Head coach Eddie Jordan Record 27–55 (.329) | Arena ARCO Arena Playoff finish DNQ | |
Place Division: 5th (Pacific)
Conference: 9th (Western) Television SportsChannel Pacific/Fox Sports Bay Area, KMAX | ||
The 1997-98 NBA season was the Kings' 49th season in the NBA and 13th in Sacramento. After signing free agent Terry Dehere, the Kings decided a renewed devotion to youth with the quartet of talented rookies Lawrence Funderburke, Anthony Johnson, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Michael Stewart. At midseason, the team traded Michael Smith and Bobby Hurley to the Vancouver Grizzlies for former Kings forward Otis Thorpe. However, with a 26–36 record in early March, the Kings struggled losing 19 of their final 20 games including a 12-game losing streak, finishing fifth in the Pacific Division with a 27–55 record. Just fourteen games behind the 8th-seeded Houston Rockets, who finished with a 41–41 record.
Mitch Richmond averaged 23.2 points per game and was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. Following the season, he was traded along with Thorpe to the Washington Wizards, while Billy Owens and Olden Polynice both left for free agency and signed with the Seattle SuperSonics, Johnson signed with the Atlanta Hawks, Stewart with the Toronto Raptors, and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was released.