Last Updated on February 7, 2024 10:45 pm by Mike Passador | Published: January 18, 2023

GM: Keith Cork, @bsbpkeith

Salary Cap: $132,652,965

Luxury Tax: $17,614,035

GOAL: It might be time to push an extra chip or two in Sacramento, as it looks like they’re ending their 16-year playoff drought

Priorities

• The Kings have made moves that correlate with being ready to compete when they flipped Haliburton for Sabonis, in addition to trading a first for Kevin Huerter. They may move another chip for another upgrade, if opportunity presents itself

• Trade Richaun Holmes. Once they acquired Sabonis, he hasn’t been used and has two more years on his deal (one of them is a player option) after this year… trade him to a center-needy team who can properly utilize him, regardless of what you can get back

• Try moving off Alex Len

Players to Dangle

Harrison Barnes (1/$18.3)

o   Salary: $18,352,273

o   Can match up to $23,352,273 in a deal for him

o   Subject of trade rumors for years and he’s an expiring deal. I imagine Sacramento wants to re-sign him, so I wouldn’t be forcing myself to get an asset for him, but if an upgrade in same salary range presents itself, he could be odd man out

Richaun Holmes (3/$36.1 w/ PO in ‘24-’25)

o   Salary: $11,215,260

o   Can match up to $16,215,260 if necessary

o   Too many teams need a center that you should be able to find a taker for him; however, he’s a tad bit expensive for a backup center. If you can move off the money, great. If you can get a contributor for him, then even better

Terence Davis (1/$4)

o   Salary: $4,000,000

o   Can match up to $7,100,000

o   Expiring salary, so I can see him being moved for an upgrade under contract

Alex Len (1/$3.9)

o   Salary: $3,918,600

o   Can salary match up to $6,957,550

o   See Terence Davis (above), expiring contract

Trade Targets

• Zach LaVine

o   LaVine signed in Sacramento in 2018 before Chicago matched his contract, would everything come full circle?

• Kyle Kuzma

o   They tried acquiring Kuzma in a deal with Lakers for Buddy Hield, and apparently, he’s still on their radar

• OG Anunoby or Pascal Siakam would be the dream for this Kings team

o   Would Gary Trent Jr. make some sense?

• Darius Bazley may make a lot of sense if Sacramento was willing to give an asset for him

• Would Sacramento take a stab at Jonathan Isaac?

• Will Barton

• Doug McDermott

• Jae Crowder

• Gary Harris + Terrence Ross

o   This would eat into Orlando’s future cap space, so they may not be inclined to do it (assuming Holmes is the salary matching $$)

• Mo Bamba

• D’Angelo Russell

• Gordon Hayward

o   Would Harrison Barnes + Holmes make sense for Charlotte? For Sacramento?

• Robert Covington

• Bojan Bogdanovic + Alec Burks

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Assets Owned

• TPE: $4,023,600
• TPE: $1,630,934
• 2023 1st
• 2024 1st (lotto protected to ATL)
• 2025 1st (top 12 protected to ATL if ‘24 1st not conveyed)
• 2026 1st (top 10 protected if 25 or ‘25 1st not conveyed)
• 2027 1st
• 2028 1st
• 2029 1st
• 2023 2nd
• 2024 2nd
• 2024 DAL 2nd
• 2025 2nd
• 2025 POR 2nd
• 2026 2nd (to ATL if ‘24, ‘25, or ‘26 1st not conveyed)
• 2027 2nd (to ATL if ‘24, ‘25, or ‘26 1st not conveyed)
• 2028 2nd
• 2028 DAL 2nd
• 2029 2nd
• Because of the protections on the Atlanta pick, Sacramento will need to get creative with how they offer a future first round pick, or they can amend the protections on the Atlanta pick

 

Mock Trades to Date (Feb 2 Deadline)

 

Kings and Hornets swap backup big men

TRADE: Kings trade Richaun Holmes, Neemias Queta, and their 2024 second-round pick to the Hornets for Mason Plumlee

 

When Domantas Sabonis is healthy, Richaun Holmes has been an afterthought in the Kings rotation. Here, they flip him with a second round pick for Plumlee. Holmes has a guaranteed season under contract next year as well as a player option in 2024-25, and at over $12 million per year, that’s an overpay for your backup center. Here, Sacramento gets off his money and gets what they perceive to be an upgrade with Plumlee. Additionally, Plumlee thrived when he was Nikola Jokic’s backup in Denver because the Nuggets were able to play a similar offense with either on the court because they had a passing big man on the court at all times. The Kings can do something similar with Sabonis and Plumlee. 

For the Hornets, Holmes can be a part of their center rotation along with breakout rookie, Mark Williams. Our Hornets GM, William Harris, also highly valued Neemias Queta as a flier. However, with Holmes’ money on the books now, I anticipate the Hornets making a subsequent move or two to shed future money, as they are about to get expensive once LaMelo Ball’s rookie extension is signed and in effect. 

 

Kings trade star rookie for an upgrade in a 3-team deal

TRADE: Kings acquire Kyle Kuzma, Cory Joseph, and Hamidou Diallo

Wizards receive: Keegan Murray, Davion Mitchell, Matthew Dellavedova, and Alec Burks

Pistons receive: Will Barton, Alex Len, 2025 WSH 2nd, SAC 2028 2nd, 2025 SAC 2nd

 

This is one that won’t happen in real life, but Sacramento was insistent on it. For the Kings, they are currently the 3 seed in the west and clearly like their chances of making a deep playoff run. As a result, they traded Keegan Murray and Davion Mitchell in a deal for Kuzma. The Kings have had interest in Kuzma since they agreed to terms on a trade for him for Buddy Hield with the Lakers. The Kings also felt confident that Kuzma would re-sign, given they provide him with a certain lifestyle that he desires. While Keegan realistically won’t be moved and this was a steep price to pay for an expiring deal, a package like this may be what it takes to pry Kuzma away from the Wizards. 

For the Wizards, in real life they’ve basically deemed Kuzma untouchable for reasons beyond me. I personally don’t think he’ll re-sign, but maybe Washington knows something that the general public doesn’t. But Washington has needed to rebuild for quite some time, so getting a guy like Keegan Murray in town is the start of that possibility. Sacramento has had a 15-year playoff drought, and this is just further pushing in their chips to fortify themselves as a contender. Last year we had Sacramento trading Tyrese Haliburton in a Ben Simmons deal when we did this exercise, and it seemed far-fetched that they’d trade Haliburton at this point last year too. Again, Murray won’t be moved, but crazier things have happened. Sacramento also acquired a backup point guard in Joseph and an athletic freak in Diallo. The Wizards were further able to flip Will Barton, who has quickly fallen out of favor in Washington, for a perceived upgrade in Alec Burks for just the price of a 2025 2nd-round pick. 

For Detroit, they get three second-round picks for Burks, Diallo, and Joseph. While Detroit’s goal was to acquire more picks and Joseph and Diallo for a second round pick each is fine, they should’ve been able to get more for Alec Burks. However, Detroit acquired Burks this past offseason along with Nerlens Noel in addition to a first-round pick for a salary dump, so adding to that first isn’t bad business by Detroit either.