The Sacramento Kings surprised the NBA world yesterday when they traded Nique Clifford to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for two second-round picks. Not so much from a basketball standpoint, as Clifford was outside the rotation after a strong rookie season last year, but from an asset management perspective.

Scott Perry traded a protected future first-round pick to acquire Clifford from, coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally), the Thunder. So the Kings essentially traded a future late first-round pick for two future second-round picks and a rental of Clifford. That's...not great, and it's no wonder so many people are looking down on the move for Sacramento.

Kings fans who have followed for a while know that I don't want to ever pile on. That said, in here I ask why there are no minutes for Nique Clifford. What are we doing here? https://t.co/LenyBa1V7S

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 28, 2026

Even taking out the logistics of the assets, it's still not a great look for the Kings.…