The Sacramento Kings are struggling this season with a record of 14-19 which is good enough for the 12th seed in the West. They’re 2.5 games behind the Play-In tournament but need to outperform superstar-led teams like the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and Golden State Warriors to even get a sniff at making the 10th seed, let alone making it to the Playoffs.
This has led to internal issues for the Kings who fired the coach who ended their 16-year Playoff drought, 2023 Coach of the Year Mike Brown. With De’Aaron Fox declining a max contract extension and potentially angling for a move away, the Kings need to act now to try and salvage their roster to become competitive once again. The New Orleans Pelicans could have the pieces they need to turn this around.
Trade Details
Sacramento Kings Receive: Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles, 2027 First-Round Pick (SAC), 2029 First-Round Pick (SAC)
Two unprotected first-round picks from the Kings are worth their weight in gold, as the franchise hasn’t been a competitive Playoff team for almost two decades now. The Pelicans will value those picks more than what most other contenders can offer them for Brandon Ingram‘s expiring contract, as well as 2024 All-Defense First-Team selection Herb Jones.
The Kings get two starter-caliber players that enhance them both offensive and defensively compared to what they have right now. The Pelicans will double-down on tanking this season, with the future Kings picks being more valuable than any player heading to New Orleans in this deal, including DeMar DeRozan.
Kings Starting Lineup Becomes Extremely Competitive
Starters: De’Aaron Fox, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis
Bench: Devin Carter, Jordan McLaughlin, Keon Ellis, Malik Monk, Colby Jones, Mason Jones (Two-Way), Doug McDermott, Isaiah Crawford (Two-Way), Jae Crowder, Isaac Jones (Two-Way), Alex Len
This trade would give the Kings an ideal lineup to run with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis as the highlighted pieces.
Ingram is averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this season, so he’d likely take a secondary scoring role behind Fox and provide the shooting prowess that the Kings’ two stars lack. In addition, Ingram is a great connective passer and can be a wonderful link-up player on offense with Fox and Sabonis.
Keegan Murray will continue excelling in his 3-and-D role while Herb Jones becomes the team’s POA defender and single-handedly improves their defense to a high level. The Kings have been competent as a team defense despite their shortcomings, but having an option like Jones will make their defensive roles much clearer and increase their floor on that end of the court.
Jones is averaging 11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game this season.
The bench isn’t the best but the Kings have enough options for a competent 10-man rotation with Keon Ellis, Malik Monk, Doug McDermott, Jae Crowder, and Alex Len, with Jordan McLaughlin and Colby Jones also potentially playing a part in the rotation depending on injuries and matchups.
This roster makes more sense with an adequate distribution of defenders and shooters around the two stars that the Kings have built this team around.
They get to move on from the massive misstep of signing DeMar DeRozan in the offseason when they did not need another ball-heavy mid-range scorer, but this gets them out of that jam instantly.
Pelicans Commit To Their Rebuild
This season has been sobering for Pelicans fans, who would laugh in your face if you told them in 2023 that their team would be rock-bottom in the West in 2025 behind teams like the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz.
They had a great set of young talent, but injuries and trade mistakes have pushed them into a corner where they need to adjust the pieces of their roster, potentially around a new franchise cornerstone they can land with the 2025 NBA Draft.
DeRozan is averaging 20.6 points this season, but his stats are mostly empty and won’t improve the Pelicans on-court. Huerter is averaging 9.4 points, while Lyles is averaging 6.5 points. These players aren’t the real assets, although the Pelicans could find a team that would be willing to take on DeRozan if needed and get more assets.
A 2027 and 2029 first-round pick from the Kings is absolute gold, and the Pelicans will understand the value proposition that presents. Losing Ingram won’t be hard for them, but parting with Jones who’s under contract till 2027 might be much harder. But without Herb, there is minimal incentive on the Kings’ part to make this trade, let alone offer multiple picks for it.
This deal would signal a new era for the Pelicans, as they hope to reshape their roster with no real pieces outside Trey Murphy III being considered a core member of a rebuild.
The Kings Save Their Season
The Kings in their current spot are in danger of not only missing the Playoffs but potentially conveying their first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks.
The pick is top-12 protected, so the options are to tank as hard as possible to keep it in their control or be a bonafide Playoff team, as being in the Play-In could cause them to lose their pick as well as not make a Playoff appearance.
The franchise has spent years in the doldrums of the NBA before finding magic with the Fox-Sabonis duo. Instead of splitting that up by dealing Fox this season, they should prove to the star guard that they’re all-in on winning with him right now.
This deal unquestionably moves them forward and could bring them into contention for a Playoff appearance given the uncertainty around teams like the Suns and Warriors.
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