Have NBA trade rumors created locker room issues for Sacramento Kings as deadline nears?

The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching and the Kings can feel the winds of change whistling through Sacramento.

The Kings have been involved in trade talks on multiple fronts as general manager Monte McNair looks to shore up the roster for another run to the playoffs. Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes and Davion Mitchell are frequently mentioned in potential deals for the likes of Jerami Grant and Kyle Kuzma, but De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray are the only players who appear to be off limits.

All this uncertainty could be weighing on a team that is mired in a season-long four-game losing streak going into Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. The players insist they aren’t talking about who could be coming and going before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, but some are well aware their days in Sacramento could be numbered.

“It comes with the territory,” Huerter told The Sacramento Bee. “That’s the NBA nowadays. That’s why it’s exciting. That’s why fans love it. Our trade deadline is probably more active than any other sport out there, so it just comes with the territory being on a team that’s trying to win and get better.”

The Kings won 48 games to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons. At 23-18, they have the same record as they had at this point a year ago, but they have fallen to seventh in the West after losing their last four games.

“This is a team that’s trying to get better and looking at ways to become legit contenders,” Huerter said. “I think, for the most part, every team has a lot of names on the table besides maybe a small handful of guys. It’s just part of playing in the NBA and part of the contract I’m on.”

Huerter is in the second year of a four-year, $65 million contract. Barnes is in the first year of a three-year, $54 million contract. One or both would likely have to be included to match salaries in a deal to acquire an All-Star caliber player.

“This is a billion-dollar business,” Barnes told The Bee. “We’re paid to do a job and this is part of it. Everyone here is professional and we’re out here trying to win games. As long as guys are wearing the Sacramento Kings uniform, they’re going to play to a certain standard.”

Sabonis said trade rumors have not been a topic of conversation in the locker room except for when the Toronto Raptors visited Sacramento on Jan. 5. The Kings were widely linked to trade talks for Pascal Siakam before the Raptors sent him to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

“We don’t really talk about it,” Sabonis said. “I don’t think it’s been brought up once yet this year. Maybe someone brought up something the day we played Toronto, but other than that, it’s not on our mind. That’s not something we’re thinking about.”

Kings coach Mike Brown addressed the trade rumors swirling around his team prior to the game against the Raptors.

“Everybody’s human, so everybody feels it in some way shape or form,” Brown said. “You can talk about it as much as you want or as little as you want, but at the end of the day rumors and speculation are rampant as the trade deadlines nears every year for every team. It’s part of our business. You’ve just got to deal with it and keep moving forward as best you can.”

Following Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, Kings guard Malik Monk was asked if he thought the trade deadline was weighing on the minds of his teammates.

“That’s a good question,” Monk said. “I really can’t speak for nobody else. It might be weighing on some people, but I haven’t heard anything. ... I’ve talked to everybody and they sound confident to me, so we’re all right.”

One thing is certain, Sabonis said. The Kings still have a strong sense of togetherness despite their current losing streak.

“We’re all great,” Sabonis said. “That’s the one thing about this locker room. We all stick together. We all love each other and we know what we’ve got to do.”