The Sacramento Kings took a step toward getting out of the bottom of the Western Conference with the third-best record in the Conference this season. The next step is advancing in the playoffs, and the team tried to get a veteran star for the same.
The Kings were among the teams looking to trade for Bradley Beal before the Suns took him. The Athletic’s David Aldridge revealed that the Kings fell out of the race because they didn’t want to include forward Keegan Murray.
“The Kings made inquiries, but were unwilling to include Keegan Murray, their first-round pick from last year, whom the Wizards had tried to move up to select in the ’22 draft, in a potential trade.”
Murray was controversially picked with the No. 4 pick in the 2022 Draft, with many projecting Jaden Ivey to be drafted at that spot. Ivey refused to play for the Kings, and Murray ultimately ended up playing a crucial role in their playoff push. He averaged 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds as a rookie and was named to an All-Rookie Team as well.
Kings Better Off Building What They Have
Being stuck in NBA purgatory is not nice, and the Kings just ended a 16-year playoff drought. They finally built the right team for success last season, and they need to keep building on that instead of swapping out pieces. Murray’s archetype as a player fits what Sacramento wants to do. They already have microwave scorers, so Beal would’ve been an upgrade on offense but a downgrade on defense.
De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis need to build off their All-Star appearances and continue being one of the toughest duos to stop. Meanwhile, the Kings should look at moving assets for a defensive presence like OG Anunoby at the top tier, but this is a team that can succeed even if they make just marginal moves.
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