How are the Kings taking on all these players? Are they constantly cutting guys they've just traded for? Wonder how their fans are feeling these days...
Yes, they are, and they're just pulling in money left right and center. Because of the luxury tax, it makes economic sense for teams to give their guys, and the salaries to pay them plus a little something extra (but less than the luxury tax amounts), to Sacramento, which isn't in luxury tax risk. Sacramento can waive the guys for a little profit, or buy them out for even more profit, since many guys will leave a little money on the table to get a chance to sign on again with a different team, which makes them more money.
Example: Team A over the luxury tax amount owes Player A $1 million for the remainder of the season. Due to luxury tax, it actually costs Team A $2 million. So Team A gives Sacramento $1.2 million to take on the contract. Sacramento makes a quick, easy $200,000. Now, if Player A could be in demand and get a minimum contract elsewhere worth, say, $300,000 for the rest of the season, they might take a buyout of $800,000. So in that scenario, Team A saves $800,000 due to the luxury tax, Player A ends up making $100,000 extra by getting traded, bought out and signed to a minimum contract, and Sacramento makes $400,000 just for facilitating and putting an extra $800,000 on their salary cap figure, which doesn't matter since Sacramento isn't looking to add anything this season and all these guys seem to be 1-year, relatively low money guys.
Obviously, these numbers are a simplification, but that's how it makes economic sense. Sacto fans have no reason to care, since they're not giving anything up and their team is just saving money and behaving smartly, which fans should appreciate a bit.
Sacramento doesn't have fans.
That's just not true - Sacramento has always had very good fans even in lean times. Obviously they don't get the big crowds now, but the Garden wasn't exactly full 2-3 years ago, for good reason, and we were in a good economy back then. It's a little pot-kettle situation to disparage their traditionally very good fan base just because their team is God awful right now.
