Many Sacramento Kings fans are calling for the team to tank. NBA teams tank for one reason — it works.
There are, however, caveats. Tanking doesn’t ALWAYS work; it’s hard to keep fans engaged while you’re tanking, and flattened lottery odds make it more difficult than ever to land the best players in the draft.
There’s one other problem with tanking: It can take longer than you expect.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how long it’s taken four teams, the Sacramento Kings are believed to be patterning their rebuild after, to complete the job; that is, how many losing seasons did each endure before posting a winning record?
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Rebuilding Team Gold Standard!
After reaching the postseason 10 times in 11 years, the Thunder decided to start from scratch. They slipped to 22 wins in ’20-’21, and 24 wins the next year. They posted 40 wins in 2022-’23 and actually qualified for the Play-In tournament.
During this rebuilding period, they drafted Aaron Wiggins, Josh Giddy, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. Believe it or not, the Thunder rebuild actually began while they were still in Seattle.
Long story short, they received a first-round pick from Phoenix in exchange for assuming Kurt Thomas’s contract.
With the pick, they drafted Serge Ibaka. Ibaka was later traded to Orlando for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, both of whom were eventually sent to the Pacers for Paul George. When Paul George was sent to the Clippers, OKC received their current centerpiece, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
That’s Sam Presti playing chess, not checkers. 3-D, time-travel chess.
TIME IT TOOK TO GET FROM REBUILDING TO REBUILT: 3 years. Following their 40-win Play-In season, they catapulted to 57 wins, then 68 wins, and the NBA title. Oh, and they currently hold FOUR first-round picks in the 2026 Draft.
Detroit Pistons
This rebuild has been a success story, but it has taken a while. From 2016 through 2019, the Pistons managed 44, 37, 39, and 41 wins. At that point, head coach Dwayne Casey implored the front office to refresh the roster.
They missed on Killian Hayes with the 7th pick in 2020, but won the lottery the next year and drafted Cade Cunningham number one overall. They added Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson the next two years, but still limped through seasons of 20, 20, 23, 17, and — urp! — 14 wins before improving by 30 victories last season.
44 wins earned them a spot in the playoffs. Though they were knocked out by the Knicks in the first round, the Pistons’ great start this year — tops in the East through November — leaves no doubt the rebuild has been well-executed.
TIME IT TOOK TO GET FROM REBUILDING TO REBUILT: 5 years. The Pistons, however, consider the process ongoing. And by the way, many in Detroit see the Pistons as a potential trade partner for the Sacramento Kings this year.
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Portland Trail Blazers
Led by the prolific backcourt tandem of Dame Lillard and CJ McCollum, the Blazers were a playoff team from 2013-14 through 2020-21. But they survived the first round only 3 times in those 8 years, and eventually decided it was time to move on from their aging core. Since then, they’ve won 27, 33, 21, and 36 games.
They’ve also traded Dame away and brought him back. They’re hoping Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson can become their next prolific backcourt, while also drafting Donovan Clingan and Hansen Yang.
The Blazers have added potential centerpiece Deni Avdija, along with Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday, to form a young, athletic, defensive-minded nucleus.
TIME IT HAS TAKEN TO GET FROM REBUILDING TO REBUILT: 5 years and counting. The Blazers have still not posted a winning record since 2020-21, though they did manage to scratch out 36 victories last year. Chauncey Billups’ legal issues further complicate the effort.
San Antonio Spurs
In 22 seasons between ’97-’98 and ’18-’19, the Spurs won 5 titles and made the playoffs every year. Since then, they haven’t won more than 34 games in a season.
They have managed to turn their lack of success on the court into lottery success, having added Wemby, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper in the last three drafts to an already promising young roster. Last year’s De’Aaron Fox deal with the Sacramento Kings, which didn’t cost much for San Antonio, sets the Spurs up to be Western Conference heavies for years to come.
That said…
TIME IT HAS TAKEN TO GET FROM REBUILDING TO REBUILT: 6 years so far. Year 7 is shaping up as the breakthrough year.
De’Aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs is guarded by Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
What does all this mean for the Sacramento Kings’ rebuild?
Three things:
3) A successful rebuild cannot be based on the draft alone. Trades, free agency, and player development are all vitally important as well.
2) By whatever means, the Sacramento Kings must identify and acquire a foundational player. The sooner the better, but the process can’t be rushed.
1) This is going to take a while! Within two years, however, the roster should clearly reflect the type of team the Kings are striving to become.
Maybe Santa brings that sense of direction to Sacramento Kings’ fans this Christmas.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Saturday, December 6th – @ Miami Heat – 5:00 PM PT
Monday, December 8th – @ Indiana Pacers – 4:00 PM PT
Thursday, December 11th – vs. Denver Nuggets – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, December 14th – @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 4:00 PM PT
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