What should the kings do?

[coolhandluke]

How about N. Claxton for Sasha and Mitchell? Honestly I don't know what the Nets have planned but their payroll and positioning don't add up. Adding Claxton would slide Sabonis to the 4 giving us much needed roster flexibility.

5. Claxton/Len
4. Sabonis/Lyles
3. Murray/Barnes
2. Huerter/Monk
1. Fox/Ellis

Nic Claxton is an intriguing target. He is a good defensive player that excels in shot blocking and rebounding. He runs the floor well and can be a lob threat for the Kings who are poor in vertical spacing.

The cons are that he's not a three point threat and that could affect the spacing on offense. Can he play PF on defense as we would likely want to put Sabonis on the slower big?

As he is an UFA next season, can we wait and snag him in the free agency without giving up assets? Do we have the cap space after re-signing Monk?

 

[twslam07]

I’m not as low on Huerter as many seem to be here. I’m more than happy to keep our starting 25 year old SG who’s on a solid contract for the next 2.5 seasons. The goal should be to address the PF spot. Whether that is at the deadline, in the off-season, or further down the road.

If we address that PF spot with someone who has a higher usage and will require shots, I’d prefer to move Huerter right then and there. The reason is that he’ll be delegated to the 6th scorer at that point (Barnes’ current role) and I could see his value tanking as his numbers would likely drop.

If we address that PF spot with a lower usage player who doesn’t require a lot of shots, I think it makes sense to keep Huerter around to still fill that 5th scorer role and see if he can get back to his normal offensive self while sustaining his defensive and rebounding effort.

 

[iowamcnabb]

I’m not as low on Huerter as many seem to be here. I’m more than happy to keep our starting 25 year old SG who’s on a solid contract for the next 2.5 seasons. The goal should be to address the PF spot. Whether that is at the deadline, in the off-season, or further down the road.

If we address that PF spot with someone who has a higher usage and will require shots, I’d prefer to move Huerter right then and there. The reason is that he’ll be delegated to the 6th scorer at that point (Barnes’ current role) and I could see his value tanking as his numbers would likely drop.

If we address that PF spot with a lower usage player who doesn’t require a lot of shots, I think it makes sense to keep Huerter around to still fill that 5th scorer role and see if he can get back to his normal offensive self while sustaining his defensive and rebounding effort.

i still struggle to come up with power forwards that would be huge upgrades defensively not just moderate ones. Elite level defensive 4s are pretty sparce. Dean Wade has really figured things out in Cleveland. Could he be had in the off season if they keep Mobley?

 

[Joshoua]

https://x.com/mattgeorgesac/status/1750284844188274780?s=46&t=XHl6MkQyOm3Zbk1mBBrooA

Trades mentioned

-Barnes, Mitchell, and two first rounders (top 5 protected)

For

Kuzma


-Barnes, Mitchell, 2026 1st (top 5 protected), 2027 pick swap, and 2028 1st

For

Jermaine Grant


-Mitchell, Jones, 2025 second rd pick, and 2026 first rd pick

For

Alex Caruso


-Kings: Herb Jones
-Pelicans: Tate, Oladipo, 2025 swap with Kings, 2026 first rounder (kings), and 2027 Nets pick swap
-Rockets: Harrison Barnes


-Kings: DFS, Royce O’Neal, and Bulluck
-Net: Mitchell, Oladipo, 2025 nets pick swap, two second round picks
-Houston:Barnes

 

[White_Chocolate]

https://x.com/mattgeorgesac/status/1750284844188274780?s=46&t=XHl6MkQyOm3Zbk1mBBrooA

Trades mentioned

-Barnes, Mitchell, and two first rounders (top 5 protected)

For

Kuzma


-Barnes, Mitchell, 2026 1st (top 5 protected), 2027 pick swap, and 2028 1st

For

Jermaine Grant


-Mitchell, Jones, 2025 second rd pick, and 2026 first rd pick

For

Alex Caruso


-Kings: Herb Jones
-Pelicans: Tate, Oladipo, 2025 swap with Kings, 2026 first rounder (kings), and 2027 Nets pick swap
-Rockets: Harrison Barnes


-Kings: DFS, Royce O’Neal, and Bulluck
-Net: Mitchell, Oladipo, 2025 nets pick swap, two second round picks
-Houston:Barnes

I like the Caruso and Jones trades best. Herb seems very unlikely and Grant seems unlikely.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Maybe that’s what they’re asking, but that feels like one first too many each for Kuzma and Grant.

 

[SacTownKid]

I’m not as low on Huerter as many seem to be here. I’m more than happy to keep our starting 25 year old SG who’s on a solid contract for the next 2.5 seasons. The goal should be to address the PF spot. Whether that is at the deadline, in the off-season, or further down the road.

If we address that PF spot with someone who has a higher usage and will require shots, I’d prefer to move Huerter right then and there. The reason is that he’ll be delegated to the 6th scorer at that point (Barnes’ current role) and I could see his value tanking as his numbers would likely drop.

If we address that PF spot with a lower usage player who doesn’t require a lot of shots, I think it makes sense to keep Huerter around to still fill that 5th scorer role and see if he can get back to his normal offensive self while sustaining his defensive and rebounding effort.

I'd bet for Monte McNair it's not a question of being low on Huerter, it's a question of how high can you get about him. I would assume the positives you mention are one of the reasons he's on the move list.

 

[chief bromden]

I change my mind on what the Kings should do probably every day. If Barnes explosion last game was because of fresh legs after 3 days off like Monk said in his post game interview then maybe Lyles should start at the 4 and bring Barnes off the bench to keep him fresher... then he can have more shot opportunities with other lineups. So in that respect, just go for a minor move, hope the pick to ATL conveys this draft, and then look to load up a final big core piece this summer when trades are easier to pull off and we have a full arsenal of picks, swaps, maybe then you can throw in Barnes etc to make salaries work. That's where I'm leaning now.

Otherwise I think it's going to have to be a PJ Washington, John Collins, Vanderbilt type of guy to bring in if they are even available, and I'm not sure those guys are worth giving up assets for to be honest, because they won't guarantee any better success in this playoffs.

 

[jiimbob]

I change my mind on what the Kings should do probably every day. If Barnes explosion last game was because of fresh legs after 3 days off like Monk said in his post game interview then maybe Lyles should start at the 4 and bring Barnes off the bench to keep him fresher... then he can have more shot opportunities with other lineups. So in that respect, just go for a minor move, hope the pick to ATL conveys this draft, and then look to load up a final big core piece this summer when trades are easier to pull off and we have a full arsenal of picks, swaps, maybe then you can throw in Barnes etc to make salaries work. That's where I'm leaning now.

Otherwise I think it's going to have to be a PJ Washington, John Collins, Vanderbilt type of guy to bring in if they are even available, and I'm not sure those guys are worth giving up assets for to be honest, because they won't guarantee any better success in this playoffs.

If no moves or just minor tweaks made before the deadline I think Barnes off the bench is worth a look.
Maybe we will have more wow, the guy really can play moments and it would be interesting to see how starting minutes for Lyles would change his game.
Still hope at min a Bruce Brown type of move is made, could go a longs way to improve this team.

 

[dude12]

I’d still like to see Keegan at SG and move either Lyles or Sasha into the lineup. He guards down anyways. More length, still got 3 point shooting, worth a look.

 

[Showtime]

I want another bucket getter so our offense can just murder defenses.

I'm kind of in this camp. This team is never going to lock anyone down. Their best bet is the assassin/glass canon build. All eggs in the offensive basket.

 

[hrdboild]

I'm kind of in this camp. This team is never going to lock anyone down. Their best bet is the assassin/glass canon build. All eggs in the offensive basket.

That's been true of most Kings teams but this year's group actually makes me think the exact opposite. We've been getting 90% of our offense from 4 players and two of them are plus defenders. It should be pretty easy to build a defensive juggernaut when you can augment that group with as many as 5 guys in the regular rotation who don't even need to score the ball.