The Sacramento Kings have been linked in NBA trade rumors this summer to Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, Brandon Ingram and Lauri Markkanen. While a trade seems like the most realistic path for the Kings to add an All-Star, there’s reportedly another option on the table.
Sacramento has always struggled in NBA free agency, lacking any pull that would entice a top talent to sign with the team. Even with the Kings roster now featuring the All-Star tandem of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings still aren’t considered a destination team.
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It’s one of the biggest reasons why Kings general manager Monte McNair has fallen short in trade talks. As multiple Kings rumors highlighted this summer, Sacramento finished second in the Pascal Siakam trade frenzy and barely missed out on nabbing Caruso.
As for the current Kings trade targets – Markkanen and Ingram – Sacramento is still in a difficult spot. The Utah Jazz want one of Sacramento’s cornerstone talents and the Kings couldn’t offer anything earlier than a 2027 first-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Ingram. It could be the reasoning behind the pursuit of another target.
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Appearing on ESPN, senior NBA writer Marc Spears said the Kings are a dark horse to land DeMar DeRozan. He also noted that Sacramento has a move “coming soon” that will make them a playoff team next season.
The Kings’ primary competitors for DeRozan in NBA free agency are the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. However, it would likely take a sign-and-trade for Miami or Los Angeles to land him.
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- DeMar DeRozan stats (ESPN): 24.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 48% FG, 33.3% 3PT
DeRozan would presumably take the place of Harrison Barnes in the Kings lineup. Last season, DeRozan finished with a higher Win Shares per 48 Minutes (0.147 vs 0.094) and a higher FiveThirtyEight WAR (7.4 vs 5.5) than Barnes. He would be a significant upgrade for Sacramento offensively without the team making any sacrifices defensively.
Considering the abundance of NBA rumors linking the Kings to Ingram, Markkanen and DeRozan in the last 48 hours, it would be relatively surprising if Sacramento exited the summer without making a significant addition.
