The Sacramento Kings are 5–17 and already look like a team staring down some ugly decisions. The front office has reportedly started listening to offers for pretty much every veteran on the roster, and the “run it back, see what happens” optimism from October has evaporated before Christmas. For a franchise that just went all-in on DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis, sitting 14th in the West with one of the worst records in the league is a nightmare outcome.
Russell Westbrook was supposed to be the safety valve, not the solution. The Kings signed him as a high-variance role man, a burst of energy behind Dennis Schroder and Devin Carter, who could change the tempo when the offense went flat. Instead, he’s ended up starting, closing, and flat-out outplaying both of them. Westbrook has been one of the few guys actually tilting games with his energy, but the fact that a 30-plus, non-shooting guard has become their best option at point says everything about how badly this roster is built at the position.
The Kings don’t have the assets to chase a Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball, or Trae Young type. Their pick situation is tight, their young prospects are more “interesting” than “untouchable,” and the big salaries are already tied up in DeRozan, LaVine, and Sabonis. That’s why they have to live in the realistic end of the pool: guards who won’t cost three first-rounders but can still actually organize an offense, defend their position, and not completely blow up the spacing.
Right now, Sacramento’s biggest problem isn’t just talent; it’s structure. Their offense is way too dependent on DeRozan and LaVine taking turns from the elbows and the wings. They sit near the bottom of the league in assist percentage, they turn the ball over at a scary rate for a team that doesn’t even play that fast, and their clutch-time execution has been brutal. Sabonis can facilitate from the elbows, but asking him to be the full-time engine is not a sustainable way to live, especially now that he’s injured and won’t be back for another handful of weeks.
What they need is a real point guard: someone who can actually run a team, get them organized, take pressure off the stars, and give them a defensive baseline at the top of the floor. They don’t need the fanciest name; they need the smartest fit. That’s where these three trade ideas come in.
1. Tyus Jones Gives The Kings A Real Floor General
Proposed Trade Details
Sacramento Kings Receive: Tyus Jones, 2026 second-round pick, 2027 second-round pick
Orlando Magic Receive: Dario Saric, Keon Ellis
If the Kings are serious about cleaning up their offense without breaking the bank, Tyus Jones is exactly the kind of “smart point guard” they should be chasing. He’s not a star, he’s not a headline name, but he’s the definition of a floor stabilizer: low mistakes, high feel, and totally comfortable just getting everyone else into their spots.
Jones landed in Orlando on a one-year, $7 million deal to be the classic steady backup behind Jalen Suggs and all the on-ball creators, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and now Desmond Bane. The problem (for him, not for the Kings) is that there just aren’t many touches left. Through 23 games, he’s averaging only 2.3 points and 2.0 assists in 13.7 minutes per night, shooting 33.9 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from three. He’s basically been a low-usage caretaker, not a featured part of what’s quietly one of the better offenses in the East.
That’s exactly why he’s gettable. The Magic are winning (14-9 with a top-10 offense and defense) without needing much from Jones at all. They’ve got Banchero, Wagner, Bane, Suggs, and even Anthony Black handling the ball and playmaking; Tyus is insurance, not a core piece. For a front office eyeing the tax and already paying real money to their stars, moving a backup guard on a one-year deal for a stretch big and a young defender is the type of tidy rotation tweak that actually makes sense.
In Sacramento, he’d be the opposite: essential. The Kings are completely disorganized at the point of attack. They’ve cycled through Schroder, Carter, and Westbrook, and somehow the 36-year-old Westbrook has ended up looking like their best option. That tells you everything about the state of their backcourt. What they need isn’t another high-usage scorer; they need someone who will get them into sets, hit the basic reads, and stop the live-ball turnovers that are killing them.
Even in a tiny role this season, Jones still does the things he always does: he takes care of the ball, he moves it to the right spots, and he doesn’t force junk shots. Last year with the Suns, he averaged 10.2 points and 5.3 assists on 44.8 percent shooting and 41.4 percent from three, with one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the league. That track record doesn’t disappear just because he’s buried in Orlando’s guard rotation.
For the Kings, flipping Saric and Ellis for Jones plus two second-rounders is absurdly clean business. They get a grown-up to organize DeRozan, LaVine, and Sabonis, they don’t touch any of their few real assets, and they even add a bit of draft capital on top. It’s not a home run, but it’s exactly the kind of smart, realistic point guard move a 5–17 team should be hunting.
2. Jose Alvarado Adds A Real Defensive Identity At Guard
Proposed Trade Details
Sacramento Kings Receive: Jose Alvarado
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Devin Carter
If the Kings want a point guard who actually changes their defensive DNA without costing picks or a core piece, Jose Alvarado is about as clean as it gets.
Carter is 23, but basically hasn’t cracked the rotation this season. He only played 8 games, averaging 8.1 minutes, and his Kings’ future looks bleak. He’s a nice long-term project, but for a team trying to save a season, projects don’t help much. Swapping him for a proven defensive pest who’s ready to play playoff minutes tomorrow is exactly the sort of “we’re desperate, but still sane” move Sacramento needs to consider.
Alvarado, 27, is deep in his prime and already knows exactly who he is. He’s doing great on a struggling Pelicans squad, averaging 9.1 points, 2.8 assists, and a steal per game this year, but the box score never tells his full story. He picks up full court, blows up actions before they start, digs down on bigs, and generally makes ball-handlers miserable. Every team talks about wanting “edge” on defense; Alvarado actually brings it, every single possession.
That’s huge for this version of the Kings. Right now, they have almost no point-of-attack resistance. Schroder is undersized and inconsistent, Westbrook competes but can’t be their long-term answer, and Carter isn’t playing. Opposing guards are walking into the paint, forcing wings to over-help, and creating kick-out threes all night. Plugging Alvarado into that mix gives them, at minimum, one guard who will actually set the tone at the top of the floor.
Offensively, he’s low-usage in a good way. He can bring the ball up, initiate basic sets, and then space to the corner or cut. He’s shooting 38.7% from three on decent volume, and he doesn’t hijack possessions. On a team where DeRozan, LaVine, and Sabonis already soak up a ton of touches, that’s what you want: someone who will keep the ball moving, not someone demanding 15 shots a night.
From the Pelicans’ side, this is still the kind of move that’s easy to justify. They’re 3–20 and clearly stuck in a rough season, trying to retool without tearing everything down. The backcourt is already crowded with Jordan Poole, Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Hawkins, and an injured Dejounte Murray, all needing minutes and touches. Alvarado is valuable but not untouchable on a two-year, $9 million extension. Swapping a 27-year-old backup guard for Carter gives New Orleans another young piece to develop while maintaining cap flexibility.
For the Kings, it’s simple: they trade a guy who isn’t helping them at all right now for one who immediately raises their defensive floor and gives them a real identity at the guard spot. No picks, no complicated salary matching, no fantasy blockbuster. Just a tough, playoff-caliber guard whose game fits exactly what this roster is missing.
3. Jrue Holiday Brings Championship-Level Steadiness At Point Guard
Proposed Trade Details
Sacramento Kings Receive: Jrue Holiday
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Malik Monk, Dennis Schroder, 2026 second-round pick (via CHA)
If the Kings want a “smart point guard” and not just another score-first guard, this is the swing that actually changes who they are. Jrue Holiday is 35, on big money, and on a Trail Blazers team that’s 9-14 and fighting just to stay in the play-in picture. Sacramento is 5-17 and desperate. That’s usually how these kinds of trades happen.
Holiday has been excellent in Portland. Through 12 games, he’s averaging 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 33.4 minutes, shooting 44.6% from the field, 36.5% from three, and 84.0% at the line. That’s classic Jrue: efficient, versatile, and able to toggle between running an offense and playing off the ball. He’s still one of the best guard defenders in the league, with 1.6 steals per game and his usual ridiculous on-ball pressure.
Financially, he’s on a real star contract: $32.4 million this season, $34.8 million in 2026-27, and a $37.2 million player option for 2027-28 after signing a four-year, $135 million extension in Boston before the trade. That’s exactly why Monk ($18.7M) and Schroder ($14.1M) make sense as matching salaries.
On the floor, the fit in Sacramento is almost too clean. Holiday immediately becomes the unquestioned lead guard who can actually organize DeRozan, LaVine, and Sabonis. He can spam pick-and-roll with Sabonis, post up smaller guards when teams switch, and still space the floor as a 36–37% catch-and-shoot guy when the offense flows through the wings. Defensively, he gives the Kings something they flat-out don’t have: a true point-of-attack stopper who can take the toughest perimeter assignment every night and let everyone else slide down a spot.
For the Blazers, this is about timeline and flexibility. They’re building around Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Donovan Clingan, and Deni Avdija. Holiday was great before the injury, but he’s also 35 and owed more than $100 million over the next three seasons. Turning him into Monk and Schroder gives them two playable guards who can soak up usage, help their young guys with spacing and playmaking, and are much easier to move again later, if another deal pops up.
From Sacramento’s perspective, this is the “go get a real adult and live with the age and money” move. Holiday instantly raises their defensive ceiling, gives their stars a true table-setter, and finally answers the question that’s been hanging over this roster all year: who is actually in charge of the offense?
