The Kings are off to a disappointing 9-12 start this season, already 2.5 games back of a play-in spot in the Western Conference, prompting executives around the NBA to keep an eye on the situation in Sacramento to see if the front office will make another move to try to upgrade its roster, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Citing a “heightened sense of urgency” in Sacramento, Scotto suggests that teams talking to the Kings will be eager to see if the club is willing to part with first-round picks, rookie Devin Carter, or perhaps former No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray, who has essentially been off the table in trade discussions in recent years.
For now, it seems safe to assume that the Kings will dangle Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles in trade talks, according to Scotto, who points out that both players were also available last season. Between Huerter’s $16.8MM cap hit and Lyles’ $8MM expiring deal, Sacramento could get to about $25MM in matching salary and then sweeten an offer from there by adding draft capital and/or a young player.
Here are a few more Western Conference rumors from Scotto:
- Although Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and Jazz center Walker Kessler are both considered potential trade candidates, Portland has been unwilling to move Grant without getting two first-round picks back and Utah has sought at least two first-rounders for Kessler, Scotto writes. Teams with interest in Grant and Kessler have viewed the Blazers’ and Jazz’s asking prices as too high, Scotto notes.
- Moses Moody signed a three-year contract extension with the Warriors before the season, but his role hasn’t increased at all, leading to speculation that he’s a player to monitor as a possible trade chip, says Scotto. “Moody could be part of a package in a bigger deal, and (head coach) Steve Kerr still doesn’t play him 20 minutes a game,” one league executive told HoopsHype. Moody would be subject to the poison pill provision if he’s dealt this season, which wouldn’t preclude a trade but would make it more complicated.
- The Knicks, Thunder, and Grizzlies had “exploratory” trade interest in Warriors center Kevon Looney during the offseason before they addressed frontcourt holes in other ways, Scotto reports. Looney, who is on an $8MM expiring contract, has been Golden State’s leading rebounder (7.6 RPG) despite playing just 14.9 minutes per night.
- Despite reports insisting the Rockets aren’t looking to break up their young core to acquire a player like Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo, many rival executives believe it’s just a matter of when – not if – Houston makes a big splash on the trade market, according to Scotto. Those execs believe Jalen Green won’t be off limits in future Rockets trade talks, even after signing a three-year, $105MM+ contract extension in October.
- Thunder rookie Ajay Mitchell, who has impressed in a rotation role this fall, is considered a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to the standard roster later this season, per Scotto. Oklahoma City currently has a full 15-man roster, but has some flexibility with its last roster spot, which is held by Branden Carlson on a non-guaranteed deal.
It is to early to get everybody’s panties in an uproar over Moody’s minutes. The Warriors haven’t even played 20 games. At their current pace, they would be seeded 4th. Just look at the past two seasons. In 22-23, the second team sucked. They stopped losing games when Draymond was a part of the rotation. It forced the trade of Wiseman for GPII to stabilize the unit. In 23-24, the starters sucked. Wiggins had issues. Looney regressed. Thompson wasn’t right. Draymond was out. Curry wasn’t shooting well and turning the ball over. The thing that stabilized the unit was Kerr going back to a failed experiment, starting Wiggins and Kuminga. It worked when Draymond came back and played the 5. It lead to TJD starting. Green was taking a beating. They started playing defense and not turning over the ball. Kerr is playing more guys than he originally stated he was going to play. Why not play all the combinations of players early and figure out what works? It really isn’t hurting them. This way they can know who they can move at the deadline. They are going to eventually tighten up the rotation. Kerr has been doing this for 30+ years, with success. Why not get all the experiments done at the beginning?
Why not? So we don’t miss the playoffs like last year.
Last year, we had the best record in the West in the 2nd half, but missed the playoffs. Regular season games all count the same. You don’t make the playoffs in the West unless you win ~48, and there are none to spare for “experiment.”
Coaches use their best players for a reason. Kerr didn’t need 30+ years, as you say, to figure that out. The lineup of Curry, Podz, Green, JK, and Wiggins was our best by far last season, and one of the league’s best amongst (to qualify for the ranking, a lineup needs > 400 possessions).
The real question is, why won’t Kerr use the lineups that brought him such success last year?
At this point last year, they weren’t even a play-in team and fading fast. Right now, they are the 4th seed. The issues that plagued them last year aren’t as prevalent.
The successful lineup has a number of problems. It is not sustainable to have Draymond as your center. He gets beat up to much. TJD needs to learn to be more aggressive. Kuminga is not a power forward. He needs to improve his outside shot. Podz is Curry’s backup.
So, they need to look internally first before they go out on the trade market. Kerr has 30 years as a player, coach and executive experience how rosters and rotations are built.
They have 63 games left to play. A few loses won’t kill them. It is more important how a team finishes, than how they start.
giants74, your position is clear: we have a coach with supernatural powers (who chose not to use them last season).
My position is the same as the one Kerr himself has often stated: player talent sets the bounds on performance, and coaches help marginally. It wouldn’t matter at this point if Kerr were replaced with Greg Popovic, Terry Stotts, or JJ Redick. Our Vegas over-under wouldn’t budge, nor would our players be more talented
Our schedule has been easy to date, but it’s the most difficult in the league for the next 10 games, and January looks almost as tough. If Kerr makes the right moves soon, we might avoid the play-in. Otherwise, we risk a repeat of last year.
Looking through teams, it seems like almost all of the contenting teams aren’t able to trade first round picks anymore. They’ve already been moved in past deals. I don’t see role players fetching multiple first rounders anymore. GM’s are going to have to adjust their expectations.
OKC and the Mavs can use picks in trades.
Davey J is about to unleash the mother of all Moody rants shortly
Finally deciding to mute that guy was the best decision I’ve ever made.
Portland is crazy, if they can just expire out Grant take it and run
It would be purely idiotic to trade Moody now, I’m a fan of his but no team ever is going to trade a poison pilled guy before they can get more value for him by holding onto him for like, 6 more months before putting him on the trade table. Scotto is way off base here.
Kings have lost a few close gms. So their record could easily be 12-9. Drama Queens
Kings are a playoff team. Way too early to start hating on teams. Negativity sells better, more.
Well every serious team is a “Playoff” team when they have the dumb play in.
In the East you know Wiz, Raps, & Char are not serious in contending.
In the West that is Jazz and current Trailblazers. Clippers are well coached and owner won’t have tanking in new building but they are not a contender.
It doesn’t hurt to have a higher asking price for a guy these teams don’t want to trade.
Why would they make it easy to get a guy that takes teams many 1st round pick tries to get in the first place.
Two first round picks isn’t that big of an asking price with this in mind. That’s unless these teams aren’t confident they’ll be a winning team for awhile.
Kessler is who the Kings need. Murray and 1st. Sabonis is a 4.
HAHAHAHAHA
Sabonis is incapable of playing the 4. This isn’t a KAT situation where he’s just bad at defending the rim but can play up next to a high-level rim protector. Sabonis is a bad defender at every range. What they actually need is a high-level defender at the 4, allowing Sabonis to run the high post and smash the rim while hiding him on defense. Murray is a 3 as long as Sabonis is his teammate. DeRozan’s a good player, but his fit with the team was always a problem. Playing Heurter over Keon Ellis doesn’t help, but that won’t solve all their problems.
Trading Murray and a first for Walker Kessler might be the dumbest trade idea they could do.
“He played the 4 in Indiana!” Yeah, and it didn’t work. Their defense with him at the 4 was irrevocably compromised, regardless of how well he played offensively or how hard Turner tried to back him up. 25th, 26th, and 29th in opponent’s PPG with Sabonis at the 4 in his 2.5 seasons as a full starter in Indy. At least at the 5, his defensive role is limited to a smaller area, rather than having to chase guards and wings everywhere.