The Sacramento Kings have shown that they want to be competitive and end their playoff drought. Sacramento made a win-now move at the trade deadline by trading away young guard Tyrese Haliburton in a deal for All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis.
Guard De'Aaron Fox showed promise alongside Sabonis, improving his numbers after the trade. He averaged 27.8 points per game, along with 4.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists.
While it was a limited sample size (13 games), their potential as a duo was shown. A good offseason could help them build around Fox and Sabonis to make a run at the playoffs in the Western Conference.
Although the Kings aren't a big free agency destination, they have the opportunity to build a good roster. They have tradeable contracts, which can be used to improve their team.
The Kings had a great draft lottery, ending up with the 4th pick in the draft. Many fans are interested to see if Sacramento will trade the pick to land a win-now player or keep it to draft a prospect that could grow into a star. There are benefits to both arguments, but whatever decision they make will alter the future of the franchise.
With that said, here are two reasons the Kings must not trade the 4th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft for a win-now player.
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Why the Kings must not trade the 4th overall pick
2. They can build their young core
The Kings have a shot at growing their young core and would be better off not trading the pick. While there is no consensus pick for Sacramento at number four, solid prospects are available, such as Keegan Murray.
Having homegrown talent can be special and help a franchise become unique. Take the Golden State Warriors for example; in 2010, the franchise was valued at around $550 million. Fast forward to today, they are one of the highest valued basketball teams at $5.6 billion, according to Forbes.
During that span, the Warriors had players they drafted, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green blossom. Prior to this big three, Golden State was not a free agency destination for superstar players. However, after the homegrown talent won a championship and had a season where they went 73-9, they landed Kevin Durant in free agency.
Keeping this pick to select a potential cornerstone for the Kings franchise is the right decision.
1. A win-now player would make them a playoff team, not a title contender
If the Kings do decide to use the number four overall pick in a trade, it will not make them a title contender. The rumored options in a trade with the fourth pick are a sign and trade for Bradley Beal, Jerami Grant, and Donovan Mitchell.
A deal for Mitchell is highly unlikely, and Grant is not a big star, which could make the trade a big mistake. Beal is the most enticing and possible target for the Kings.
However, what is the ceiling of a team with Fox, Beal, and Sabonis? Harrison Barnes would have to be included in the deal, leaving a weakness at forward. No one on this big three is a great defender, and they are on sizeable contracts. Due to their contracts, it would be difficult to fill the roster with talented depth.
Offensively, this trio would be elite, but it's unlikely that they would be a title contender. There are multiple teams in the Western Conference that have not just stars but superstars that could outmatch Sacramento. The reality of trading this pick for a win-now player is their ceiling would be a playoff team.
It would not be worth it in the long run for the Kings to trade away their fourth overall pick to just make a few playoff appearances.
Sacramento should keep the draft pick and use it to select a young player that could grow into a star.
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