba-board-of-governors-unanimously.html |newspaper=Sacramento Bee |date=May 28, 2013 |access-date=May 28, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607161142/http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/28/5453258/nba-board-of-governors-unanimously.html |archive-date=June 7, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=NBA approves Kings sale to Sacramento group|url=http://www.nba.com/2013/news/05/28/kings-sale-official.ap/index.html|agency=Associated Press|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=May 28, 2013|access-date=May 28, 2013|archive-date=June 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607140137/http://www.nba.com/2013/news/05/28/kings-sale-official.ap/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 31, 2013, the Kings closed escrow, finalizing the sale to the Ranadivé group at a record valuation of $534 million, beginning a new era for the franchise.<ref>{{cite web|last=Helin|first=Kurt|title=Kings sale closes escrow, final price is record $534 million|url=http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/31/kings-sale-closes-escrow-final-price-is-record-534-million/|publisher=[[NBC Sports]]|date=May 31, 2013|access-date=May 31, 2013|archive-date=June 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609025614/http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/31/kings-sale-closes-escrow-final-price-is-record-534-million/|url-status=live}}</ref> Plans were already underway to move forward on an arena, as the Downtown Plaza was reportedly being sold to the Sacramento ownership group. A month later, on July 30, [[Turner Construction]] was selected to be the builder of the arena.

Once the sale had closed and ownership was transferred to Ranadivé, the Kings began making changes to the management and staff. [[Geoff Petrie]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Young|first=Royce|title=Report: New Kings ownership to let GM Geoff Petrie go|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/22311896/report-new-kings-ownership-to-let-gm-geoff-petrie-go|work=[[CBS Sports]]|date=May 27, 2013|access-date=May 27, 2013|archive-date=January 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113130500/https://www.cbssports.com/nba/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Keith Smart]]<ref>{{cite press release|title=Keith Smart Relieved of Head Coaching Duties|url=http://www.nba.com/kings/news/keith-smart-relieved-head-coaching-duties|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Kings.com|date=May 30, 2013|access-date=May 30, 2013|archive-date=June 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607232705/http://www.nba.com/kings/news/keith-smart-relieved-head-coaching-duties|url-status=live}}</ref> were released; [[Michael Malone]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Mike Malone hired as head coach|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/9335210/sacramento-kings-officially-announce-hiring-mike-malone-head-coach|publisher=ESPN|date=May 30, 2013|access-date=June 2, 2013|archive-date=June 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608140727/http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9335210/sacramento-kings-officially-announce-hiring-mike-malone-head-coach|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Pete D'Alessandro]]<ref>{{cite web|title=D'Alessandro begins 'dream job' as Kings GM|url=http://www.nba.com/2013/news/06/17/kings-dalessandro-dream-job.ap/index.html|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=June 17, 2013|access-date=June 18, 2013|archive-date=June 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618044719/http://www.nba.com/2013/news/06/17/kings-dalessandro-dream-job.ap/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> were brought in to replace them. [[Corliss Williamson]], [[Brendan Malone]], [[Chris Jent]], and [[Dee Brown (basketball, born 1968)|Dee Brown]] were brought in as assistant coaches. On July 10, NBA executive [[Chris Granger]] was hired as team president. On September 23, 2013, [[Shaquille O'Neal]] purchased a minority share of the team, jokingly dubbing the team's new organization the "Shaqramento Kings".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2013/09/24/magic-johnson-buys-less-than-5-of-sacramento-kings/|title=Shaq Buys Less Than 5% of Sacramento Kings|last=Ozanian|first=Mike|date=September 24, 2013|work=Forbes|access-date=March 5, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807041818/https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2013/09/24/magic-johnson-buys-less-than-5-of-sacramento-kings/|url-status=live}}</ref>

These hires coincided with several roster moves. In the [[2013 NBA draft]] on June 27, the Kings selected Kansas shooting guard [[Ben McLemore]], who was widely projected to go top five, with the seventh overall pick. They also selected point guard and former [[McDonald's All-American Game|McDonald's All-American]] [[Ray McCallum Jr.]] from the University of Detroit with the 36th pick. One week later, on July 5, the Kings sent former [[NBA Rookie of the Year]] Tyreke Evans to the [[New Orleans Pelicans]] in a three-team deal involving [[Robin Lopez]], [[Greivis Vásquez]], [[Jeff Withey]], [[Terrel Harris]], and picks. On July 9, the Kings traded a future second-round draft pick to the Bucks in exchange for defensive small forward [[Luc Richard Mbah a Moute]], and on July 15, the Kings signed Carl Landry, who had played a stint with the team in its previous ownership, to a 4-year deal worth $28 million.

The 2013–14 season was widely anticipated by Kings fans. Playing their first game on October 30, against the Nuggets, the Kings won 90–88, despite being without projected starters Landry and Mbah a Moute. They were led by a 30-point, 14-rebound performance from DeMarcus Cousins, and a putback dunk by [[Jason Thompson (basketball)|Jason Thompson]] with under a minute to play which sealed the victory for the Kings.

After the poor play of starting forwards [[John Salmons]] and [[Patrick Patterson (basketball)|Patrick Patterson]] through November, the Kings sought a change. On November 26, newly acquired [[Luc Richard Mbah a Moute]] was traded for power forward [[Derrick Williams (basketball)|Derrick Williams]]. Nearly two weeks later, on December 8, they acquired [[Rudy Gay]] in a blockbuster seven-player deal that sent the struggling Patterson and Salmons to Toronto along with [[Chuck Hayes]] and off-season acquisition [[Greivis Vásquez]]. [[Quincy Acy]] and [[Aaron Gray]] were also sent to the Kings. The organization sought to add depth to their lineup during the 2014 off-season to complement the Kings' star duo DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wise|first=Jason|title=Kings Show Depth in Preseason Opener|url=http://www.nba.com/kings/blog/kings-show-depth-preseason-opener|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Kings.com|date=October 5, 2014|access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=October 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007024424/http://www.nba.com/kings/blog/kings-show-depth-preseason-opener|url-status=live}}</ref> Sacramento added [[Darren Collison]], [[Ryan Hollins]] and [[Ramon Sessions]] through free agency signings, as well as drafting [[Nik Stauskas]] prior to the start of the [[2014–15 Sacramento Kings season|2014–15 season]].

After an 11–13 start to the 2014–15 season, head coach [[Michael Malone]] was fired by the Sacramento Kings organization. [[Tyrone Corbin]] filled in for the Kings until Hall of Fame coach [[George Karl]] replaced him in February 2015.

On January 30, 2015, DeMarcus Cousins was named to replace the injured [[Kobe Bryant]] as a Western Conference All-Star in the [[2015 NBA All-Star Game]]. Cousins' selection marked the first time a Kings player earned All-Star honors since [[Brad Miller (basketball)|Brad Miller]] and [[Peja Stojaković]] represented Sacramento in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|title=DeMarcus Cousins Named to 2015 NBA All-Star Team|url=http://www.nba.com/kings/news/cousins-2015-allstar|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Kings.com|date=January 30, 2015|access-date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=April 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430110045/http://www.nba.com/kings/news/cousins-2015-allstar|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:DeMarcus Cousins Dec 2013.jpg|thumb|Demarcus Cousins in a game]]

===2015–2017: Rise of Cousins===
On March 3, 2015, the Kings announced former Sacramento center [[Vlade Divac]] as the new vice president of basketball operations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kings Name Vlade Divac Vice President of Basketball and Franchise Operations|url=http://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-name-vlade-divac-vice-president-bball-franchise-operations|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Kings.com|date=March 3, 2015|access-date=August 20, 2015|archive-date=October 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023024557/http://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-name-vlade-divac-vice-president-bball-franchise-operations|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the end of Sacramento's 29–53 season for 2014–15, The Kings made aggressive off-season moves in drafting [[Willie Cauley-Stein]] and acquiring [[Rajon Rondo]], [[Kosta Koufos]], [[Marco Belinelli]], and [[Caron Butler]] in preparation for the [[2015–16 Sacramento Kings season|2015–16 season]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Kings Sign Rondo, Belinelli, Koufos|url=http://www.nba.com/kings/news/07132015-press-release|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Kings.com|date=July 13, 2015|access-date=August 20, 2015|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127065209/https://www.nba.com/kings/news/07132015-press-release|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Kings select Willie Cauley-Stein with No. 6 pick in 2015 NBA draft|url=https://www.si.com/nba/2015/06/25/willie-cauley-stein-2015-nba-draft-sacramento-kings|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=June 26, 2015|access-date=August 20, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924145618/http://www.si.com/nba/2015/06/25/willie-cauley-stein-2015-nba-draft-sacramento-kings|url-status=live}}</ref> To free up cap space, Divac traded [[Nik Stauskas]], [[Carl Landry]], [[Jason Thompson (basketball)|Jason Thompson]], a future top 10 protected first-round pick, and the right to swap two future first-round picks to the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] for the rights to second-round picks [[Artūras Gudaitis]] and [[Luka Mitrović]].<ref>Rich Hoffman, [https://www.phillyvoice.com/grades-trade-sixers-stauskas-thompson-landry-kings/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223608/https://www.phillyvoice.com/grades-trade-sixers-stauskas-thompson-landry-kings/|date=August 2, 2018}} "Grading the trade: Sixers acquire Stauskas, Thompson, Landry, first-round pick, and two pick swaps from Kings", July 2, 2015</ref> While the 76ers gave up nearly nothing to acquire draft assets that would result in the selection of number 1 overall pick [[Markelle Fultz]], the Kings remained one of the worst teams in the NBA. It was regarded by many as one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history.<ref>Tony Manfred, [https://www.businessinsider.com/sixers-trade-stauskas-picks-kings-deal-2015-7], "The Sixers got 3 players and a 1st-round pick for nothing in one of the most lopsided NBA trades ever", July 2, 2015</ref>

On April 14, 2016, after a 33–49 season, the Kings fired head coach George Karl.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/15203663/sacramento-kings-fire-coach-george-karl|title=Kings fire Karl, search for 9th coach since '07|newspaper=ESPN.com|access-date=December 16, 2016|archive-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221003949/http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/15203663/sacramento-kings-fire-coach-george-karl|url-status=live}}</ref> Karl compiled a record of 44–68 with the Kings.

The [[2016–17 NBA season|2016–17 season]] brought several changes. The Kings moved into their new arena, [[Golden 1 Center]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/city-arena/article109698662.html|title=Gleaming Golden 1 Center a big upgrade from Kings' previous eight homes|newspaper=sacbee|access-date=December 19, 2016|archive-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221063551/http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/city-arena/article109698662.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 9, 2016, the Kings hired former Memphis Grizzlies coach [[Dave Joerger]] as head coach.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/kings/2016/05/09/dave-joerger-sacramento-kings-memphis-grizzlies/84132000/|title=Sacramento Kings hire Dave Joerger as next head coach|newspaper=USA TODAY|access-date=December 16, 2016|archive-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221153200/http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/kings/2016/05/09/dave-joerger-sacramento-kings-memphis-grizzlies/84132000/|url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[2016 NBA draft]], the Kings traded the 8th pick to the Phoenix Suns for the 13th and 28th pick in the draft, as well as the rights to Serbian guard [[Bogdan Bogdanović (basketball)|Bogdan Bogdanović]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2016-nba-draft-kings-select-marquese-chriss-at-no-8-trade-him-to-suns/|title=2016 NBA Draft: Kings pick Marquese Chriss at No. 8, trade him to Suns|newspaper=CBSSports.com|access-date=December 16, 2016|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180536/http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2016-nba-draft-kings-select-marquese-chriss-at-no-8-trade-him-to-suns/|url-status=live}}</ref> Later in the evening, the Kings traded Marco Belinelli to the [[Charlotte Hornets]] in exchange for the 22nd pick in the draft.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/report-kings-trade-marco-belinelli-to-hornets-for-no-22-pick/|title=Report: Kings trade Marco Belinelli to Hornets for No. 22 pick|newspaper=CBSSports.com|access-date=December 16, 2016|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180602/http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/report-kings-trade-marco-belinelli-to-hornets-for-no-22-pick/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Kings selected four players in the 2016 NBA draft—Greek center [[Georgios Papagiannis]] with the 13th pick, [[Syracuse Orange men's basketball|Syracuse]] shooting guard [[Malachi Richardson]] with the 22nd pick, Kentucky forward [[Skal Labissière|Skal Labissiere]] with the 28th pick, and [[Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball|Oklahoma]] guard [[Isaiah Cousins]] with the 59th pick.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article85636657.html|title=Kings turn one first-round pick into three in NBA draft|newspaper=sacbee|access-date=December 16, 2016|archive-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221061404/http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article85636657.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In free agency, the Kings signed [[Anthony Tolliver]], [[Garrett Temple]], [[Arron Afflalo]], [[Matt Barnes]], and [[Ty Lawson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/nba/team/transactions/_/name/sac/sacramento-kings|title=Sacramento Kings 2016 Team Transactions: Trades, Injured List, Free Agents and Signings - ESPN|website=ESPN.com|access-date=December 19, 2016|archive-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221041401/http://www.espn.com/nba/team/transactions/_/name/sac/sacramento-kings|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2017–2022: Post-Cousins Rebuild===
On February 20, 2017, the Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins, alongside [[Omri Casspi]] to the [[New Orleans Pelicans]] for [[Tyreke Evans]], [[Buddy Hield]], [[Langston Galloway]] and two future draft picks.<ref name="Cousins trade">{{cite news|title=Kings Acquire Hield, Evans, Galloway, and 2017 Draft Selections|url=http://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-acquire-hield-evans-galloway|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Kings.com|date=February 20, 2017|access-date=February 22, 2017|archive-date=February 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222032434/http://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-acquire-hield-evans-galloway/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Kings finished the 2016–17 season with a 32–50 record.

In the [[2017 NBA draft]] the team selected Kentucky point guard [[De'Aaron Fox]] with the fifth pick.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19690297/2017-nba-draft-sacramento-kings-pick-no-5-deaaron-fox-kentucky-guard|title=Kings pick at No.5: De'Aaron Fox, Kentucky guard|date=June 22, 2017|website=ESPN.com|publisher=ESPN|access-date=March 11, 2020|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528084823/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19690297/2017-nba-draft-sacramento-kings-pick-no-5-deaaron-fox-kentucky-guard|url-status=live}}</ref> They also selected North Carolina forward [[Justin Jackson (basketball, born 1995)|Justin Jackson]] with the 15th pick, Duke center [[Harry Giles (basketball)|Harry Giles]] with the 20th pick,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2707418-harry-giles-joins-deaaron-fox-justin-jackson-as-kings-2017-nba-draft-picks|title=Harry Giles joins De'Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson as Kings 2017 NBA Draft Picks|last=Conway|first=Tyler|date=June 22, 2017|publisher=Bleacher Report|access-date=March 5, 2020|archive-date=May 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519121414/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2707418-harry-giles-joins-deaaron-fox-justin-jackson-as-kings-2017-nba-draft-picks|url-status=live}}</ref> and Kansas point guard [[Frank Mason III]] with the 34th pick. With four rookie pickups, Divac wanted to add veteran presences on the roster. On July 10, 2017, the team signed three veterans—[[Vince Carter]], [[Zach Randolph]], and [[George Hill (basketball)|George Hill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19956971/sacramento-kings-sign-vince-carter|title=Sacramento Kings sign Vince Carter|work=ESPN.com|date=July 10, 2017|access-date=March 5, 2020|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528060050/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19956971/sacramento-kings-sign-vince-carter|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/nba/2017/07/04/zach-randolph-sacramento-kings-contract-free-agency-rumors|title=Kings, Zach Randolph agree to two-year, $24 million contract|last=Woo|first=Jeremy|date=July 4, 2017|publisher=Sports Illustrated|access-date=March 5, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807005441/https://www.si.com/nba/2017/07/04/zach-randolph-sacramento-kings-contract-free-agency-rumors|url-status=live}}</ref>

The team finished the 2017–18 season with a 27–55 record, placing 12th in the Western Conference. Giles sat out the entire season due to a leg injury despite previous reports that he would make his rookie debut in January.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20937662/harry-giles-sacramento-kings-make-nba-debut-least-january|title=Harry Giles won't play in NBA until at least January|last=Goodman|first=Jeff|date=October 6, 2017|website=ESPN.com|publisher=ESPN|access-date=March 5, 2020|archive-date=May 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525140706/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20937662/harry-giles-sacramento-kings-make-nba-debut-least-january|url-status=live}}</ref> Hill was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article199100994.html|title=Kings trade George Hill to Cavs in multi-team deal; Malachi Richardson to Raptors|last=Jones|first=Jason|date=February 8, 2018|website=sacbee.com|publisher=The Sacramento Bee|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209223918/http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article199100994.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Greek center Papagiannis, who was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, averaged only 2.1 points in the 16 games played.

During the [[2018 NBA draft]], the Kings selected Duke center [[Marvin Bagley III]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23867177/2018-nba-draft-sacramento-kings-select-marvin-bagley-iii|title=Kings go power forward route with Marvin Bagley III as No.2 pick|website=ESPN.com|publisher=ESPN|date=June 21, 2018|access-date=March 5, 2020|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528064801/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23867177/2018-nba-draft-sacramento-kings-select-marvin-bagley-iii|url-status=live}}</ref> The team was criticized following the draft for not selecting [[Luka Dončić]], while Divac would go on to say he was confident in Bagley. Prior to the 2018–19 season, multiple analysts picked Sacramento to finish last in the Western Conference, calling their recent draft a "missed opportunity to build" and their lack of a veteran presence to offset their rookie lineup. The Kings lost to the Utah Jazz 123–117 in their season opener on October 17, 2018. Despite starting the season 1–3, including a loss to the Pelicans in which they gave up 149 points, the team would go onto win their next five games to hold a winning record. By December 30, the team held a 19–16 record. Ultimately, the Kings finished the season in ninth place in the Western Conference posting a record of 39–43; they again missed the playoffs. However, this was the team's best regular-season record since their last playoff appearance in the [[2005–06 Sacramento Kings season|2005–06 season]]. In spite of this, head coach Joerger was fired after the conclusion of the season,<ref>{{cite news|title=Dave Joerger Relieved as Kings Head Coach|url=https://www.nba.com/kings/news/dave-joerger-relieved-kings-head-coach|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Kings.com|date=April 11, 2019|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107231610/https://www.nba.com/kings/news/dave-joerger-relieved-kings-head-coach|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Joerger done in Sacramento after three seasons|url=https://www.nba.com/article/2019/04/11/reports-kings-plan-fire-dave-joerger|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=NBA.com|date=April 11, 2019|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=April 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411200130/https://www.nba.com/article/2019/04/11/reports-kings-plan-fire-dave-joerger|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Luke Walton]] was hired as his replacement three days later.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kings Announce Luke Walton as Head Coach|url=https://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-announce-luke-walton-head-coach|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Kings.com|date=April 14, 2019|access-date=November 6, 2019|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107230839/https://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-announce-luke-walton-head-coach|url-status=live}}</ref>

Earlier in the season, the Kings were rocked by the discovery that their former chief revenue officer, Jeff David, had embezzled $13.4 million in sponsorship payments from the Kings and their corporate partners over four years. David, who had taken a similar position with the [[Miami Heat]], pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft and was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28078881/how-nba-executive-jeff-david-stole-13-million-sacramento-kings|title=How NBA executive Jeff David stole $13 million from the Sacramento Kings|author1=Kevin Arnovitz|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=November 19, 2019|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=March 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323142455/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28078881/how-nba-executive-jeff-david-stole-13-million-sacramento-kings|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the [[suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season]], the Kings were one of the 22 teams invited to the [[2020 NBA Bubble|NBA Bubble]] to participate in the final 8 games of the regular season.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.nba.com/article/2020/06/04/board-of-governors-approves-nba-return-official-release |title=NBA Board of Governors approves competitive format to restart 2019-20 season with 22 teams returning to play |publisher=NBA |date=June 4, 2020 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=June 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612050333/https://www.nba.com/article/2020/06/04/board-of-governors-approves-nba-return-official-release }}</ref> However, Sacramento finished these games with a 3–5 record, missing the play-in game and extending their playoff drought for the 14th consecutive season.

====2020: Arrival of Monte McNair====
On August 14, 2020, the Sacramento Kings announced that general manager [[Vlade Divac]] would resign from his position.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Tracee|last1=Jay|title=Vlade Divac Steps Down as Kings GM Joe Dumars Named Interim EVP of Basketball Operations|url=https://www.nba.com/kings/news/vlade-divac-steps-down-kings-gm|date=August 14, 2020|website=NBA.com|access-date=August 14, 2020|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101021839/https://www.nba.com/kings/news/vlade-divac-steps-down-kings-gm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Joe Dumars]], a former player and executive for the [[Detroit Pistons]], would be named interim Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations; Dumars had joined the Kings as a special advisor in June of the previous year.

Following a month-long search, the Sacramento Kings announced on September 17, 2020, that [[Houston Rockets]] executive [[Monte McNair]] would be hired as the franchise's new general manager.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nba.com/kings/kings-name-monte-mcnair-general-manager |title=Kings Name Monte McNair General Manager |website=nba.com |date=September 17, 2020 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=December 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203203804/https://www.nba.com/kings/kings-name-monte-mcnair-general-manager }}</ref> With the Rockets, McNair spent thirteen years working under [[Daryl Morey]], serving in various roles; he was most recently named assistant general manager in 2018. Following this hire, interim executive Joe Dumars was named as the chief strategy officer of the organization.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nba.com/kings/kings-name-joe-dumars-chief-strategy-officer |title=Kings Name Joe Dumars Chief Strategy Officer |work=nba.com |date=September 17, 2020 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=June 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617142417/https://www.nba.com/kings/kings-name-joe-dumars-chief-strategy-officer }}</ref> Other candidates for the position included [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] executive vice president Sachin Gupta, [[Denver Nuggets]] general manager [[Calvin Booth]], and former [[Atlanta Hawks]] general manager Wes Wilcox. McNair announced three additional hires on October 14, 2020; these included the aforementioned Wes Wilcox who became an assistant GM, former [[Philadelphia 76ers]] scouting director Phil Jabour as vice president of player personnel, and [[Oklahoma City Blue]] executive Paul Johnson as director of basketball operations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article246440210.html |title=Kings GM Monte McNair hires Wes Wilcox, Phil Jabour, Paul Johnson to fill out front office |last=Anderson |first=Jason |work=The Sacramento Bee |date=October 14, 2020 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=April 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425205811/https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article246440210.html }}</ref>

In July 2021, Dyal Capital, a unit of [[Blue Owl Capital]], began to solidify a deal investing in the basketball team, giving the investment firm a 5 percent stake in the team with a valuation of $1.5 billion, though another person familiar with the matter placed the valuation closer to $1.8 billion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Phoenix Suns valued at 'US$1.55bn' as Dyal makes first NBA investment - SportsPro Media|url=https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/phoenix-suns-dyal-homecourt-partners-minority-stake-nba-private-equity|access-date=July 12, 2021|website=sportspromedia.com|date=July 7, 2021|archive-date=July 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712132305/https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/phoenix-suns-dyal-homecourt-partners-minority-stake-nba-private-equity|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Gottfried|first=Miriam|date=July 11, 2021|title=Dyal Capital Nears Deal for Minority Stake in Sacramento Kings|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/dyal-capital-nears-deal-for-minority-stake-in-sacramento-kings-sources-say-11626022932|access-date=July 12, 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=July 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712132303/https://www.wsj.com/articles/dyal-capital-nears-deal-for-minority-stake-in-sacramento-kings-sources-say-11626022932|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2021 NBA draft]], in order to improve their defense the Kings selected [[Davion Mitchell]] from [[Baylor University]] with the ninth pick.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kings Select Davion Mitchell in the First Round of NBA Draft 2021|url=https://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-select-davion-mitchell-first-round-nba-draft-2021|website=NBA.com|accessdate=October 29, 2021|date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=October 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030153637/https://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-select-davion-mitchell-first-round-nba-draft-2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

On November 22, 2021, head coach [[Luke Walton]] was fired after a mediocre 6–11 start; he was then replaced by [[Alvin Gentry]] on an interim basis.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kings fire coach Luke Walton after 6-11 start, name Alvin Gentry as interim coach|url=https://www.nba.com/news/report-sacramento-kings-fire-coach-luke-walton-after-6-11-start|website=NBA.com|access-date=November 23, 2021|date=November 22, 2021|archive-date=November 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123013737/https://www.nba.com/news/report-sacramento-kings-fire-coach-luke-walton-after-6-11-start|url-status=live}}</ref> For the 16th season in a row, the Sacramento Kings failed to reach the [[2022 NBA playoffs|Playoffs]], and thus passing the [[Los Angeles Clippers]] for the [[List of NBA franchise post-season droughts|longest playoff drought in NBA history]], the Kings also made a blockbuster trade at the trade deadline with the [[Indiana Pacers]] sending [[Tyrese Haliburton]] for [[Domantas Sabonis]]. Following the season, the Kings' fired [[Alvin Gentry|Gentry]] as head coach.

===2022–2025: Fox and Sabonis Era===
On May 9, 2022, [[Golden State Warriors]] associate head coach [[Mike Brown (basketball, born 1970)|Mike Brown]] was announced as the next head coach of the Kings. His tenure with the team began after the Warriors finished their [[2021–22 Golden State Warriors season|2021–22 season]] where they won the [[2022 NBA Finals|2022 NBA championship]]. During the 2022–23 season, the Kings began lighting a large, purple beam into the night sky after every game won, inspiring chants of "[[Light the Beam]]" from the crowd at the end of victories at home.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Irving |first1=Kyle |title=What is the Kings' victory beam? Sacramento's new winning tradition is taking NBA by storm |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/kings-victory-beam-sacramento-winning-tradition/r1w5oia91kvyvnyl7ujsrblz |website=Sporting News |access-date=January 12, 2023 |date=November 23, 2022 |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112065206/https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/kings-victory-beam-sacramento-winning-tradition/r1w5oia91kvyvnyl7ujsrblz |url-status=live }}</ref>

Both [[De'Aaron Fox]] and [[Domantas Sabonis]] were named All-Stars and named to the All-NBA Third Team. On February 24, 2023, the Kings beat the host [[Los Angeles Clippers]] in double-overtime by the final score of 176–175. It was the second-highest scoring game in NBA history behind a December 13, 1983, affair in which the [[Detroit Pistons]] beat the [[Denver Nuggets]] 186–184 in triple-overtime. The game featured 44 combined three-pointers made, tied for the most in a game in NBA history and both teams shot over 58 percent from the field and over 80 percent free throws. It was also the first time in Kings franchise history in which two players scored at least 40 points in a game ([[Malik Monk]] scored a career-high 45, De'Aaron Fox had 42).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reedy |first1=Joe |title=Kings outlast Clippers 176-175 in double overtime |url=https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-malik-monk-4047cea9a226d5fd135de97c65d0d054 |website=Associated Press |access-date=March 9, 2023 |date=February 24, 2023 |archive-date=March 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309234557/https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-malik-monk-4047cea9a226d5fd135de97c65d0d054 |url-status=live }}</ref> On March 29, the Kings beat the [[Portland Trail Blazers]] 120–80 to clinch a playoff spot, breaking a 16-year playoff drought, which at the time was the longest active playoff drought in the four major North American sports.<ref>{{cite news|last=Peterson|first=Anne M.|title=Kings clinch 1st playoff berth since 2006, ending 16-season drought|url=https://www.nba.com/news/kings-clinch-1st-playoff-berth-since-2006|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=NBA.com|date=March 30, 2023|access-date=March 31, 2023|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331014947/https://www.nba.com/news/kings-clinch-1st-playoff-berth-since-2006|url-status=live}}</ref> In the playoffs, they were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in seven games. [[Mike Brown (basketball, born 1970)|Mike Brown]] was named [[NBA Coach of the Year|NBA Coach Of The Year]] for his role in ending the playoff drought.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mike Brown Named Unanimous 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year |url=https://www.nba.com/kings/news/mike-brown-named-unanimous-2022-23-nba-coach-of-the-year |access-date=2024-12-28 |website=www.nba.com}}</ref>

The next season, despite both Fox and Sabonis failing to return to the All-Star Team (though Sabonis was later named All-NBA Third Team and leading the league in double doubles and triple doubles), the Kings finished 46–36.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacramento Kings 2023-24 NBA Regular Season Stats - ESPN (AU) |url=https://www.espn.com.au/nba/team/stats/_/name/sac/sacramento-kings |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=ESPN}}</ref> However, they finished only 9th in that year's strong Western Conference. The Kings made the play-in tournament for the year, beating the Warriors in their first game but later losing to the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the offseason, the team acquired 6-time All-Star [[DeMar DeRozan|Demar DeRozan]] in a sign-and-trade deal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kings to land DeMar DeRozan in 3-team sign-and-trade deal |url=https://www.nba.com/news/demar-derozan-free-agency |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=NBA.com}}</ref> After a 13-18 start, the Kings fired [[Mike Brown (basketball, born 1970)|Mike Brown]] just 18 months after he won Coach Of The Year.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=2024-12-27 |title=Struggling Sacramento Kings fire coach Mike Brown after 13-18 start to season |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/dec/27/mike-brown-fired-sacramento-kings-coach |access-date=2024-12-28 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-27 |title=Kings Fire Two-Time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown Amid 13-18 Start |url=https://www.si.com/nba/sacramento-kings-fire-mike-brown-slow-start |access-date=2024-12-28 |work=SI}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mike Brown Relieved as Kings Head Coach |url=https://www.nba.com/kings/news/mike-brown-relieved-as-kings-head-coach |date=December 27, 2024 |work=NBA.com |access-date=December 27, 2024}}</ref> On 3 February 2025, the Kings completed a three-team trade, sending De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs while acquiring [[Zach LaVine]] from the Bulls. Sacramento also received [[Sidy Cissoko]] and a haul of draft picks, including a 2025 first-rounder from Charlotte.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=3 February 2025 |title=De'Aaron Fox headed to Spurs, Zach LaVine to Kings in 3-team trade |url=https://www.nba.com/news/deaaron-fox-trade-kings-spurs-bulls-zach-lavine-3-team-deal |work=NBA.com |location= |publisher= |access-date=4 February 2025}}</ref>