Kings Fall in Cleveland as Trade Deadline Looms, but Locker Room Stays Steady
The Sacramento Kings tipped off their six-game road trip with a tough 123-118 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, and while the scoreboard stung, the bigger story might be what’s happening off the court - or rather, what isn’t.
With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching on February 5, the Kings are one of several teams swirling in the rumor mill. But if you’re expecting panic or distraction in the locker room, Dennis Schroder isn’t having any of it.
“I don’t give a f--- about that,” Schroder said bluntly after the game. “At the end of the day, I enjoy every single day being in the NBA. I don’t take it for granted.”
That mindset says a lot about where Schroder - and seemingly the rest of the Kings - stand right now. Despite coming off the bench and dropping 21 points in the loss, Schroder’s focus isn’t on what might happen next week.
It’s on appreciating the moment, even as Sacramento struggles to find its footing. The loss in Cleveland marked the team’s fourth straight defeat, and with it, the Kings now sit near the bottom of the Western Conference - second-worst, to be exact - and fourth-worst in the league overall.
It’s no secret that Sacramento is a team in transition. General manager Scott Perry is reportedly weighing significant changes to an aging and unbalanced roster.
The Kings are heavy in the backcourt but light on the kind of long, athletic wings that define modern NBA versatility. That imbalance has made several names the subject of trade buzz in recent weeks - including Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, and Schroder himself.
And if Schroder’s name feels like it’s always in trade talks, there’s a reason. He was moved three times in just 24 hours last season, bouncing from Brooklyn to Golden State to Utah to Detroit in a whirlwind stretch that would’ve rattled most players. But Schroder’s seen it all before, and it’s clear he’s not letting the noise get to him - nor is he letting it affect the team.
“Everybody else in this locker room, they’re just going to play,” Schroder said. “Nothing is going to change really.
You’re going to have the same salary. Of course, you’re going to have new teammates when something happens, a new organization, but at the end of the day, you’re still one of 400 people in the NBA out of eight billion (in the world) who play this game, and I think everybody should look at it this way.”
It’s a grounded, veteran perspective from a player who’s been through the league’s business side more than most. And it’s one that seems to be echoed by head coach Doug Christie, who’s trying to keep his group locked in during a turbulent stretch.
“When we get together and we have meals and we talk, most times they’re just chilling,” Christie said. “This is the area that we come to and we relax.
These are the 2 ½ hours that we come and everything goes away for a second. If you’re feeling that, and I’ve been in that position, it can happen, but this is a brotherhood.
We’re here together and we’re going to ride together. That’s what we do.”
It’s a sentiment that resonates in locker rooms across the league this time of year, but it carries a little extra weight in Sacramento, where the roster could look very different by the time the Kings return home to face the Memphis Grizzlies on February 4.
For now, though, the Kings are staying present - even in the face of mounting losses and swirling speculation. Whether that unity can translate into wins remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: this team isn’t folding under pressure. They’re riding it out, together.