This season has not gone to plan thus far for the Sacramento Kings.
After acquiring DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade from the Chicago Bulls in the offseason to pair him alongside De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento was built to be a top team in the Western Conference. Instead, the Kings sit 12th in the West with a 13-13 record.
Sacramento has shown improvement over the past few weeks as they have won three consecutive games. Despite this, the Kings have still struggled defensively, but their offense has improved, mainly due to head coach Mike Brown replacing Kevin Huerter in the starting lineup with Malik Monk.
While the Kings’ season has been underwhelming so far, they are still on the fringe of a Play-In spot thanks to their star duo of Sabonis and Fox. Both players are having career years, but their team’s lack of success has overshadowed them and has also led to trade rumors.
Most rumors have surrounded Fox, who has yet to agree to a new contract extension with the franchise. He is signed through the 2025-26 campaign, so unless Sacramento is completely out of the playoff race before February’s trade deadline, do not expect them to trade him away.
They could instead be buyers at the deadline. According to Forbes’ Evan Sidery, the Kings have inquired about Cameron Johnson, Kyle Kuzma and Dorian Finney-Smith. Sidery also reported that the Kings are interested in moving both Huerter and Trey Lyles if they can land an impact player.
With the Kings in desperate need of wing depth, adding one of these three players would greatly improve their roster. Kuzma has had a down season for the Washington Wizards this season, but he has proven in the past that he can be an elite scorer. He would likely require Sacramento to give up the most assets of the three players Sidery mentioned.
They could add both Johnson and Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets as well. Johnson is a knockdown three-point shooter and Finney-Smith is a great scorer and elite defender. Sacramento could trade for just one of the two, or they could acquire them in a package if the Nets’ asking price is not too much.
With Sidery’s report, it looks as though the Kings will be active in the trade market to help turn their season around in the second half of the season.
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