The Sacramento Kings are a good team when De’Aaron Fox plays. If last season wasn’t proof enough, this season the Kings are 6-1 in games played by Fox and are +13.7 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor this season.
Still, the Kings are likely one more player away from being a real threat in the West, and will likely be aggressive in acquiring that player before the deadline. The Athletic’s Shams Charania had this to say about FanDuel’s “Run It Back.”. That’s when Lou Williams instantly shot down the idea of Sacramento as a destination.
“It’s been a really long time since I could look at the Kings as a trade destination, probably since Chris Webber was with the Kings. , will involve every star player, no matter what stars become available. [Kings’ general manager] Monte McNair, that organization, they’ve done a good job of preserving their assets. They have tradable contracts. Therefore, they will definitely be star players in the future. ”
“Shams, have you ever been to Sacramento? … It’s a great basketball environment, but no one goes there.”
ah.
This is interesting, but a little unfair for Sacramento. Sacramento has the best new arena in the league, for my money, and the downtown is much more vibrant than it was 10-15 years ago.
Williams isn’t wrong about how players feel, but the Kings will likely have to overpay to acquire a top free agent. It is not seen as a destination. Winning will help change that, Fox and Domantas Sabonis will help change that, but the perception is there.
But that’s not what Shams is talking about, he’s talking about a trade. If they trade for LaVine, he has three seasons left on his contract this season. Things are even trickier for Siakam (an unrestricted free agent after this season) and Anunoby, whose player options for next season are below market value and will be declined, but both will need to be re-signed and become free agents. There is a possibility that it will happen. However, depending on who is available as the trade deadline approaches, the Kings could be among those candidates.
Sacramento could make a trade and bet that once a player gets there and gets a feel for the team, he’ll want to stay.
It has to be the right swing (and it may not be LaVine on a team that needs defense). The Kings aren’t going to get multiple hacks on this one.