Sending all the point guards away, taking over the two stars of the Bulls and seeking death? The Kings have no philosophy in building a team.

Translator's Note: This article was originally published by CBS, and the author is Sam Quinn. The data in the article are as of the time of publication of the original article (October 28, local time). The opinions in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

The Kings' roster isn't just old school... rather, just plain old.

For the past eight months or so, we've all been joking about how the Sacramento Kings have turned into the Chicago Bulls of the early 2020s. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Sabonis play Vucevic's role. Their ambitions seem to stop at the play-offs. The analogy was once considered a light-hearted joke, but Wednesday's game completely shattered that impression, and in a negative way.

The Bulls, who were undefeated at the time, defeated the Kings 126-113 at home. This campaign gave the Bulls their fourth win of the season, while the Kings suffered their fourth defeat, revealing a cruel reality: even the Bulls, who were once despised, have now left the sluggish Kings far behind.

The Bulls, long criticized as the NBA's most stagnant team, have successfully transformed into a competitive team with a distinctive modern style. They averaged third in the league in passes per game and seventh in pace. Although the three-point production has declined, given that it ranked fifth in three-point attempt rate last season, a rebound can be expected. Vucevic is the only one left on the team from the previous lineup, and the core of the team has completed the replacement of old and new players - all players on the field this season are no more than 27 years old.

Looking at the Kings, their lineup is like an 11-year-old kid forming a team at will in "NBA2K18", but they don't know that the game has already been updated. In Wednesday's game, the Kings sent Sabonis, three former All-Star guards over 30 (LaVine, DeRozan, Russell Westbrook) and 30-year-old guard Dennis Schroeder who signed a three-year contract this summer. The style of basketball played by this "classic car" lineup has disappeared since the peak of these big-name players ended.

The Kings' shot selection is a disaster: 22nd in penalty area attempts, 27th in three-point attempt rate, and 29th in free throw rate. The only "bright spot" is that they lead the league in mid-range shots with 15.6 per game - the last team with so many mid-range shots was the Chicago Bulls in the 2022-23 season. His passing rate is sixth from the bottom in the league, his rhythm is below average, and his offensive efficiency is fifth from the bottom in the league.

At present, their hope of breaking through the trade is very slim. During the offseason, they tried to send Monk away to make room for Westbrook. In the end, they failed to reach a deal, but they still signed Westbrook. And LaVine, who was exchanged as a core bargaining chip in the Fox trade, is now depleted in the trading market. TheAthletic reporter Sam Amick said bluntly: "I can't find any team that has a clear intention to take over LaVine."

Keegan Murray's comeback may alleviate the dilemma. He is the only young player reused by the team. Like Monk, the Kings seem to be selling 2024 first-round pick Devin Carter in the summer, who has only played 24 minutes so far this season; 2025 rookie Nick Clifford has also played only 24 minutes. Keon Ellis, the team's best defender, is a scarce off-the-ball attack point, and his playing time is actually less than Westbrook, who joined two weeks ago.

The construction logic of this lineup is puzzling. Perhaps it can be called a subtle display. However, the Fox trade was used to exchange for immediate combat power instead of draft picks, which shows that the boss still wants to remain competitive. The friendly interpretation is: the team tried to use balloon stars to create the illusion of competitiveness.

But this explanation is difficult to reconcile: If the plan is ruined, why sign Schroeder with a three-year contract? The trade rumors involving Kuminga (who is willing to offer a first-round pick) are even more contradictory to this. It is difficult to deal with the two "minimum guaranteed" stars Sabonis and DeRozan, let alone give away other long-term contracts at the same time.

There is another explanation that sounds more heartbreaking and may be closer to the truth. Three years ago, the "Beam Team" set the NBA's historical offensive efficiency record. Its modern style of play is pleasing to the eye: 4th in passing, 5th in three-pointers, and 12th in rhythm. They would have gone further had Fox not injured his finger in the playoffs. However, after losing to the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, the team quickly collapsed: a slight drop of two wins caused the ranking to slip from 3rd to 9th, the coach was fired, and the lineup fell apart. Old player Huerter has rejuvenated the Bulls, who have remained undefeated this season. Fox and Barnes have made contributions to the Spurs, who are also undefeated this season. Mitchell Jr. has become the starting point guard of the Miami Heat, which ranks seventh in offensive efficiency; Mike Brown has brought the original Kings' tactical system to the New York Knicks, who are in desperate need of reform. At the same time, Sabonis, the only remaining core of the Kings team, has been marginalized. This season's touches, shots, and assists have all reached franchise lows, becoming a microcosm of the collapse of the system.

Long-term weakness has caused the Kings to suffer from "success phobia": the salary space that could have been strengthened in 2023 was used to renew Sabonis in advance; after the ranking fell, the boss hurriedly fired the best coach of the year and used the inexperienced Christie (the last time he took charge with the famous Divac failed); the forced signing of DeRozan was obviously incompatible with the lineup. All this prompted Fox to leave - he chose a team with a history of successful rebuilding. And the king, fearful of repeating his mistakes, refused to retreat when necessary.

In the final analysis, the King does not know how to continue his success. The stars they have piled up are actually options that strong teams avoid: DeRozan has played for two disappointing teams in a row, the Bulls are eager to get rid of LaVine, Westbrook has been frequently abandoned by championship teams in recent years, and Schroeder has changed to seven teams in four years. These "big fish" in the eyes of the King are nothing more than premium or outdated assets to the league. Together, they reflect that the Kings are a team that lacks a sense of direction: in order to maintain its short-term glory, it does not hesitate to subvert the concept of modern basketball. A team that seemed to be at the forefront of the league three years ago is now suddenly far behind, far behind the teams they once mocked. In Sacramento, it feels like it's the mid-2010s again.