Just about any other season, 46 wins would be good enough to not only make the NBA playoffs but to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament altogether. The Sacramento Kings won 48 games last year, which earned them the third seed in the Western Conference. Forty-six wins in the previous campaign would've put them in the fourth spot in the playoffs. But this season was a different beast. Sacramento found themselves in the bottom end of the West NBA Play-In Tournament, needing to win two games to get into the playoff field as the eighth seed. Unfortunately, they came halfway short of that goal.
The Kings beat their rivals in the Golden State Warriors in the 9-10 matchup of the play-in. That earned them a final shot at the NBA playoffs, but they fell at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans. Sacramento has been one of the best stories in the league the last two seasons, going from a laughing stock to a legitimately competitive team. But they have questions to answer in the offseason, some that may need to be addressed with a trade. If they were to go that route, a player like Kevin Huerter could find himself on the way out via trade.
The Kings should look for a Kevin Huerter trade
Kevin Huerter is a solid player. He's a good shooter who doesn't need the ball in his hands a lot and fits very cleanly next to De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. He's a career 38.2% shooter from deep on good volume too (5.7 attempts per game). A lot of those threes are on the move coming off screens or handoffs with Sabonis.
Despite Huerter's skill, the Kings are also stacked at guard. Malik Monk was a resounding favorite for Sixth Man of the Year before he got hurt. He often closed games for the Kings because he not only can shoot the ball but adds a lot more scoring juice off the bounce and pace than Huerter does.
Huerter is a better defender than Monk, but the Kings aren't short on defense from their guards either. Fox is a pesky defender when he wants to. Davion Mitchell didn't earn the nickname “off night” for nothing. Not only are those two in tow, but two-way guard Keon Ellis proved he belongs in the NBA.
Ellis filled in admirably in Monk and Huerter's absence to close the year. From March 1st until the end of the regular season, he shot 43-94 (45.7%) across 23 games. He did that all while playing fantastic defense, including in the play-in game where he clamped Steph Curry.
Roster and Financial Crunch
Because of how well Ellis in particular played after Huerter and Monk got injured, the Kings could be facing a roster crunch at guard. They are already over the projected $141 million salary cap for next season, and that is without Monk on the roster. Sacramento also doesn't have a backup center currently under contract for next season either.
Kevin Huerter is projected to make just under $17 million next season. He has another year after that on his deal before he becomes a free agent. If the Kings were to trade him, now would be the time to do it. Ellis has proven he can handle Huerter's starting shift, but replacing their resources to replace the scoring jolt Monk provides is limited. If the Kings fear the financials of bringing both back, Monk should be the one who takes precedence.
Sacramento doesn't have to salary dump Huerter either. They paid a first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for him a couple of years ago and should be able to bring similar value back. The Kings are short on wings outside of Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes. Maybe Huerter can help them find one.
Having a lot of good players is a good problem to have. That's the situation the Kings find themselves in right now. Huerter has been a great fit there for a couple of seasons now. But Sacramento's roster construction could potentially make him expendable in the summertime. He's a name to monitor regarding a potential trade.
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