The Sacramento Kings made one of the biggest moves of the 2024 NBA offseason by adding six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, but what if they get to the 2024-25 trade deadline and are not happy with their performance?
Could the Kings end up making another significant move this season? Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes imagines who Sacramento’s top three trade targets this season would be:
In a Jerami Grant hypothetical, Hughes lays out the possibility of the DeRozan experiment turning into a disaster. Of course that is a nightmare for Kings fans, but even if DeRozan does not seem to be taking Sacramento to the next level as expected, they certainly would not give up on the aging star within four months of his first game as a King.
Grant, 30, is a very talented forward who Kings fans have been begging for, but the addition of DeRozan throws that idea out the window. Grant is entering the second season of a five-year, $160 million contract. Sacramento sending anything to the Portland Trail Blazers to take on that deal would be a disaster.
Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith is a much more realistic option for Sacramento and one they are likely very interested in.
Finney-Smith, 31, is a versatile defender and a very valuable role player. The Kings lack wing depth, and adding Finney-Smith to bolster that position would be ideal. In the 2021-22 season, DFS shot a career-high 39.5 percent from deep, averaging 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game for the Dallas Mavericks.
If the Kings are looking for a wing defensive threat and viable three-point shooter to come off the bench, Finney-Smith would be one of the better options, especially if Brooklyn is selling at the trade deadline.
If the Kings want to continue to focus on defense, Matisse Thybulle could be a great addition. While Thybulle is not as polished on offense as any team would like, he makes up for it on the defensive end as a two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member.
Last season, Thybulle averaged 5.4 points and 1.7 steals per game on 39.7/34.6/75.9 shooting splits. Thybulle is certainly not the ideal target for Sacramento, but his presence on defense will always shake up opposing offenses.
Sacramento could certainly look to add a defensive specialist to their second unit, similar to what Finney-Smith would provide. Thybulle would not be as ideal of an addition, but they could certainly get him for much cheaper than it would take to pry DFS from Brooklyn.
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