After falling apart in a four-game losing streak, the Sacramento Kings bounced back on Wednesday to pick up a road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sacramento was led by De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Domantas Sabonis combining for 80 points, 28 rebounds, and 22 assists, taking the game over down the stretch to carry the Kings to a much-needed win.
The biggest surprise in Wednesday’s win was Mike Brown’s decision to start veteran forward Jae Crowder, who officially joined the squad just hours before tip-off. The Kings desperately needed wing help, given the signing of Crowder, but is there still room to improve?
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz imagined Sacramento’s top three trade targets, showing their need for another wing and possibly a future Hall of Famer. The three trade targets:
“Adding wings who can defend is the name of the game for the Sacramento Kings, a team that ranks just 16th defensively this season (112.6 rating).
Finney-Smith brings two-way ability while Thybulle’s strengths lie primarily on the defensive end, although the 27-year-old has made 35.8 percent of his threes since coming to Portland.
Sacramento also ranks just 27th overall in assist percentage (57.1 percent). Bringing in a veteran point guard like Paul could ease the burden on De’Aaron Fox and create easy opportunities for others.” — Greg Swartz, B/R
Wing depth seems to always be an issue for the Kings, regardless of what offseason moves they make. If they could make a splash at the deadline by acquiring Finney-Smith or Thybulle, it would help their defensive and depth concerns tremendously.
Adding 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul is certainly an interesting idea, but it does not seem to make much sense. Swartz brings up the concern of Sacramento’s low assist percentage, but throwing Paul next to ball-dominant players like De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, and Domantas Sabonis likely is not the solution.
With talented rookie Devin Carter returning from injury later this season, Sacramento’s guard room seems to be in good hands, but the idea of adding a defensive-minded wing is certainly intriguing.
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