Why Kings' Trey Lyles relishes having a home in Sacramento

Why Kings' Trey Lyles relishes having a home in Sacramento originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Programming note: Watch Trey Lyles' full "Kings Central" interview with Morgan Ragan at 6:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday before "Kings Pregame Live" on NBC Sports California, and again after "Kings Postgame Live."

Trey Lyles has played on four teams besides the Kings over his nine-year NBA career.

Over halfway through the 2023-24 NBA season, the journeyman forward feels he’s finally at home with Sacramento.

In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan on "Kings Central," Lyles explained what stands out about his partnership with the Kings.

“It has been amazing, honestly,” Lyles told Ragan. “Me and my dad were talking about it when I was home over the [2024 NBA All-Star break]. This is my ninth year, and this is the first time in my career that I’ve been on a team longer than two seasons. It’s tough when you’re just constantly moving around to build those relationships or hold onto them early when in the back of your mind you don’t really know [how long you’ll stay].

Before being traded to Sacramento near the 2022 NBA trade deadline, Lyles played with the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons, in that order.

Lyles emphasized his disdain for moving around, building and then sometimes losing valuable relationships after short stints with teams before the Kings.

As a result, he gladly agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract to remain with the Kings during the 2023 NBA offseason and now is in the third season of his Sacramento era.

“This is the most at home I’ve felt of any team I’ve been on," Lyles told reporters last season. "These guys are like brothers to me. One through 14 everybody gets along, so it’s just definitely an atmosphere and someplace I’d want to stay in.”

Lyles initially was unsure about growing too attached to the Kings but has loved every second of bonding with his teammates and community -- snapping Sacramento’s 16-year NBA playoff drought likely helps him feel at home, too.

“It was amazing for me last year to kind of feel that way with the guys,” Lyles said. “It was something- one foot in, one foot out. And then last year, just everything kind of fell into place with that. It’s nice to be happy to go to work and be happy to be around the people that you work with every day.”

As Lyles and the Kings strive to bring Sacramento its first NBA championship, the Kentucky product appreciates his security at the workplace.