If you look at the landscape of the West it is fairly unlikely we make the Playoffs next season imo.
Lakers, Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, Thunder and Trail Blazers all very likely to make the Playoffs next year barring injury.
The Clippers (if they get Kawhi) and even the injury-riddled Warriors will most likely make the Playoffs.
That alone is 8 teams with a really high percentage of making the Playoffs. Now factor in the Spurs, Mavericks and TWolves will also fight for a spot.
I wouldn’t be too worried about ruining a potential Playoff push next year.
I'm curious as to who, other than Kuzma, Davis, and Lebron, the Lakers are going to add to their team. They have five committed salaries. Other than the three I just mentioned, they have Isaac Bongo, and the great Moritz Wagner. They'll have somewhere between 23 and 30 mil in capspace to fill out the roster. Lebron is 34 years old, and he'll turn 35 in December. He's already played in 1,198 games, and he's played a lot of minutes in those games, with a very high usage rate. Most players don't make it past a thousand games.
Anthony Davis, god love him has been injury prone throughout his career. He has never played 82 games in a year in his 7 years in the league. Should the Lakers make the playoffs? Everyone seems to think so, but I don't think it's a given. The West is tough, and for them to make it, both players are going to have to play a lot of minutes. And, they're going to need some help. We'll see!
The Thunder have become a one trick pony with Westbrook becoming a worse shooter as his career goes on. He shot 29% from the three last season. Paul George is another player that has been nagged by occasional injuries, but fortunately, other than his broken leg, nothing serious. Not sure where they go from here, but they might try to revamp the roster since they're in salary cap hell. Is Portland really that much better than the Kings, especially if Fox and Bagley take another step forward along with Buddy. I like Portland, but I'm not overwhelmed by their overall talent. So goes Lillard, so goes Portland.
The Warriors are going to find it tough next season without Klay or Durant. If Curry suffers any injuries, they probably don't make the playoffs, and I don't think it's a guarantee with a healthy Curry. Wouldn't bet against him though. After the Raptors won the championship, I wouldn't bet on the Clippers, or any other team acquiring Kawhi. The Spurs are very beatable as are the Mavericks and the T-Wolves.
The Rockets, barring a total breakup of the team, are definitely going to make the playoff's, as are the Nuggets. The Jazz are probably a playoff team, but they don't seem to be built for the playoffs themselves. In short, especially if the Kings can add some additional talent, I think the Kings are definitely contending for a playoff spot..