The Sacramento Kings have had a rollercoaster 2024-25 campaign, highlighted by trading away star guard De'Aaron Fox and firing head coach Mike Brown, but they still hang around the playoff picture.
The Kings have lost five of their last six games and nine of their last 12, as many fans have begun to think about missing the play-in tournament altogether. For nearly the entire 2024-25 season, the Kings seemed like a shoo-in to at least make the play-in, but the nightmare of missing the postseason once again has settled in.
As it stands, the Kings are in tenth place in the Western Conference with a 36-38 record, but the complete Western Conference play-in tournament picture follows:
6. Golden State Warriors, 43-31
7. Minnesota Timberwolves, 43-32
8. LA Clippers, 42-32
9. Dallas Mavericks, 37-38
10. Sacramento Kings, 36-38
11. Phoenix Suns, 35-40
The Kings trail the ninth-place Mavericks by 0.5 games, but are ahead of the 11th-place Suns by 1.5 games. With eight games left in the regular season, there is plenty of time to either move up or down into the nine or 11 spots, but new injury news could heavily impact their postseason chances.
Suns superstar Kevin Durant is expected to miss at least one week due to a left ankle sprain that he suffered in their loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant is expected to miss at least one week through team's three-game road trip with a left ankle sprain, sources tell ESPN. Suns are 1.5 games out of Play-In with the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA.
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Durant has been incredible this season, averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game with efficient 52.7/43.0/83.9 shooting splits. But, even with the superstar duo of Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns have been subpar.
The Suns are on an active three-game losing streak and sit five games below .500. With just seven games left in the regular season for Phoenix, they could be in trouble.
The Suns are just 2-11 when Durant is sidelined this season, and both wins have come against the worst team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz. The Suns have proven they struggle without their superstar forward on the court, and having to close their regular season without him while they sit on the outside of the play-in picture is devastating.
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35)
Mar 30, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts after fouling a Houston Rockets player in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Of course, this gives the Kings an advantage to secure their spot in the play-in tournament, but is that good news for Sacramento?
If the Kings miss the play-in tournament and finish with the 12th-worst record in the NBA, they would have a 93.2% chance to keep their first-round pick. If they make the play-in and finish with the 13th-worst record in the league, that drops to just 4.8%.
Sacramento's first-round pick this year is top-12 protected, so if it falls outside of the top 12, it conveys to the Atlanta Hawks. This puts the Kings in a tricky situation, especially because they are unlikely to make it out of the play-in tournament, let alone make noise in the playoffs.