[Game] 50/82: Kings @ Celtics 30 JAN 2026, 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET

[SacTownKid]

This is the best argument I've heard for trading Keon. If the bridge is already truly burned (and it would be for me as well) then get something for him before he's gone for good. It still makes me sad though that it has come to this.

This is what the Kings do. They trash value, they trash potential, they sign guys like Russ to star and end up behind the 8 ball in every facet imaginable. They've wasted more than half a season already when this could have been a long runway to development for all those guys we saw in garbage time.

 

[SacTownKid]

Again, I agree in a vacuum, but this presupposes that the organization doesn't think they can get him back. I'm the kind of petty that, if I were Ellis, I would say all of The Right Things™, pay all of the lip service to wanting to stay, re-signing at the end of the season, all of that. And then, as soon as the trade deadline passed, I'd tell my agent to stop taking Perry's calls.

For his own survival he should. And for all we know his agent was like "we're good, no thanks" last summer lol.

 

[Joshyjosh31]

How did Carter look

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

This is what the Kings do. They trash value, they trash potential, they sign guys like Russ to star and end up behind the 8 ball in every facet imaginable. They've wasted more than half a season already when this could have been a long runway to development for all those guys we saw in garbage time.

Precisely. Give Clifford and/or Carter the keys on Opening Night and, by the end of the season, at least you have an idea whether he's going to be anything, even if he's not a "savior."

Or you can let them rot on the bench until they leave for nothing, and watch them become useful roleplayers someplace else *coughquetacough*.

 

[SacTownKid]

How did Carter look

Rusty first stint. Came in the 4th and looked really good. All the young guys have way more chemistry with eachother than the vets do with anyone. It's obvious Nique and Carter could have insane chemistry but it's being buried.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

How did Carter look

Not "savior-like," but like someone who deserves more minutes than he's getting.

 

[hrdboild]

The other is we are rebuilding and sometimes you have to trade your current good players for rebuilding assets. If we do this right, the Kings will be good by around the time the next Keon contract ends in 3-4 years.

BUT that only makes sense if you actually commit to a youth movement, which we have not done yet.

I'm not so sure that a late first round pick is a better asset than a re-signed Keon Ellis. That greatly depends on who we can draft at that spot. Which is why I very strongly prefer draft day trades over mid-season trades unless you're the team buying established players for the playoffs. As a seller of said players, the return is almost always underwhelming.

 

[The_Jamal]

I'm not so sure that a late first round pick is a better asset than a re-signed Keon Ellis. That greatly depends on who we can draft at that spot. Which is why I very strongly prefer draft day trades over mid-season trades unless you're the team buying established players for the playoffs. As a seller of said players, the return is almost always underwhelming.

It's not, but we don't care about win now value atm. We ruined Keon's rookie scale control, so if we can parlay him into a new rookie scale contract, that's about as good as we can hope for at this point. We should have been prioritizing Keon's role over the last few years, but obviously screwed it up.

 

[Spike]

I'm not so sure that a late first round pick is a better asset than a re-signed Keon Ellis. That greatly depends on who we can draft at that spot. Which is why I very strongly prefer draft day trades over mid-season trades unless you're the team buying established players for the playoffs. As a seller of said players, the return is almost always underwhelming.

I don't know about that. Why, the late first-round pick could even be just as good as Keon Ellis!

 

[sactowndog]

DeRozan, Schroeder, and Monk all with terrible shooting nights.

Did DeRozan get hurt?

 

[hrdboild]

It's not, but we don't care about win now value atm. We ruined Keon's rookie scale control, so if we can parlay him into a new rookie scale contract, that's about as good as we can hope for at this point. We should have been prioritizing Keon's role over the last few years, but obviously screwed it up.

I guess so but what is so wrong with paying a 26 year old role-player his fair market value? When the Kings have to spend $60-80 million in 2028 just to meet the salary floor and Scott Perry is forced into wasting most of it on some 33 year old role-players who are neither the shooter nor the defender that Keon Ellis is, aren't we going to be wishing we'd just paid Ellis instead?

 

[iowamcnabb]

I missed the game. For those that watched what quarter was the most entertaining? May go back and watch a quarter or two

 

[Sluggah]

I missed the game. For those that watched what quarter was the most entertaining? May go back and watch a quarter or two

Had to watch a little late too. At some point later in the 3rd, when they roll out the lineup of Max, Nique, Cardwell, Monk, and Keon, it becomes watchable till the end.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Had to watch a little late too. At some point later in the 3rd, when they roll out the lineup of Max, Nique, Cardwell, Monk, and Keon, it becomes watchable till the end.

Thanks!

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

https://bsky.app/profile/keithsmithnba.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3mdooj6om222d

I mean, he ain't necessarily lying.

 

[Krunker]

I missed the game. For those that watched what quarter was the most entertaining? May go back and watch a quarter or two

Cardwell's double stuff of Queta late in the third is my favorite moment of the game

 

[KingsRUs]

Kids looked solid relatively, only thing that matters, though I think most us understand Doug isn’t NBA standard at this juncture

Cardwell managing a 0 +/- out of that, continues with the impact stats

 

[The_Jamal]

I guess so but what is so wrong with paying a 26 year old role-player his fair market value? When the Kings have to spend $60-80 million in 2028 just to meet the salary floor and Scott Perry is forced into wasting most of it on some 33 year old role-players who are neither the shooter nor the defender that Keon Ellis is, aren't we going to be wishing we'd just paid Ellis instead?

I mean, you're preaching to the choir here, I've been screaming into the void to start Keon for 2 years now.

We just missed (intentionally, unfortunately) the boat with Keon here. This team is headed for a multi-year rebuild and should be looking at every avenue to stock up on picks and be ready to be good down the line. Keon is a player that helps you win tomorrow and over the next few years. It makes sense to look for a cost-controlled asset that helps us be good in 3 years.

Now I completely agree that Keon can be apart of both timelines. But I do think it's valid to choose either one; sell high on him to get future assets or make him a core piece. We unfortunately refused to make him a core player

 

[Caccia]

This eight-game losing streak has taken place in the run-up to the 2026 trade deadline. I think it is no coincidence. You have to feel for the Kings players at this point.