The 2017 NBA All-Star game might forever be seen as a turning point for the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento Kings General Manager Vlade Divac pulled the trigger last February when he traded three-time, All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans. Cousins is arguably the best at his position in the league today, but his animated on-court antics, combined with the team failing to make the playoffs year after year, created tension.

“Even though I loved DeMarcus Cousins, I thought he was selfish with the ball and when you have an offense that goes through one player every time down the floor, it’s not successful,” said Tristan Bare, a sophomore majoring in exercise science at Sac State. “I like that we are transitioning into team ball.”

Instead of trying to pile whatever players they could around Cousins in an attempt to squeak into the playoffs, the Kings received a young core of players to take his place. In the Cousins trade, the Kings received Buddy Hield and the Pelicans first-round pick in the 2017 draft. Divac ultimately traded that pick for two later first-round picks and drafted forwards Justin Jackson of North Carolina and Harry Giles of Duke.

With their own first-round pick, Sacramento drafted guard De’Aaron Fox from Kentucky to be the centerpiece of the Kings franchise for years to come.

“De’Aaron Fox was a great pick, but only thing I hope is that he develops a consistent jumpshot,” said Vrezh Karapetyan, a Sac State freshman majoring in business accounting. “He’s a slasher, extremely fast, great handles and isn’t afraid to attack the basket.”

Fox is only a rookie, but the fans in Sacramento already have high hopes and expectations based on his collegiate career at Kentucky.

“De’Aaron Fox is so explosive, and I think he’ll bring life back to the team,” Bare said.

In the second round, the Kings drafted NCAA Player of the Year Frank Mason III out of Kansas. Mason and company will join second-year players Hield, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissière and Georgios Papagiannis. But a young team is nothing without veteran leadership.

This summer, the Kings signed veterans George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter. Randolph and Carter played under Kings coach Dave Joerger when he was in Memphis, so they are both familiar with his coaching style. The team also lured international sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic over from Serbia to sign with the Kings, as they held his NBA rights since draft night 2016.

“I think we overpaid a few of the veterans, but they will be helpful in guiding the rookies and helping them develop,” Karapetyan said.

They join Kings veterans like Garrett Temple, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos. The team is extremely young, therefore it’s expected that the veterans — along with Joerger — will play a vital role in developing the young guys.

Joerger will also be entering his second season as the coach for the Kings. Providing him with a group of young talent to go along with seasoned veterans might just be the perfect combination. This provides balance and stability, which was nowhere to be found in Joerger’s first season in Sacramento.

“I would assume the focus is gonna be more on development and securing a top-three pick in the next draft,” said Kyle Crosswhite, an undeclared sophomore at Sac State. “With the state of the (Western Conference) at this point, trying to contend (for a playoff spot) would be pointless.”

If they haven’t already, Kings fans should probably lower their expectations as well, since the front office committed to a full-fledged rebuild and hit the reset button eight months ago. The future looks bright in Sacramento, but this season’s focus will be more on development than wins.

The Sacramento Kings open the 2017-18 season against the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.