The Sacramento Kings have seen a rather disappointing start to the 2025-26 season. Coming off their latest 133-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento has suffered four consecutive losses, dropping to 3-9 on the season.
As frustrations within the locker room continue to mount, with head coach Doug Christie also voicing the need for change, Sacramento will hope to turn things around soon. However, with rumors indicating that the Kings could be preparing for a rebuild, the outlook for the future may be completely different.
According to the reports, Sacramento has shown an inclination to trade its star core of DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, and Zach LaVine. Although we have formulated a framework that would allow Sacramento to maximize its returns for these three players, we explore another alternative with DeRozan in mind.
Proposed Trade Details
Sacramento Kings Receive: Miles Bridges, 2027 first-round pick (DAL)
Charlotte Hornets Receive: DeMar DeRozan
How Does Acquiring DeRozan Help The Hornets?
For the Charlotte Hornets, acquiring a proven scorer like DeMar DeRozan could be an impactful decision. Given that the team is currently comprised of young players, featuring a star in LaMelo Ball, Charlotte hasn’t looked competitive to start the new season. This could be attributed to a variety of reasons, primarily their poor net rating of -1.1.
Although the team’s offensive production has looked solid, ranking 13th in the league in offensive rating with 116.0, the drop-off in production after Ball’s average of 23.3 points per game is telling.
In this regard, acquiring a veteran scorer like DeRozan may be of some intrigue.
Even at 36, DeRozan remains a reliable offensive threat. As a third option in Sacramento, he is averaging 19.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, shooting 48.6% from the field and 40.0% from three-point range.
His efficiency and consistency may present upside to Charlotte’s offense, which remains heavily dependent on Ball to both create and score.
Additionally, DeRozan’s addition could be viewed positively from the perspective of mentoring the younger players on the team. With talented forwards like Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel in the main rotation, the 36-year-old could accelerate their growth.
How Do The Kings Benefit From This Trade?
For the Kings, this trade scenario sets a solid tone for their rebuild. The acquisition of a future first-round pick helps in growing the team’s existing draft reserves. Given that it is a top-2 protected pick, Sacramento has a reasonable chance of gaining it.
Along with the draft pick, Sacramento will also be acquiring Miles Bridges from the Hornets. For all intents and purposes, this may be viewed as a productive pickup.
Bridges is an athletic forward with noteworthy two-way potential. While he has earned a reputation as a lob threat because of his athleticism, the 27-year-old has also developed himself as a versatile scorer and rebounder.
On the Hornets, Bridges was the ideal running mate for LaMelo Ball, who prefers to play in transition. With the two carrying Charlotte’s offense, the 27-year-old closely matched the Hornets star in the scoring department, averaging 21.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 41.5% shooting from the field and 36.2% from three-point range.
Considering that the Kings would be parting with several star-caliber players in pursuit of a rebuild, adding Bridges may actually have a lot of merit. While effectively becoming a primary scoring option and assuming that Russell Westbrook takes over playmaking duties, Bridges could see a subsequent uptick in his scoring figures.
For a rebuilding team, being competitive in the short term is unlikely. However, should Bridges succeed in increasing his trade value by improving his offensive numbers, with two years left on his contract, the Kings could look to flip the forward next season for a more valuable return.
The Hornets May Do This Deal On Different Terms
While this trade could have a positive impact on both teams involved, there is also a degree of optimism behind it. Realistically, the Hornets may still do this deal, but with altered terms.
The main concern lies with trading Bridges along with a valuable first-round pick. At the current juncture, DeMar DeRozan may not be worth a first-rounder. With specific reference to a player like Bridges, who has been integral to Charlotte’s rotation, the team may be quite unwilling to part with that kind of draft asset.
Hence, to acquire Bridges, the Kings may be forced to give up draft capital instead.
Charlotte may be more inclined to do a deal if Sacramento gives up one or two second-rounders, or even a protected first-round pick. Outside of seeing such a return, the Hornets may be unwilling to break up their core, even if the results this season haven’t been promising.
