The fatal final night of a shorter-than-expected Sacramento Kings season had an added benefit to the pain. He gave the Kings a little more valuable ammunition to build their roster this week.
Had the Kings won their play-in game in New Orleans, advancing to the eighth seed to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, their lottery-protected first-rounder would have been in Atlanta as part of Kevin Huerter’s 2022 deal. But Since losing to the Pelicans, ending their season, the Kings kept the protected pick, ranked 13th overall in Wednesday night’s Draft.
The Kings have already tried to use him for a significant improvement to their roster. They were close to a trade for defensive ace Alex Caruso last week, according to league sources, offering the No. 13 pick to Chicago as a key chip. The Bulls, to the surprise of many within the league, opted to send Caruso to Oklahoma City in exchange for Josh Giddey.
League sources say the Kings have shuffled several lottery-level late prospects through their facility in recent weeks, including Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 National Player of the Year who could theoretically offer a level of protection from the hoops that the Kings have been lacking.
But it’s difficult to place a traditional center in a lineup alongside Domantas Sabonis, and in the bigger picture, there’s more internal appetite to add veteran help to a win-now situation, rather than a rookie. That’s why the No. 13 pick remains very much available in trade negotiations heading into the draft, according to league sources, along with necessary salary padding and even additional picks for the right player.
Sacramento’s most pressing offseason issues are now resolved. Head coach Mike Brown agreed to an extension earlier this month, and Malik Monk turned down the opportunity to get more money per year on the open market, accepting the Kings’ max offer of four years and $78 million to stay, keeping intact the core of Sacramento. . Monk, the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, expressed a desire to start long-term, but re-signed with the Kings without any guarantees about his exact role next season, league sources said.
Monk’s decision to commit so early brought a significant advantage, allowing the Kings to focus all their attention on the major upgrade they seek. The vision, at its most optimistic, is to maximize what they believe is a three- to six-year winning window around De’Aaron Fox, Sabonis, Monk and Keegan Murray, getting a top-to-mid-level player who can grow with the nucleus.
Fox’s future is also on the back burner, as league sources say the All-Star point guard has decided not to sign an extension this year, in part, because he wants to see how the roster takes shape in the long term. Fox, who has two seasons left on his current contract, wants to win at the highest level and could also qualify for a significantly higher maximum if he becomes All-NBA.
The Kings have come close to making deals in the past, but ultimately came up empty-handed. Caruso is the last one. Pascal Siakam might be the most significant. The Kings came close to a deal with Siakam at the last trade deadline, but ultimately lost to Indiana when the Pacers paired the two-time All-Star with former king Tyrese Haliburton en route to an Eastern Conference final.
The move would have been a calculated risk for the Kings, as at the time there were strong signs that Siakam would not re-sign with Sacramento if he had come. Still, league sources say there is some internal regret about what the move could have been and the question of whether the Kings could have convinced Siakam to stay.
In July 2021, still in his first year as general manager, Monte McNair attempted to trade Buddy Hield for Kyle Kuzma in a deal Kings officials believed at the time was nearly done. The Los Angeles Lakers made a last-minute turnaround and sent Kuzma as part of a package to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
Since then, McNair and the Kings have maintained a varying level of interest in trading for Kuzma, who has rebounded to some extent this summer. Kuzma has an attractive contract. He is under control for the next three seasons at an affordable and decreasing price: $23.5 million, $21.4 million, $19.4 million, attached to a trade deal that would add $3 million each season unless Kuzma waives him.
He remains a name to watch for the Kings heading into the week. Zach LaVine and league sources are rumored to confirm that Sacramento has some level of interest, but would arrive with a complicated contract situation. LaVine has three years and $137.8 left on his current contract, a perhaps unpalatable number considering the Kings’ growing financial picture. Any deal on this front, league sources said, would likely mean the Kings would need to be incentivized to accept LaVine’s massive deal.
As the pressure increases to advance further in the playoffs, everyone becomes more expensive. Sabonis’ contract increases from $29.3 million to more than $40 million over the next four years, Murray is one summer away from being eligible for an extension and Fox, wanting an aggressive win-now approach, eventually has to make a lucrative decision. The entire equation makes the Kings a team to watch heading into NBA trading season.
(Photo of Kuzma and Monk: Patrick Smith //Keynote USA/Getty Images)
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