Sacramento Kings’ trade targets, contracts, rumors and needs as NBA trade deadline nears

The NBA trade deadline is 24 days away. The Kings are believed to be one of the most active teams in the market, engaged in trade talks on multiple fronts with a desire to improve the roster sooner than later.

The Kings have been linked to the likes of Pascal Siakam, Jerami Grant, Kyle Kuzma and Zach LaVine — long, athletic wings who have all been on Sacramento’s radar in recent years. The Kings signed LaVine to an offer sheet when he was a restricted free agent in 2018. They nearly finalized a trade for Kuzma in 2021 before the Los Angeles Lakers abruptly changed course. They have also discussed deals involving Siakam and Grant.

These players have similarities and differences. Different ages and abilities. Different contracts and different costs. The trade deadline is Feb. 8, but Sacramento would prefer to get a deal done sooner after falling to sixth in the Western Conference following back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.

The Kings are reportedly shopping Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter and Davion Mitchell in exploratory talks for a number of players. They also have an array of future first- and second-round picks, but they owe a protected 2024 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, so they can’t offer a first-round pick until 2026 under the Stepien rule.

Kings general manager Monte McNair and trusty assistant Wes Wilcox will proceed as they have since they were hired in 2020 to change the fortunes of a franchise that suffered through 16 consecutive losing seasons before making the playoffs last year. They will be cautious but aggressive, diligent in trying to acquire someone with some combination of size, length, physicality, scoring and defense, but mindful of the future and the team’s financial flexibility.

NBA executives around the league are trying to figure out why Huerter has struggled this season and what it would take to acquire Keegan Murray. League sources have told The Sacramento Bee the Kings are not including Murray in trade talks as he is considered a core piece along with the All-NBA duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. The same might be true for Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malik Monk, although his situation is different since he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Sabonis signed a five-year, $217 million contract extension with the Kings over the summer. Fox is expected to sign a massive new deal this summer. Murray will be eligible for an extension following the 2024-25 season. The Kings can offer Monk a four-year deal worth about $78 million using his early Bird rights, but another team with cap space could offer more money and a starting position.

Here’s a closer look at some of the players the Kings could be targeting as the trade deadline approaches.

Pascal Siakam

Raptors | PF | 6-8 | 245

The Kings have shown interest in Siakam, 29, a number of times over the past couple of years. He is a two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection with size, versatility and a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He is averaging 22.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

Sacramento and Toronto were engaged in serious talks as recently as Jan. 5 when the Raptors visited the Kings with team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster in attendance. However, the Kings reportedly pulled out of those talks before the night was over. Siakam is in the final year of a four-year, $137 million contract. The Kings would need some assurances that they could re-sign Siakam to make a deal worthwhile. A source with knowledge of the situation told The Sacramento Bee that Siakam wasn’t interested in coming to Sacramento when the Kings explored a trade in the summer of 2021, and that hasn’t changed, according to recent reports. During his recent stop in Sacramento, Siakam told The Bee he was focusing on basketball, not the trade rumors swirling around him.

Jerami Grant

Trail Blazers | SF/PF | 6-7 | 220

Grant is a 29-year-old forward with a 7-2 ¾ wingspan. He is averaging 21.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 41.1% from 3-point range.

Grant is represented by Klutch Sports Group, the same agency that represents Fox. Grant is in the first year of a five-year, $160 million contract with a $36.4 million player option in 2027-28. The Kings have been linked to talks for Grant going back to his days with the Detroit Pistons. The Blazers, who have the second-worst record in the Western Conference, are rebuilding after trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Now could be the time for the Kings to make their move.

Kyle Kuzma

Wizards | PF | 6-9 | 221

Kuzma, 28, is another player the Kings have been tied to in recent years. He thought he was coming to Sacramento in 2021 before the Lakers backed out of the deal at the last minute, choosing to send him to Washington instead in a trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles. The Wizards are rebuilding now and they’ve already started dealing, trading veterans Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to the Pistons on Sunday for Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and two second-round picks.

Kuzma is averaging 22.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He is shooting 46% from the field and 34.9% from 3-point range. He is in the first year of a four-year, $90 million contract with a team-friendly salary structure that gradually declines from $25.6 million this season to $19.4 million in 2026-27.

Zach LaVine

Bulls | SG | 6-5 | 200

LaVine, 28, is averaging 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists. The two-time All-Star is shooting 45.1% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range, down from 41.9% in 2020-21, 28.9% in 2021-22 and 27.5% last season. His scoring average has declined in a similar fashion since 2020-21, when he scored a career-high 27.4 points per game.

LaVine is in the second year of a massive five-year, $215.2 million contract. He is owed $40 million this season, $43 million next season and $46 million in 2025-26 with a $49 million player option in 2026-27. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the Kings and Bulls have discussed a deal involving Huerter and Barnes. However, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times recently reported the trade market for LaVine is “so rough” the Bulls might need to attach assets in a trade package to get another team to take on his contract.

Miles Bridges

Hornets | SF | 6-7 | 225

Bridges would be an intriguing target for Sacramento as he fits their needs, but it would be difficult to look past his off-court issues. In November, he returned from a 30-game suspension stemming from a domestic violence incident involving former girlfriend Mychelle Johnson and two of their children. Bridges pleaded no contest to a felony charge after a hospital report showed Johnson suffered strangulation, a concussion, a closed nasal bone fracture, a rib contusion, multiple bruises and a neck strain.

Bridges is still just 25 years old. He is averaging 20.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 46% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range. Bridges has been exceptionally good in January, averaging 23.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while converted 52.9% from the field and 47.4% from long distance over the past seven games. Bridges is on a one-year, $7.9 million contract due to his transgressions. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.