Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trade Rumors: Kings, Holiday, Young, Wizards, Celtics, Wolves

June 20th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked during a radio appearance on Sactown Sports 1140 (YouTube link) this week about the Kings‘ offseason plans and whether new general manager Scott Perry might make drastic changes to the roster, Sam Amick of The Athletic said Sacramento is exploring “a lot” of possibilities.

“I don’t know how much they’re going to overhaul the roster,” Amick said (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive.com). “But I think they are looking at big stuff, I think they’re looking at small stuff. The point guard pursuit is very real. I don’t know where they will land on that front. It’s kind of an ‘If only Jrue Holiday was five years younger’-type thing. I think that type of option has been considered and explored, but is imperfect because of his age.

“If you go younger, a lot of Trae Young rumors. My understanding is that there’s not interest there unless it came attached to a bunch of first-round picks.”

While Holiday has been one of the NBA’s best two-way players for years, the Celtics veteran is entering his age-35 season and is owed $104.4MM over the next three years. Young, meanwhile, is one of the NBA’s top play-makers but isn’t a great defender and lacks positional size. The Hawks guard is owed $46MM in 2025/26 and could become an unrestricted free agent a year from now if he declines a player option worth nearly $49MM.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

The Wizards have explored trading up from No. 6 in the hopes of landing a long-term point guard like Dylan Harper or Jeremiah Fears and have been willing to part with “surprising names” in their conversations about the second overall pick, reports Grant Afseth of RG.org. However, those efforts have been rebuffed, with the Spurs still considered likely to hang onto that No. 2 pick. As Afseth explains, stabilizing the point guard position has become a priority for the rebuilding Wizards, who have also done extensive due diligence on point guard prospects who may be on the board at No. 18.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reiterated that it will be very difficult to convince the Celtics to move either Jaylen Brown or Derrick White this summer. “I’m sure teams are throwing crazy offers for guys like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, but it’ll take a pretty insurmountable package to get those guys out of Boston,” Charania said.
While the Timberwolves are reportedly hoping Suns forward Kevin Durant warms to the idea of playing in Minnesota, current Wolves star Anthony Edwards isn’t actively recruiting his former Olympic teammate, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears and Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today this week (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM).

Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Durant, DeRozan, Kuminga, Sixers, Yabusele, Flagg

June 19th, 2025 at 8:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Potential moves around the NBA are on hold as the league waits for the Suns to finalize a Kevin Durant trade, according to Mark Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

They mention Kings forward DeMar DeRozan as a player who could be a “fallback trade target” for unsuccessful Durant suitors and cite a report from James Ham of The Kings Beat, who said on his podcast this week that the Heat may be among the teams that pursue DeRozan.

Sources tell Stein and Fischer that Miami has previously expressed interest in forward Jonathan Kuminga, who’s about to become a restricted free agent, and could become a sign-and-trade partner for the Warriors, echoing a report earlier this week from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

After weeks of speculation, there still doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite to land Durant, who’s widely expected to be dealt before the first night of the NBA draft on Wednesday. Stein and Fischer state that the Spurs and Rockets haven’t seen a need to increase their offers, being reluctant to add an older player to their young cores and knowing that Phoenix wants to resolve the situation quickly. The Timberwolves are still interested, but are hesitant to go all in with their offer without some indication that Durant would consider an extension.

Stein and Fischer share more inside information from around the league:

A source tells the authors that the Sixers are currently expected to hold onto their No. 3 pick in the draft. They add that Philadelphia is still interested in trading up with San Antonio to grab Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, but the Spurs appear set on keeping the No. 2 selection. The report on the Sixers’ plans came before news broke late Wednesday that Ace Bailey has called off his scheduled workout with the team.
Stein and Fischer point out that the guaranteed contract for the No. 3 choice will add an $11.1MM salary to the Sixers‘ books next season. Sources tell them that Philadelphia plans to operate either near or above the second apron as they hope for improved health from Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. Stein and Fischer expect Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon to all pick up their player options, and sources tell them that re-signing Quentin Grimes remains an offseason priority. They add that it will become “increasingly challenging” to retain big man Guerschon Yabusele, who’s expected to draw strong interest on the free agent market.
Stein and Fischer hear that Cooper Flagg was “impressive” this week as he traveled to Dallas to meet with general manager Nico Harrison, coach Jason Kidd and other Mavericks officials. Flagg also worked out for about an hour, displaying the skills that have made him a lock to be the No. 1 pick.

Draft Rumors: Suns, Centers, Pelicans, Nuggets, Kings

June 16th, 2025 at 3:31pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns are believed to be “highly intrigued” by the possibility of adding a center who can space the floor as they continue to look for a starting-caliber big man, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

In addition to their rumored NBA targets, the Suns are also eyeing stretch fives in next week’s draft, according to Fischer, who reports that Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud are “very much in consideration” with the 29th overall pick, which the team controls. Kalkbrenner recently worked out for Phoenix, Fischer adds.

Raynaud is ranked No. 24 on ESPN’s big board, while Kalkbrenner is No. 33.

Here are a few more rumors and notes on the 2025 NBA draft:

The Pelicans, who control the seventh pick, hosted Duke’s Kon Knueppel and Washington State’s Cedric Coward for workouts last week, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. As Scotto notes, Knuppel is projected to go No. 7 overall in HoopsHype’s latest aggregate mock draft, with Coward landing at No. 15 (Oklahoma City). The two wings are ranked No. 8 and No. 29, respectively, on ESPN’s board.
According to Ohm Younmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link), the Nuggets recently brought in Arizona guard Caleb Love, Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, Bradley forward Darius Hannah and Indiana center Oumar Ballo for a pre-draft workout. Of the four prospects, only Love (No. 75) appears on ESPN’s board.
The Kings hosted a pre-draft workout on Monday featuring two point guards, two wing and two centers, the team announced (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of KCRA News). The six players are Mark Sears (Alabama), Javon Small (West Virginia), Kobe Johnson (UCLA), Dink Pate (G League), Oumar Ballo (Indiana) and Bogoljub Markovic (Mega Basket). Markovic (No. 38) is the top-rated player of the group on ESPN’s board, followed by Small (No. 49) and Pate (No. 56).

Coaching Rumors: Dudley, Bryant, Cavs, Sweeney, Ivey, More

June 16th, 2025 at 2:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Memphis and Phoenix have already been linked to Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley this offseason. The Cavaliers have also expressed interest in hiring Dudley, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype observes, Cleveland has multiple coaching openings after assistants Jordan Ott, DeMarre Caroll and Bryan Tibaldi got new jobs. The organization’s G League coach, Chris Darnell, also landed a new position in Sacramento.

In addition to confirming Cleveland’s interest in Dudley, Scotto adds former Cavaliers forward Jawad Williams as another name to monitor. Williams has been an assistant coach and director of player development with the Kings since 2023.

Cleveland’s top assistant, Johnnie Bryant, was a finalist for Phoenix’s head coaching job alongside Ott. Bryant is expected to stay with the Cavs next season, according to Scotto.

Here are a few more coaching rumors from around the NBA:

The Spurs remain in pursuit of Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, league sources tell Stein. Sweeney is Jason Kidd‘s top assistant in Dallas and would have a similar role on Mitch Johnson‘s staff in San Antonio if he’s hired away, Stein reports. Sweeney has interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs in recent years, including Phoenix’s vacancy, which ultimately went to Ott.
According to Stein, “multiple teams” — including the Spurs — have expressed interest in Rockets assistant Royal Ivey this offseason, but the former NBA guard is expected to remain in Houston. Ivey, who interviewed for Phoenix’s top job and coached South Sudan’s national team during the 2024 Olympics, has also drawn interest from the Grizzlies, Scotto reports. In addition to the previously reported names, Heat assistant Wayne Ellington is another candidate to join the Grizzlies’ staff, Scotto adds.
The Pelicans are believed to be looking for an assistant coach who specializes in player development after Dan Geriot left New Orleans to take the head coaching job at Iona, according to Scotto.

International Notes: Micic, Westbrook, Jokubaitis, Valanciunas, Theis

June 16th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Hapoel Tel Aviv general manager George Hinas tells Vuk-Milos Petrovic of Basketball Sphere that his team remains in contention to sign Vasilije Micic, but he dismissed speculation about Russell Westbrook. While Micic is still under contract with the Suns, they’re expected to decline their $8.1MM team option for next season, making him a free agent by the end of the month. Several European clubs have expressed interest in adding the 31-year-old point guard, and Hinas rejected reports that Micic has ruled out Tel Aviv because of war concerns.

“He’s a great player, a EuroLeague legend, and one of the best ever,” Hinas said. “We spoke with him in late March and early April. We didn’t reach an agreement then, but we stayed in touch with him and his agent. What the Spanish media reported — that he rejected us because of the war — isn’t true. We continued talking. … Nothing is concrete yet. He’s one of the players we’re interested in, but so are other clubs. That’s how the offseason works — he talks to many clubs, and we talk to many players. His case is not closed. Not at all.”

Hinas called rumors about a potential deal with Westbrook “100% fake news.” Westbrook turned down his player option with the Nuggets for next season, but he’s expected to get another NBA opportunity.

“There were numbers mentioned — $50 million per year — which is crazy,” Hinas added. “I get that Hapoel Tel Aviv draws attention because we’re spending money. I counted 37 players who were linked with us. It’s good we’ll have three rosters, because when you have 37 players, it makes things easier (laughs). To be serious — it’s not true. There was no interest, and no one approached him.”

There’s more overseas news to pass along:

Knicks draft-and-stash prospect Rokas Jokubaitis could be considering a departure from Hapoel Tel Aviv due to international tensions, Petrovic adds in a separate story. Fenerbahce is reportedly interested in the 24-year-old guard, who may seek an early termination to his current contract.
Speaking at his annual camp in Lithuania, Jonas Valanciunas said he expects to remain with the Kings this season after being acquired from Washington in February, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “I can make my own plans, but what the Kings decide is what matters most,” he said. “Right now, I’m planning to stay. I haven’t heard anything about being traded or moved. Until there is such information, all my focus is on Sacramento.” Valanciunas also confirmed that he will participate in this summer’s EuroBasket tournament.
Daniel Theis, who started the season with New Orleans before being traded and waived in February, will miss the rest of the French League Finals with Monaco due to knee issues, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando.

Draft Workouts: Jazz, Wolves, Kings, Broome

June 12th, 2025 at 5:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz are hosting a pre-draft workout on Friday featuring Colorado State wing Nique Clifford, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner and Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, multiple league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Clifford is the top-ranked prospect of the group, according to ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 22. Powell (No. 31), Kalkbrenner (No. 33) and Lanier (No. 37) are also viewed as strong bets to be drafted, either late in the first round or early in the second.

Utah currently controls four picks — Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53 — in June’s draft.

Here are a few more notes regarding pre-draft workouts:

The Timberwolves, who control the 17th and 31st picks, are holding a workout Thursday that includes Asa Newell (Georgia), Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State) and Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (via Twitter). Newell, who was invited to the green room, is ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s board, while Watkins is No. 39. The other two players are unranked.
The Kings will be hosting six players for a workout on Friday, the team announced (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). The six are Ryan Nembhard of Gonzaga, Curtis Jones of Iowa State, Koby Brea of Kentucky, Kadary Richmond of, Norchad Omier of Baylor, and Vladislav Goldin of Michigan. All six prospects appear on ESPN’s board, ranging from No. 47 (Brea) to No. 95 (Omier). Sacramento currently only controls the 42nd pick, but is rumored to be interested in moving into the first round.
Big man Johni Broome, the 40th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s list, had a workout with the Warriors today, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former Auburn star said he has previously worked out for the Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, Nets, Raptors and Celtics, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Timberwolves and Suns, according to Rankin. Golden State controls the 41st pick.

Kings Rumored To Have Interest In Holiday, Smart, Brogdon

June 12th, 2025 at 1:30pm CST by Rory Maher

As the Kings continue to explore pathways to improve their backcourt, Jrue Holiday of the Celtics, Marcus Smart of the Wizards, and impending free agent Malcolm Brogdon are among the players Sacramento is believed to be interested in, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

The Kings have consistently come up as a suitor for point guards, having previously been linked to Tyus Jones and Cavaliers All-Star Darius Garland. Jones is another impending free agent, while Garland is on a maximum-salary contract with Cleveland for three more years.

Although Holiday, Smart and Brogdon are all capable of bringing the ball up the court and initiating an offense, they profile more as combo guards than traditional table-setters. Holiday has three years and $104.4MM left on his contract, while Smart is entering the final year of his deal, which will pay him $21.6MM in 2025/26.

According to Fischer, the Kings have also been looking at moving into the first round of the draft, and have “expressed confidence to various agents” that they could acquire a selection “as high as the early 20s.” Sacramento currently only controls one pick, a second-rounder at No. 42 overall.

For what it’s worth, any Kings offer for Holiday would likely have to include either DeMar DeRozan or Malik Monk for salary-matching purposes as the Celtics look to reduce their payroll and luxury tax bill in ’25/26.

Splitter, St. Andrews, Crawford Join Blazers’ Coaching Staff

June 11th, 2025 at 3:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers have officially named Tiago Splitter, Patrick St. Andrews and Quinton Crawford as assistants on Chauncey Billups’ staff, the team announced today in a press release.

Splitter joins the Trail Blazers after leading the Paris Basketball Club to a French Basketball Cup championship and into the EuroLeague playoffs as the team’s head coach. Previously, Splitter served as an assistant coach for the Rockets during the 2023/24 season and spent the five seasons prior with the Nets.

St. Andrews has been an assistant coach with the Grizzlies for the last two seasons. Prior to arriving in Memphis, St. Andrews spent five seasons on the Bucks’ staff.

Crawford comes to Portland after leading the NBA G League Stockton Kings to a championship in his first season as their head coach. He was an assistant with the Suns in 2023/24 after spending one season with the Mavericks and three seasons with the Lakers.

News that Splitter and St. Andrews were joining the staff broke over the weekend, while Crawford’s agreement with the team was first reported in May.

Additionally, Leron Black has been hired as a player development coach. Black has served as an assistant coach and director of video for the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate.

Mark Tyndale will not be retained on Billups’ staff, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.

Knicks Haven’t Requested Permission To Negotiate With Kidd

June 10th, 2025 at 7:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

All signs are pointing toward Jason Kidd remaining the head coach of the Mavericks.

According to Christian Clark and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Mavericks continue to privately insist to what they described as “key stakeholders” that Kidd won’t be going anywhere. Speculation has run rampant since it was reported on Monday by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that there was “mutual intrigue” between Kidd and the Knicks, who recently fired Tom Thibodeau.

Citing a team source, The Athletic duo reports the Knicks had yet to request permission to speak with Kidd as of Tuesday afternoon. Similarly, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News heard the same thing from a “person with knowledge of the situation.”

Curtis added that two people within the Mavericks organization told him they’re skeptical the Knicks will even make the request. Curtis notes that the Knicks would need to compensate the Mavs in order to hire Kidd, who signed a contract extension last offseason. That would likely require draft capital that the Knicks — who traded numerous picks to acquire Mikal Bridges — lack, as well as possible cash considerations.

If the Knicks do ask permission to talk to Kidd, it’s expected the Mavericks will decline, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

The Athletic indicates that there’s a widely held belief is that Kidd is hoping to parlay the Knicks’ interest into another lucrative contract extension with the Mavs. His current deal covers the next two seasons. If that extension isn’t offered, it’s possible that Kidd might want to head to New York.

However, Jay Triano agreed to terms on an assistant coaching job with the Mavericks on Tuesday after assurances from Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison that Kidd would remain the head coach. The Stein Line reported over the weekend that the Mavs and Triano, the former head coach of the Suns and Raptors, were finalizing an agreement. Triano spent the last three seasons as a Kings assistant.

Western Notes: Kidd, Blazers, Kings, Nelson, Nuggets

June 10th, 2025 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Letting Jason Kidd go to the Knicks would be a terrible outcome for the Mavericks, according to Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News. There’s reportedly mutual interest between Kidd and the Knicks.

Under Kidd, Dallas has won five playoff series in four seasons. Cowlishaw also notes that Kyrie Irving likes Kidd and believes in him. In Cowlishaw’s viewpoint, the only way general manager Nico Harrison‘s vision for the current group will work is dependent on Anthony Davis staying healthy and Irving getting healthy and remaining happy. If Cooper Flagg then plays up to his draft status, the Mavs have a chance to secure a title in 2026/27 before the window of opportunity runs out for their aging stars.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Arthur Kaluma (Texas), Gabe Madsen (Utah), Chibuzo Agbo (USC), Alex Toohey (Sydney Kings), Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee) and Dylan Cardwell (Auburn) worked out for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report tweets. Toohey is the biggest name in the group, as the Australian forward is ranked No. 36 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Jeremy Roach (Baylor), Caleb Love (Arizona), Jaxson Robinson (Kentucky), John Tonje (Wisconsin), Great Osobor (Washington), CJ Huntley (Appalachian State) will work out for the Kings on Wednesday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets. That group is headed by Tonje (19.6 PPG with the Badgers last season), a high-scoring guard who is ranked No. 42 by ESPN.
Grant Nelson (Alabama) is expected to reschedule a workout with the Jazz, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Nelson, who worked out for the Nets on Tuesday, is currently rated 65th by ESPN.
Though the Nuggets took the Thunder to a Game 7 in these playoffs, they can’t afford to run it back with the same group, Sean Keeler of the Denver Post opines. The bench is in serious need of upgrades, Keeler argues, as the Nuggets basically went six deep this season and that forced the starters to empty their tanks.