NBA weekly betting trends: Kings still searching for throne

Is there a more maddening team in the NBA than the Sacramento Kings?

Every time it seems they take a step forward, they then take two steps back. Arguably, no current franchise has had a worse run than the Kings as they haven’t finished with a winning record or made the playoffs since 2005-06.

However, perhaps the team can take solace in this: Sacramento has been a decent team to bet on this year, with a 17-16 against the spread in NBA betting at SportsBookReview Forum’s top sportsbooks.

Presently, the Kings would be the eighth and final playoff team in the Western Conference despite their 14-19 record. But that really speaks to the weakness of the bottom half of the conference, as teams like Portland, New Orleans and Dallas have underachieved.

It appeared Sacramento had turned a corner with a recent four-game winning streak but has followed that with double-digit losses at the Trail Blazers and then at home against Memphis on New Year’s Eve.

Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins, a top-10 talent but also a source of malcontent at times, ripped his teammates publicly following the loss to the Grizzlies after Memphis hit a franchise-record 17 three-pointers.

This may leave the Kings in a purgatory of sorts as the trade deadline approaches. Cousins can become an unrestricted free agent in 2018 so if he tells the Kings he’s not re-signing no matter what, then they might have to deal him. This year’s trade deadline is Feb. 23.

Additionally, small forward Rudy Gay hits free agency after this season and has already told the Kings he’s not going to re-sign. Therefore, do the Kings trade their top two players in order to get something before they walk away, or do they stay the course in an effort to make the playoffs and then probably get swept in the first round (but could at least claim progress with a postseason appearance)?

The next couple of weeks could decide what the Kings do. After visiting Denver on Tuesday, they begin a season-long seven-game homestand. Sacramento has to make waves during that span because then they go on the road for eight in a row. The Kings are a respectable 7-7 (8-6 ATS) in their new Golden 1 Center but 7-12 (9-10 ATS) away from home.