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Sacramento Kings hit rock bottom ... and then they began to dig

This is a catastrophe.

The Sacramento Kings’ nightmarish free agency got even more nightmarish on Thursday evening. The team had just traded No. 8 overall pick Nik Stauskas, a protected first rounder, and the rights to a pick swap for two years to the 76ers just so they could offload Carl Landry and Jason Thompson’s salary.

The Kings offloaded that salary so they could go after Monta Ellis, Wesley Matthews and Rajon Rondo in free agency. Yesterday, I wrote that it was a huge bet to take on the chance to land Ellis and Matthews (more on Rondo later). The Kings were rebuilding … by giving up a draft pick and last year’s No. 8 overall pick. That’s not usually how you rebuild. If they didn’t land Ellis or Matthews, this was a catastrophic decision.

They didn’t land Ellis or Matthews.

USA TODAY Sports Images

USA TODAY Sports Images

Ellis went to the Pacers on a four-year, $44 million deal, and Matthews’ deal with Dallas is for four years and $52 million.

Both Ellis and Matthews were reportedly offered more money by the Kings, and both turned down more money to avoid Sacramento. Ellis reportedly received a four-year, $48 million offer from the Kings and Matthews a four-year, $64 million (!) offer and both turned them down.

The two of them decided it was worth millions to them not to go to play in Sacramento.

Jaime Valdez/USA TODAY Sports

Wes Matthews (Jaime Valdez/USA TODAY Sports)

This is such a bad break for the Kings, that it is leading some NBA writers to question whether or not they can just not go through with their trade with the Sixers and avoid the disaster. The trade isn’t official yet, and we’ve got smart people wondering if the Kings can just go “nevermind!” and hope we all forget this happened.

Just when things couldn’t seem any worse for Sacramento, this tweet came out:

Here, wait. Listen to this as you read that tweet.

There you go. Now you get the whole mood that’s going on in Sacramento.

The Kings appear to be targeting guys to support DeMarcus Cousins (who needs shooters to surround him) by going after Rajon Rondo (who can’t shoot), Josh Smith (who can’t shoot) and Lou Williams (a shooting guard who shot 34% from 3 last year.) This isn’t how you build an NBA team. This is how you build a dumpster fire.

All four of those players have clashed with head coaches before, and you’d be bringing in Rondo, Smith and Williams to a team that has George Karl for a coach, who is already clashing with Cousins.

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Kings need to get out of this way of thinking. They cleared cap space. If they can’t do givesies-backsies on the 76ers deal, they need to calm down, sign some good players to short deals, and hope they can repair the relationship with Cousins enough to keep him around. They’ve got a nice draft pick in Willie Caulie-Stein. They need to be patient.

The Kings’ free agency this year is a failure. They can’t dig their way out of this one.

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