Cavs, Kings Discussing Deal Involving Hunter, Ellis
The Cavaliers and Kings have discussed the framework of a deal involving forward De’Andre Hunter and guard Keon Ellis, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports.
In that scenario, Hunter would be dealt to the Kings for Ellis, Dennis Schröder, and Dario Saric. It’s also possible that a third team could be involved to take on Saric’s contract with second-round draft pick compensation added as a sweetener.
Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported on Friday that trade talks involving Ellis were intensifying and that Cleveland was among the teams in the mix. Ellis becomes extension-eligible on February 9, shortly after the trade deadline. If he doesn’t sign a new contract, he’ll enter unrestricted free agency this summer. He’s making just $2.3MM this season.
Schröder would present a more long-term commitment for the Cavs. He’s making $14.1MM this season and is owed $14.81MM for next season. He also has a partial guarantee of $4.35MM for the 2027/28 season. Saric is on an expiring $5.43MM deal.
Hunter, who has been a disappointment since Cleveland acquired him from Atlanta, is making $23.3MM this season and is on the books for $24.91MM next season. As a second-apron team, the Cavs can’t use Hunter’s contract to take back more salary than they send out, but Ellis, Schröder, and Saric earn a combined $21.8MM and could be accommodated.
The two teams have also discussed another scenario involving Ellis in which he would be paired with Malik Monk in a deal for Hunter. However, the Cavaliers are concerned about Monk’s contact, which has two years and $41.77MM remaining on it over the next two seasons, Scotto notes.
The Cavaliers have also talked about moving Hunter with at least one other prominent team — Scotto confirms they’ve discussed the framework of a deal that would land Hunter with the Lakers in exchange for Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht. That proposed deal would also include a third team, possibly Brooklyn.
Hachimura has an expiring $18.26MM contract. Knecht is making $4MM this season in the second year of his rookie deal.
Cavs Rumors: Giannis, Hunter, Ball, Lakers, Ellis, More
While there have been no indications to this point that the Cavaliers are considering making an offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the possibility can’t be ruled out, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).
“It’s Giannis,” a rival NBA executive told Fedor. “Nothing more needs to be said.”
As Fedor writes, the Cleveland’s pathway to a potential deal for the Bucks superstar would be very complicated and would require a significant reduction in payroll — as a second-apron team, the Cavaliers can’t currently aggregate salaries for matching purposes and can’t take in more money than they send out. So in that sense, a Giannis trade is a long shot.
On the other hand, sources tell Fedor that the Cavs have been aggressively looking for roster upgrades ahead of the deadline, and they also have one of the top players who could theoretically be dangled in talks for Antetokounmpo — Evan Mobley, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. On the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also pointed to Mobley as a centerpiece to a potential Cavs offer.
The Cavaliers, who have dealt with several injuries in 2025/26, have underachieved this season and are facing pressure to contend for championships. No individual player they could theoretically acquire would be remotely as impactful as Antetokounmpo, who has finished top four in MVP voting each of the past seven years.
Still, Cleveland is on the upswing, Fedor notes, having won five straight games and seven of the past eight. The front office has also yet to show any desire to make that sort of drastic mid-season overhaul, with blockbuster moves viewed as more likely to occur in the offseason, depending on what happens in the playoffs.
Here are a few more highlights from Fedor’s report:
- Fedor continues to hear De’Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball are the most likely Cavs to be headed out of Cleveland in the coming days. Confirming reporting from Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Fedor says the Cavaliers have discussed a trade framework with the Lakers that would send Hunter to Los Angeles in exchange for Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht. Sources tell Fedor the Lakers have also countered by offering the expiring contracts of Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber. Those talks have involved a third team as well — Fedor doesn’t specify which club it is, but Siegel said it was the Nets.
- Before they reportedly started listening to offers for Giannis, the Bucks explored the possibility of acquiring Hunter using a package built around Bobby Portis. The Cavs declined that proposal, sources tell Fedor.
- Fedor confirms the Cavs are one of many suitors for Kings guard Keon Ellis, noting that Malik Monk could be included as well if Hunter is sent to Sacramento.
- Reiterating a point he previously made, Fedor says the Cavs are eyeing Mavericks forward Naji Marshall. The framework would involve Ball and unspecified draft assets being sent to Dallas, though Fedor points out that Marshall has drawn interest from multiple teams. It’s also unclear if the Cavs would be willing to part with their lone tradable first-round pick (either 2031 or 2032) for a role player, even a quality one like Marshall.
- Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey and Wizards forward Justin Champagnie are among the other players who might interest the Cavs, Fedor writes.
Keon Ellis Trade Talks Intensify, Cavs Among Suitors
Since Marc Stein reported over the weekend that Keon Ellis appears to be the player most likely to be moved at the February 5 deadline, trade talks involving the Kings guard have only intensified, Stein and his colleague Jake Fischer said on Friday (Twitter link).
According to Fischer (Twitter link), Sacramento is “sifting through” a number of trade scenarios involving Ellis, some of which would involve him being packaged with a higher-salary veteran such as DeMar DeRozan or Malik Monk.
A three-and-D guard who has a career three-point percentage of 41.4% and a team-friendly cap hit of $2.3MM, Ellis has seen inconsistent playing time during his stint with the Kings and has faced questions about his size and his ability to slow down bigger guards. However, he’s viewed as an intriguing target for teams in need of defensive help, with Sacramento reportedly seeking a late first-round pick.
Because Ellis’ cap hit is so modest, nearly any team in the NBA could put together an offer for him. Stein stated earlier this week that about 14 clubs had registered interest, and reports in recent weeks have provided at least a partial list of those clubs — the Timberwolves, Pacers, Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, and Warriors have all been linked to Ellis since mid-January.
According to Stein and Fischer, the Cavaliers are also among the teams with an eye on Ellis, who will become eligible for a contract extension on February 9 and would reach unrestricted free agency this summer if he doesn’t sign a new deal before then.
As a second-apron team, Cleveland wouldn’t be able to acquire Ellis without sending out a player who has a larger cap hit. Lonzo Ball ($10MM) is among the Cavs’ trade candidates, as is De’Andre Hunter ($23.3MM), but there’s not a lower-salary player on the roster who would make sense as an obvious outgoing piece in an Ellis deal unless the club is willing to move Dean Wade ($6.6MM).
For what it’s worth, Monk and Ellis make a combined $21MM, so Cleveland could theoretically take both players back in a trade involving Hunter. DeRozan’s cap hit ($24.6MM) rules him out as an incoming piece for the Cavs in a Hunter deal.
Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Kings, Lakers, Rockets, Bulls
While Jonathan Kuminga is still very much on the trade block, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. remains unwilling to make a bad deal just to satisfy the forward’s trade demand, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. According to Slater, multiple team sources have suggested to ESPN that Kuminga is less likely to be dealt in the wake of Jimmy Butler‘s season-ending ACL tear.
While that could just be posturing from a front office looking to regain leverage, there will presumably be less urgency in Golden State to make a win-now move using Kuminga’s salary, since Butler’s injury significantly limits the team’s ceiling this season. Additionally, head coach Steve Kerr spoke multiple times in the past about how he found it difficult to play Kuminga alongside Butler and Draymond Green due to spacing concerns — with Butler sidelined, there’s a clearer path to regular minutes for Kuminga.
On top of that, it remains to be seen whether any teams will make a serious play for Kuminga prior to the February 5 deadline. The Kings have been his top suitor for several months, but the Warriors have maintained that they aren’t interested in taking back a player owed money beyond this season, such as Malik Monk or DeMar DeRozan, Slater writes.
According to Slater, some Warriors sources are optimistic that Kuminga will be able to return from his knee injury and rejoin the rotation prior to the trade deadline, before the team has to make a decision on his future.
We have more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Dave McMenamin of ESPN confirms that the Lakers have explored the possibility of trading their lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032) for multiple less valuable first-rounders, as previously reported. Phoenix made a similar move last season in a deal with Utah. The idea would be to give the Lakers more flexibility to make multiple trades using first-round picks, rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity to use their most valuable remaining draft asset.
- The Rockets raised eyebrows last summer when they made Clint Capela a priority in free agency, adding the veteran center to a frontcourt that already featured Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams. But with Adams facing an extended injury absence, Houston is once again mulling the possibility of adding another big man, either on the trade market or in the buyout market, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reports. The Rockets have a top-five offense this season in large part due to their NBA-best offensive rebounding numbers, which have been fueled by bigger lineups.
- While the Bulls have widely been regarded as probable deadline sellers, they’re only 1.5 games out of a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has heard from multiple sources that Chicago would like to improve its playoff chances this season. The Bulls also want to add young, athletic players who can become part of their core alongside Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, Pincus adds.
- In an expansive trade deadline primer, ESPN’s Bobby Marks divides the NBA’s 30 teams into eight tiers, breaking down how each club will approach the deadline, along with their most notable assets.
Injury Notes: Curry, Edwards, Avdija, LaVine, Monk
Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 26 points in 28 minutes during Sunday’s blowout win at Minnesota and was cautiously optimistic after the game about suiting up for Monday’s rematch with the Wolves (Twitter video link via Warriors on NBCS). However, he played through some pain in his right knee, tweets ESPN’s Anthony Slater, and was ultimately ruled out for the second end of a back-to-back.
Steve Kerr said Curry’s knee injury isn’t serious, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link), and Golden State’s head coach is hopeful the 37-year-old guard will be active for Wednesday’s contest in Utah.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Star guard Anthony Edwards was downgraded to questionable and then out for Monday’s eventual win over Golden State due to right foot injury management, the Timberwolves announced (via Twitter). According to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link), Edwards went through a pregame warmup and was ruled out shortly thereafter. “It was news to me, honestly,” head coach Chris Finch said after the game (Twitter link via Hine). “He had pain from the foot that’s been troubling him.” When asked if Edwards would be available for both ends of Minnesota’s back-to-back later this week, Finch said he wasn’t sure, Hine adds (via Twitter).
- Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija missed Monday’s loss to Boston, his second straight absence, but he’s expected to return to action on Tuesday at Washington, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. Avdija aggravated a back injury last week and interim head coach Tiago Splitter explained the team gave him an extra day of rest on Monday as a precaution.
- Kings guards Zach LaVine (lower back soreness) and Malik Monk (right ankle soreness) are questionable for Tuesday’s contest vs. New York, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). LaVine was out for Sunday’s loss in Detroit due to the back issue, while Monk played 22 minutes, scoring 19 points in the process.
Siegel’s Latest: MPJ, Warriors, Murphy, Giannis, Wolves, Magic
The Warriors had internal discussions about the possibility of pursuing Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. but received indications that the asking price would be higher than they’re comfortable with, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. The Lakers also aren’t expected to pursue Porter, Siegel writes, since they’re not looking to take on that sort of a big-money contract at this time (Porter is owed $40.8MM in 2026/27).
The Nets have conveyed to potential trade partners that they’re comfortable keeping Porter beyond this season, per Siegel, so if their asking price isn’t met, there’s a good chance he’ll remain in Brooklyn through the trade deadline.
While a Porter deal doesn’t seem likely, Siegel says the Warriors remain on the lookout for wings and have been linked to veterans like DeMar DeRozan of the Kings and old friend Andrew Wiggins, who was sent to the Heat in last season’s Jimmy Butler trade. It remains to be seen whether Miami will look to move Wiggins, but there’s still “a lot of mutual love” between the former No. 1 overall pick and the Warriors, who won a title together in 2022, Siegel notes.
Of course, the Warriors’ interest in Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III has been an open secret for months, and they’ve made him multiple calls about him this season, sources tell ClutchPoints.
Rivals believe New Orleans’ asking price for Murphy would be multiple first-round picks and a young player or two, says Siegel, but it’s unclear if the Pelicans would move him even if that price is met — they’ve reportedly told teams they don’t intend to. The Raptors are another team that has inquired on Murphy, Siegel reports.
Here are a few more highlights from Siegel’s latest league-wide rumor roundup:
- Although Giannis Antetokounmpo has said on the record that he has no intention of ever asking the Bucks to trade him, many people around the NBA still believe it’s only a matter of time until the two sides split, Siegel writes. There’s a sense it could happen in the offseason, which is one reason why several clubs want to hang onto their top trade assets. “It really seems like he’s made up his mind already,” an Eastern Conference executive told ClutchPoints. “But this is Giannis we are talking about, and he’s very careful with the words he picks when talking to the media because he doesn’t want to be painted as the villain in Milwaukee. And if we are being honest, he shouldn’t be, no matter if he requests a trade or not. He may not have directly requested a trade, but everyone knows what’s going on there. It’s basically just who will break the silence and actually say it is time to move on. Giannis doesn’t want to be that guy, and that’s understandable.”
- The Timberwolves are widely expected to address their backcourt in a deadline deal, with Magic guard Tyus Jones, Kings guard Malik Monk, and Hornets guard Collin Sexton among the players they’ve been connected to, per Siegel. Charlotte has conveyed that it would want at least one asset of value (ie. a draft pick or young player) in a Sexton deal, Siegel adds.
- There’s a belief that the Magic are open to moving Jones, forward Jonathan Isaac, and/or center Goga Bitadze, according to Siegel, who suggests Orlando could acquire second-round capital and 2026/27 cap relief in a deal involving Bitadze. The Magic are operating about $5.6MM above the luxury tax line, so they could look to duck the tax altogether by trading one or more of those players, whose salaries range from $7MM (for Jones) to $15MM (for Isaac).
Bucks Rumors: Giannis, Morant, Rollins, Monk, Ellis, Portis, More
Thursday’s loss to San Antonio marked the halfway point of the Bucks‘ season, and the team’s 17-24 record is its worst first-half mark since 2015/16, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Although Nehm describes Milwaukee as looking “lost,” the front office has held firm on its stance that star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t going anywhere this season and that it wants to add an impact player alongside the two-time MVP, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
“We always manage to pull something off,” a team source told Collier.
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is one potential target the Bucks have been linked to as of late. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Memphis has sought guard Ryan Rollins and Milwaukee’s lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032) in discussions with Milwaukee about Morant.
However, the Bucks have been “wary” about including that first-round pick in any trade talks to date, per Collier, who hears from rival executives that that first-rounder would likely only be on the table for a “star.” Morant, who has made two All-Star teams, certainly fit that bill at one point but may no longer be viewed that way, as he has battled injuries and seen his production decline in recent years.
As Collier writes, the Wizards’ deal for Trae Young might be instructive when considering the sort of trade that makes the most sense for the Bucks. Washington gave up no draft picks and a significant expiring contract as part of the package for Young, with the Hawks looking to get off the hook for his $49MM player option in 2026/27.
Milwaukee is in a good position to make a similar move for a player on a non-expiring deal, says Collier, noting that Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, and Jerami Grant are a few of the trade candidates with multiyear contracts who have been linked to the team. Collier also cites Heat forward Andrew Wiggins and Hornets Miles Bridges as a couple more examples.
The Bucks have had exploratory discussions with the Kings about a deal that would send Bobby Portis and a minimum-salary player to Sacramento in exchange for Monk and Keon Ellis, league sources tell Scotto. A trade for a higher-salary player such as Morant or LaVine would require Milwaukee to sacrifice more rotation pieces for matching purposes, but the team has considered that possibility, gauging the market for forward Kyle Kuzma ($22.4MM cap hit) as well as Portis ($13.4MM), Scotto writes.
As Collier observes, the Bucks would be more equipped to make a significant splash during the 2026 offeason, when they’ll have up to three first-round picks available to trade (2026, 2031, and 2033). But the club – which has a +7.7 net rating with Antetokounmpo on the floor in 2025/26 – hasn’t given up on this season, even if some rival executives aren’t convinced Milwaukee should continue with its win-now approach.
“At some point, you’re just digging deeper and deeper,” an Eastern Conference exec told ESPN. “There might not be light at the end of the tunnel. It might just be a hole.”
Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga Demands Trade
Newly eligible to be dealt as of today, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has demanded a trade out of Golden State, according to Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN.
Kuminga’s trade demand is something of a formality, since his desire for a change of scenery has been a poorly-kept secret for months.
The former No. 7 overall pick discussed potential deals with teams like Sacramento and Phoenix as a restricted free agent during the offseason, but those suitors didn’t have the ability to sign him outright to an offer sheet out of the Warriors’ price range and didn’t make a sign-and-trade offer compelling enough for Golden State to move him.
As a result, Kuminga ended up returning to the Warriors on a two-year, $46.8MM contract that features a team option for 2026/27. After opening the season in the starting lineup, he was moved to the second unit in November and eventually fell out of the rotation altogether. The fifth-year forward hasn’t seen any action since December 18.
The relationship between Kuminga and the Warriors has deteriorated to the point that virtually every party involved in the situation agrees a trade would be the best outcome, per Slater and Charania. Even team owner Joe Lacob, who has long been one of Kuminga’s top boosters in the organization, is “down” on the 23-year-old at this point, team sources tell Marcus Thompson II, Sam Amick, and Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
Still, Kuminga’s value has declined considerably in recent years and has fallen further during the first half of this season due to his DNP-CDs, so it will be difficult for the Warriors to get the kind of return they want. For instance, the Kings, who were offering Malik Monk and a 2030 first-round pick (top-12 protected) during the summer, remain interested in the forward but are no longer willing to include a first-rounder in their offer, according to The Athletic.
With Kuminga’s value at a low point, Warriors sources have insisted that the team would be comfortable keeping him on the roster beyond the trade deadline and revisiting the situation over the summer, according to both ESPN and The Athletic. While Golden State says it won’t make a deal unless it gets real value in return, per The Athletic, Slater and Charania say rival executives are skeptical of the Warriors’ posturing and believe Kuminga will be on the move before the February 5 trade deadline.
Phoenix is reportedly no longer interested in Kuminga, but there are other possible suitors in play. The Mavericks have also shown interest, Slater and Charania confirm, though one recent report suggested Dallas was only eyeing Kuminga as part of a potential deal involving Anthony Davis. It’s unclear if the Mavs would pursue Kuminga separately or if they just viewed him as an appealing piece within a larger return.
League and team sources confirm to The Athletic that the Lakers have some level in interest in Kuminga, though it doesn’t sound as if the two teams have engaged in any real talks about him to this point.
The Warriors have been cited as a potential suitor for Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., but a team source tells The Athletic that there haven’t been substantial discussions between those two teams. Slater and Charania, meanwhile, cite league sources who say the Warriors haven’t talked to Brooklyn in over a month and have “never shown real interest” in making a move for Porter.
Golden State has been frequently linked to Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but there has never been any indication New Orleans wants Kuminga, and Joe Dumars‘ front office has been rebuffing inquiries on Murphy, ESPN confirms.
Here are a few more Kuminga-related items of interest:
- League sources tell Slater and Charania that the Warriors are prioritizing expiring salaries in a Kuminga deal and aren’t looking to take on multiyear contracts unless they view those contracts as “no-brainer positive value.” That’s why Golden State was never all that interested in a deal involving Monk, though sources tell ESPN that Kings guard Keon Ellis is a player who would intrigue the Warriors as a “potential sweetener.”
- For the right star, the Warriors would be open to moving multiple first-round picks, per Slater and Charania. Team sources tell ESPN that Golden State is more willing to part with its 2026 first-rounder than with picks in 2028 and beyond.
- It looked like Kuminga would get a chance to return to the Warriors’ rotation on January 2 with several regulars sidelined for health reasons, but he was a late scratch due to lower back soreness. According to Thompson, Amick, and Friedell, that turn of events created some frustration within the organization, with multiple team sources telling The Athletic they suspect Kuminga wasn’t actually injured. “I wouldn’t have played either,” one Warriors player said. “It’s clear the coach doesn’t believe in him.”
- Speaking of that coach, Steve Kerr was among the members within the organization who was in favor of drafting Franz Wagner with the seventh pick in the 2021 draft, team sources confirm to The Athletic. Wagner ended up being picked eighth overall by Orlando after the Warriors took Kuminga due to their desire to add “athleticism and potential star power” to the roster.
Trade Rumors: Morant, Ball, Bucks, Kings, Kuminga
The Hawks‘ return for a four-time All-Star like Trae Young may look awfully modest, but a scout who spoke to Sam Amick of The Athletic suggests it may be equally difficult for other teams with defensively limited point guards to extract real value for them. That group includes the Grizzlies with Ja Morant and the Hornets with LaMelo Ball.
“Ja, Trae and LaMelo don’t have that much value because the game has changed around them,” that scout said.
According to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, rival executives have conveyed a similar sentiment, pointing to Young’s maximum-salary contract and the league-wide depth at the point guard spot as reasons why they think Atlanta made out reasonably well in the deal. Conversely, some of those execs questioned the Wizards‘ decision to trade for Young.
“I know from a value proposition why you look at it,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “But if I’m the Wizards, just keep being bad, and stuff will figure itself out. I’m not sure why they felt the need to do this.”
“Offense is so easy now,” a Western Conference executive added. “One of the worst teams in the league can still easily put up 115 points in a game. … It’s hard for these small point guards to have real value with how the game is played now.”
We have more trade notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- While the Bucks have been connected to multiple Kings players, including Zach LaVine and Malik Monk, there were no active discussions between the two teams as of earlier this week, league sources tell Amick. Amick also confirms that the Bucks are among many teams believed to have interest in Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. and that they’ve conveyed interest in Anthony Davis, though they don’t appear to have a realistic path to a deal for the Mavericks big man.
- Checking in on the Jonathan Kuminga situation, Amick writes that the Kings are still widely viewed as the frontrunner to acquire the Warriors forward, but are no longer willing to offer the protected 2030 first-round pick that was on the table during the offseason, echoing a similar report from ESPN. Additionally, since Golden State has registered no real interest in Sacramento’s veterans, a third team may be necessary to make a deal that gets Kuminga to the Kings, Amick adds.
- ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and Zach Kram suggest six hypothetical trades they think make sense for all involved parties, with cap expert Bobby Marks analyzing each proposal. Their ideas range from bigger moves like the Bucks getting Porter or the Warriors landing Trey Murphy III to more minor deals like the Raptors acquiring Brook Lopez.
Kings Rumors: Kuminga, Ranadive, Christie, Draft
The Kings are among the teams with interest in Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga as the trade deadline nears, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater. When Kuminga was a restricted free agent over the summer, Sacramento general manager Scott Perry visited him in Miami, and there’s still mutual interest in a partnership, sources tell Slater.
Slater hears from league sources that Golden State’s front office is exploring its options heading into the deadline and has sent out signals in recent days that it’s willing to hold onto Kuminga if an acceptable trade offer doesn’t happen. But Slater states that Kuminga will be available and that Perry contacted Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. last week.
Perry was willing to part with a protected 2030 first-round pick during the offseason to acquire Kuminga, but Slater reports that he has “expressed reservations” about making that same offer now. Slater also says the Warriors won’t take back any long-term deals they perceive as having negative value and have no interest in Malik Monk, who’s owed $20.2MM next season and holds a $21.6MM player option for 2027/28.
Slater notes that a multi-team deal could make it easier for everyone to get what they want, pointing out that Keon Ellis‘ $2.3MM expiring contract is attracting interest around the league. In a separate story, Slater states that Ellis, who will become extension-eligible on February 9, still has many admirers among rival front offices and scouts.
There’s more from Sacramento:
- Kings owner Vivek Ranadive remains extremely involved in personnel decisions, Slater adds. He pushed former general manager Monte McNair and former assistant GM Wes Wilcox to increase their offer to Chicago for DeMar DeRozan in the 2024 offseason so Ranadive could walk DeRozan to their courtside seats during halftime of a Summer League game. That resulted in giving up a 2032 unprotected first-round pick to San Antonio that could be extremely valuable unless the Kings turn around their fortunes over the next six years. Ranadive gave DeRozan a three-year, $74MM contract that limits his value on the trade market. McNair also had apprehensions about last season’s decision to part with De’Aaron Fox in a three-team deal to acquire Zach LaVine, a player that Ranadive badly wanted.
- Lack of player-to-player accountability is seen as an issue in Sacramento, according to Slater. Veteran guard Dennis Schröder, who’s in his first season with the team, said it happens “here and there,” but not consistently. Domantas Sabonis expressed a similar sentiment, according to Slater, and pushed management to sign Russell Westbrook, his former teammate in Oklahoma City.
- Doug Christie only has one more guaranteed season left on his three-year contract, but team sources tell Slater that his job isn’t in jeopardy. Perry remains supportive of his head coach, saying, “He’s got an organization that’s behind him and believes that he will be there to help push us through and turn the corner.”
- Although the Kings have a lot of veterans to offer on the trade market, their high salaries may make them difficult to move, Slater adds. He suggests this summer’s draft pick is probably their most valuable asset, with Perry looking for positional size and defensive versatility and Christie wanting players who fit an up-tempo, physical style.