The Sacramento Kings are in a tough spot, and it's not just because they're at the bottom of the standings. They've been trying to take shortcuts to the playoffs, but it's not working. They traded Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis, but it only gave them a taste of the playoffs. Instead of building on that success, they brought in DeMar DeRozan to try to push themselves back into the playoff contender tier. And the rest is history. The Indiana Pacers made a playoff run to the finals, while the Kings have missed the playoffs for three straight years. This isn't to say that the Kings' sole mistake was trading Haliburton for Sabonis, but it's one of many instances where the Kings tried to run before they finished learning how to walk. Zach LaVine is another good example. Instead of trading De'Aaron Fox for a bevy of picks or young players, Monte McNair brought back the talented scoring guard despite his well-known deficiencies and lack of winning throughout his NBA career. It's put Perry in an extremely difficult situation, as the Kings' roster is littered with veterans in DeRozan, LaVine, Sabonis, and Malik Monk. If Perry is able to move off any of the veterans, the goal should be the complete opposite of the Fox trade. Sacramento should be looking for as many picks and young players as possible, not players who will help them compete now. The one example we've seen from Perry on the trade front so far was the De'Andre Hunter trade that sent Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hunter is a win-now player who doesn't really make sense for the Kings right now, but he is on an expiring deal and a true wing that the team desperately needs. There's still no indication if he'll be part of the Kings' future, but ideally that type of trade will be the exception, not the rule. Looking back once more to the riveting NBA Finals, neither the Spurs nor the Knicks used a fast track to get to the championship series this year. They both had to work hard to get there, and it's a lesson that the Kings would do well to learn.