Pascal Siakam joined the Indiana Pacers in January 2024 when they beat out the Sacramento Kings in the Siakam trade sweepstakes, primarily due to a lack of interest from Siakam in extending his contract with the Kings in the summer. Reputed NBA insider Sam Amick has confirmed that Siakam holds a grudge against the Kings for making negative comments about his play style that he found out about.
“For better or worse on the Siakam side, there was an inference from his camp that over the years, and I don’t know what form this took, but behind-the-scenes, somewhat disparaging remarks that came from the Kings about his game. In the way it was framed to me, in an attempt to drive down what it would take to get him, some gossipy-type feedback on his game had gotten back to him.”
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Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on the Pacers, playing a crucial role in the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He has already signed a four-year, $189.5 million extension with the Pacers to firmly establish himself as part of the franchise’s future alongside Tyrese Haliburton.
The Kings whiffed at multiple frontcourt additions over the winter, with the team reportedly also interested in Kyle Kuzma at the time. Their lack of moves led to the team’s shoddy depth being exposed after Malik Monk got injured in March, prompting the Kings to slide from being a top-six team in the West to finishing as the No. 9 seed and losing in the Play-In Tournament.
An addition like Siakam could have helped them make the kind of run the Mavericks did after they added P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. Now, they are in a position where they have to make a major move this summer to give their core a chance at being competitive next season.
The Sacramento Kings Should Be Buyers In The 2024 Offseason
The Kings are among the teams in the West with the most pressure to improve their team this summer. Despite the strong individual play of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis this season, the lack of consistent production around them led to their struggles.
Signing Malik Monk to a four-year, $78 million extension before he hit the free agency market was a great move, but now the franchise needs to set its eyes on improving the rest. Players such as Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell, Kevin Huerter, and more will be floated in trade talks, with the Kings already being linked to Zach LaVine.
The Wizards were willing to part with Kyle Kuzma over the winter, as the former champion declined a move to the Dallas Mavericks after a deal was put in place by the organizations.
Kuzma averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists last season, and would be an ideal fit next to Sabonis and Fox. This could make Kuzma happy, as long as he doesn’t decline this trade as well because he feels he has a better chance at contending in Washington.
They have the No. 13 pick in the 2024 Draft, an asset that could be used to make a trade for a player like Kuzma or LaVine or to draft a win-now player to bolster their rotation with a long-term view in mind. Nonetheless, standing pat for another season would likely lead to the Kings missing the postseason for another season.
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