Now that the Kings’ monumental 2022-23 NBA season is over, the focus already has shifted to the future.
For Sacramento, that includes a lot of important decisions to be made in the offseason.
Trey Lyles, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer, had just a few moments to digest Sacramento’s Game 7 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first-round playoff series before thinking about his stance with the organization in the future.
The 27-year-old didn’t hold back his response when asked if he would want to be back with the Kings next season.
“100 percent,” he said after Sunday’s 120-100 loss. “This is the most at home I’ve felt of any team I’ve been on. These guys are like brothers to me, one through 14 everybody gets along so it’s just definitely an atmosphere and someplace I’d want to stay in.”
Lyles, who hooped at the University of Kentucky like his Kings teammates De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, was selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.
Since then, he's been tossed around from team to team. In February 2022, Lyles was acquired by the Kings in a four-team trade that sent Marvin Bagley III to the Detroit Pistons.
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Lyles' role with the Kings fluctuated and his minutes varied, but anytime coach Mike Brown turned to him and put him in the game, he did exactly what he was told to do.
He finished the 2022-23 season averaging 7.6 points on 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 36.3 percent from 3-point range, along with 4.1 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game. And in Sacramento's first playoff appearance since 2006, Lyles stepped up for the Kings when Brown couldn't find the answers off the bench.
The 6-foot-9 power forward was special in the Kings' short playoff run, dropping 16 points on 75 percent shooting from the field and 66.7 percent from downtown in just under 18 minutes. He averaged 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in the seven postseason games played.
He proved his worth to the team and made it clear that he'd like to return in a few months.
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The Kings have their hands full with big decisions they have to make in the coming months.
Veteran forward Harrison Barnes is one of the biggest ones, as his future with the Kings is unknown.
The 2022-23 season set the stage for Sacramento for the future, and the Kings will do what it takes to build on a magical year.