<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-deaaron-fox-agent-meets-with-kings');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: De’Aaron Fox’s agent meets with Kings given uncertain future');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-rumors-DeAaron-Foxs-agent-meets-with-Kings-given-uncertain-future.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: De’Aaron Fox’s agent meets with Kings given uncertain future</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T12:21:17-08:00">December 21st, 12:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T12:21:17-08:00">December 21st, 12:21pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Sacramento Kings are facing questions about the future of De’Aaron Fox, their franchise cornerstone, after a meeting between Fox’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, and team executives. According to a report from The Athletic, Paul met with Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox on Thursday to discuss the star guard’s uncertain trajectory with the organization.</p><p>The meeting reportedly took place before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-reveals-why-kings-win-is-favorite-of-season">Sacramento hosted the Los Angeles Lakers</a> and centered around a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6010644/2024/12/21/deaaron-fox-kings-contract-trade-nba-spurs/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">pivotal question</a> for the Kings: “What’s the plan here?” according to league and team sources cited by Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.</p><p>Fox, who has spent his entire eight-year career in Sacramento, had the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-kings-deaaron-fox-is-bypassing-165-million-extension">opportunity to sign a three-year, $165 million contract extension</a> during the offseason. However, he opted to wait, wanting to see how the Kings’ performance unfolds during the 2024-25 NBA season. Fox is currently making $34.8 million this season and is set to earn $37 million in the final year of his deal in 2025-26.</p><h2><b>De’Aaron Fox outlines priorities for future success with the Kings</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DeAaron-Fox-5-dribbles-the-ball-next-to-Los-Angeles-Lakers-guard-DAngelo-Russell-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>On Draymond Green’s podcast earlier this week, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-deaaron-fox-warning-rejecting-kings-contract-extension">Fox elaborated on his mindset regarding his future with the team</a>.</p><p>“It all has to do with the team, the organization, where are we going. I want to make sure that we’re in a position to try and win in the future because that’s ultimately what I want to do,” Fox said. “I know I’ll make enough money regardless of where I play or what I do, I’m going to be fine.”</p><p>Fox continued by emphasizing the importance of the Kings’ competitiveness.</p><p>“Are we looking like we’re continuing to get better year after year and are we going to compete at a high level? That’s all mine is. If we could show that this year, you sign an extension now. If not, I still have another year, but that’s where my mindset is. At some point, will we be able to compete for a championship or compete at a high level for a long time?”</p><h2><b>Kings face uncertainty amid season struggles</b></h2><p>Despite the trade rumors surrounding Fox, NBA Insider Brett Siegel has reported that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/latest-jimmy-butler-zach-lavine-nba-trade-rumors-siegels-scoop">Kings have “zero intentions” of trading the All-Star guard</a>.</p><p>The Kings, however, have struggled to gain traction this season, holding a 13-15 record <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-are-lebron-james-anthony-davis-playing-vs-kings-latest-injury-updates">ahead of a rematch against the 15-12 Lakers</a> on Saturday night. Sacramento’s struggles have persisted for much of Fox’s tenure. While the team broke a 16-year playoff drought during the 2022-23 season, they were eliminated in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. The following year, they failed to make the postseason, falling to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament.</p><p>Fox has continued to excel individually, averaging 26.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field and 32.6% from beyond the arc this season. However, the team’s inability to capitalize on his performance has raised concerns about its long-term direction.</p><p>As Fox approaches a potential decision on his future, the Kings must address the broader question of whether their current trajectory aligns with the guard’s championship aspirations. The meeting between Paul, McNair, and Wilcox suggests that discussions about Fox’s role and the team’s plans are intensifying as Sacramento navigates another challenging season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: De’Aaron Fox’s agent meets with Kings given uncertain future

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-true-deaaron-fox-trade-stance');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings true De’Aaron Fox trade stance');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-rumors-Kings-true-DeAaron-Fox-trade-stance.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings true De’Aaron Fox trade stance</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T19:07:36-08:00">December 20th, 7:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T19:07:36-08:00">December 20th, 7:07pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the most <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-reveals-why-kings-win-is-favorite-of-season">disappointing teams in the NBA this season has been the Sacramento Kings</a>. Through 28 games, the Kings sit at just 13-15 and sit at 12th in the Western Conference.</p><p>The Kings have struggled this season despite making a big move to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-demar-derozan-admission-surpassing-24000-career-points">add former Bulls star DeMar DeRozan</a> this offseason. The move gave the Kings three stars — DeRozan along with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis — that they can rely on late in games to help them win some of these close contests against the talented teams throughout the Western Conference.</p><p>Now, with the Kings struggling to tread water and teams on the rise like the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs taking their spot, trade speculation has started to swirl around the team. Fox is one of the main names surrounding the trade rumors, especially those involving Bulls star Zach LaVine, but the Kings <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/latest-jimmy-butler-zach-lavine-nba-trade-rumors-siegels-scoop" rel="noopener">aren’t looking to move their star point guard</a> according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.</p><p>“The Sacramento Kings have long held interest in LaVine, yet many league personnel feel targeting the Bulls star isn’t in this team’s plans,” Siegel reported. “While discussing Sacramento, it is worth mentioning that the team holds zero intentions of trading or making De’Aaron Fox available in trade talks, league sources say. Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles are the two main contracts the Kings continue to dangle on the trade market and search for upgrades with.”</p><p>It makes sense why the Kings would want to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nuggets-targeting-zach-lavine-trade-to-pair-with-nikola-jokic">stay away from LaVine</a> after making the DeRozan move. The two were just together in Chicago on a team that was not successful, and giving up Fox in a potential deal is even more incentive to avoid the trade.</p><h2><b>Potential trade targets for the Kings this season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Mike-Brown.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Zach LaVine, or any other massive salary number, may be off the table for the Kings due to their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-news-orlando-betting-favorite-trade-deaaron-fox">reluctance to trade De’Aaron Fox</a>, there are still some smaller deals that they can make as they look to improve on the margins and push for a payoff spot.</p><p>Specifically, they could be looking for more help on the wing as they look for another reliable scorer off the ball and someone that can help them on the boards while they navigate life with Sabonis, who is on the smaller side, at center. Help could be coming soon in those areas according to Siegel.</p><p>“Many continue to view the Kings as the destination that makes the most sense for Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, who is also drawing interest from several other teams, as noted in last week’s Siegel’s Scoop intel column on ClutchPoints,” Siegel reported.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/latest-jimmy-butler-zach-lavine-nba-trade-rumors-siegels-scoop">Kings would likely be able to swing a deal for Kuzma</a> by exchanging the Huerter and Lyles contracts along with some draft capital for the rebuilding Wizards. With Kuzma’s size and ability to create on the second side as someone who wouldn’t see a ton of attention from opposing defenses, he can be a key piece in a playoff push for the Kings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings true De’Aaron Fox trade stance

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-looking-to-make-trade-wing-depth');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings looking to make trade for wing depth');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-rumors-Kings-looking-to-make-trade-for-wing-depth.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings looking to make trade for wing depth</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-13T13:00:24-08:00">December 13th, 1:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-13T13:00:24-08:00">December 13th, 1:00pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-why-domantas-sabonis-better-playmaker-nikola-jokic-mike-brown">Sacramento Kings</a> are currently 13-13 and 12th in the Western Conference, and they’re <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jimmy-butler-warriors-rumors-latest-trade-block-intel-siegels-scoop">looking to make improvements to their team</a> with a trade. There are a few players that <a href="https://x.com/Digits3App/status/1867634487468658805" rel="noopener">have been on their radar</a>, and they have the assets to make the necessary moves to get a deal done,” according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.</p><p>“Nets forward Cam Johnson and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are two players the Kings held interest in dating back to the offseason, league sources said. The problem with pursuing Johnson is that Brooklyn is looking for expiring contracts in return, which doesn’t match Huerter and Lyles since both players are under contract through the 2025-26 season,” Siegel wrote. “LaVine is another player that the Kings have long held interest in, yet many league personnel feel targeting the Bulls star isn’t in Sacramento’s plans this year.”</p><p>Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles, and first-round pick Devin Carter are three tradeable assets that can be put in a deal, but the question is if the other team would want those players.</p><h2>Kings looking to improve roster</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Keegan-Murray.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-still-interested-kyle-kuzma-trade-demar-derozan-move">Kyle Kuzma has been a player linked</a> to the Kings since the beginning of the season, but they ended up getting DeMar DeRozan. So far, the experiment probably hasn’t worked out as much as they thought it would since they’re near the bottom of the Western Conference. Kyle Kuzma is a player who could help them get more shot creation from anywhere on the floor, but defensively they might take a step back.</p><p>Cameron Johnson is one of the better three-point shooters in the league, and he’ll be able to help any team that he’s on instantly. The Kings won’t be the only team looking to use his services, especially with how small his contract is compared to other players in the league.</p><p>With a few of the Kings’ players in shooting slumps, most notably their wings, there’s no surprise that they’re looking for help in that department. From a talent standpoint, the Kings have one of the more loaded teams in the league, but it’s not coming together to get wins right now. At some point, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are going to have to take over and do whatever they can to get the teams in a good spot in the conference. DeRozan has also shown that he can catch fire at any time, so those three players will have to do a lot of heavy lifting.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings looking to make trade for wing depth

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rival-monitoring-potential-kings-deaaron-fox-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rival executives monitoring potential Kings De’Aaron Fox trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-Rumors-Rival-executives-monitoring-potential-Kings-DeAaron-Fox-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rival executives monitoring potential Kings De’Aaron Fox trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-03T13:11:58-08:00">December 3rd, 1:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-03T13:11:58-08:00">December 3rd, 1:11pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-demar-derozan-admission-after-9-12-start-season">Sacramento Kings have stumbled out of the gates</a> in 2024-25, most recently dropping an ugly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-league-makes-final-decision-on-controversial-kings-vs-spurs-moment">home loss to the San Antonio Spurs</a> despite leading for most of the contest. De’Aaron Fox has put up some Herculean stat lines so far this year, including a recent 60-point performance vs the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the point guard hasn’t been able to mesh very effectively with offseason acquisition DeMar DeRozan.</p><p>All of the Kings’ struggles have caused some to wonder whether or not Sacramento may opt to become sellers instead of buyers at the trade deadline, and if maybe even Fox himself <a href="https://hardwoodparoxysm.substack.com/p/nba-trade-rumor-analysis-deaaron-fox?utm_content=buffer70933&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" rel="noopener">could be a part</a> of those talks.</p><p>“Last month, De’Aaron Fox turned down a $165 million extension. The assumption was that this was about next summer’s financial opportunity for Fox and nothing to worry about. Other executives aren’t so sure, and they’re ready to pounce,” reported NBA insider Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm.</p><p>Moore also reported on why a certain accolade for Fox this year could potentially cool off those talks.</p><p>“One thing that would likely change this conversation immediately is if Fox secured an All-NBA selection and opened up the supermax for him to re-sign,” reported Moore. “That’s absolutely on the table for a player averaging 28-5-6 with room to improve his efficiency. If he doesn’t, however, and the Kings’ season goes sideways, things are going to get hot. Fox is represented by Klutch Sports, which means there’s always drama around the corner.”</p><p>Indeed, Klutch Sports doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being drama-free with some of their high-profile clients around the league.</p><h2><b>A rough start for the Kings</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Fox-vs-the-Spurs.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Under two years ago, the Kings looked like one of the best-suited teams moving forward in the NBA, as they had a young core led by Fox and Domantas Sabonis that had just made the playoffs for the first time in well over a decade and pushed the reigning champion Golden State Warriors to seven games when they got there.</p><p>Fast forward to the present day, however, and several teams in the West appear to have passed Sacramento by. The Kings signaled that they were “all in” on this core this offseason by acquiring DeMar DeRozan, but the team hasn’t seen the results it was hoping for so far this year, currently sitting at 9-12.</p><p>Sacramento will next take the court against one of the hottest teams in the NBA, the Houston Rockets, on Tuesday evening at home.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rival executives monitoring potential Kings De’Aaron Fox trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-looking-add-1-more-impact-player-after-demar-derozan-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings looking to add 1 more impact player after DeMar DeRozan deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Kings-looking-to-add-1-more-impact-player-after-DeMar-DeRozan-deal.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings looking to add 1 more impact player after DeMar DeRozan deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-08T17:57:55-07:00">July 8th, 5:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-08T18:19:32-07:00">July 8th, 6:19pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After losing in the NBA Play-In Tournament last season, the Kings made a statement by acquiring DeMar DeRozan in a three-team deal with the Bulls and Spurs. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-still-interested-kyle-kuzma-trade-demar-derozan-move">Sacramento is still working</a> the phones as it tries to make another headlining move.</p><p>The Kings are <a href="https://kings-beat.beehiiv.com/p/kings-take-swing-demar-derozan-done-building-roster" rel="noopener">especially targeting two specific players</a>, via ESPN’s James Ham.</p><p>“According to league sources, the Kings are still working the phones looking for at least one more piece to put them to put them over the top,” Ham said. “The targets are the same as they have been for the last week, with both Kyle Kuzma and Lauri Markkanen high on their list. With DeMar DeRozan locked in, the team now has clarity on their assets and where they stand salary-wise.”</p><p>Kuzma or <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-substantial-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-didnt-include-1-key-piece">Markkanen would bolster the lineup</a> even further, most likely sliding DeRozan into the backcourt alongside point guard De’Aaron Fox. However, Sacramento would have to give up a significant amount of assets for either player.</p><p>What would it take to get one of these deals done?</p><h2><b>The Kings will have to cough up more draft picks, and possibly another bench player</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jazz-Lauri-Markkanen.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Markkanen may be difficult to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10127472-nba-trade-rumors-kings-protected-keegan-murray-in-lauri-markkanen-talks-with-jazz" rel="noopener">land this off-season</a>, as the Jazz reportedly wanted Keegan Murray in exchange, via Bleacher Report’s Zach Bachar.</p><p>“While the Kings were reportedly interested in Markkanen, they didn’t want to give up Murray after his improved second season,” Bachar said. “The 23-year-old’s averages of 15.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game during his 2023-24 campaign all represented increases from his rookie-season marks.”</p><p>Murray, who’s still just 23, could make an even bigger jump in his third year, which would be ideal for Sacramento.</p><p>“He also remained an effective long-range shooter, connecting on 35.8 percent of his 6.6 three-point attempts each night,” Bachar continued. “As Sacramento attempts to bounce back from a play-in tournament exit after winning 46 games in the regular season, Murray should still be an important piece of the Kings’ starting unit with DeRozan in the mix.”</p><p>If Markkanen is off the table, expect Kuzma to be next in line. The veteran small forward thrived on the Wizards last season, scoring 22.6 points per game on 46.3% shooting, with 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He’d be a more than satisfactory consolation prize, especially because he may be cheaper than Markkanen.</p><p>Washington wants at least <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/kings/sacramento-kings-news/kings-interested-wizards-kyle-kuzma-out-pelicans-ingram" rel="noopener">two first-round picks</a> and Kevin Huerter for Kuzma, via Sports Illustrated. This would be preferable to giving up Murray, as Huerter is a decent role player, but doesn’t have the same upside. If the deal goes through, the Kings would rise from a playoff team to a bonafide championship contender.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings looking to add 1 more impact player after DeMar DeRozan deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-still-interested-kyle-kuzma-trade-demar-derozan-move');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings still interested in Kyle Kuzma trade after DeMar DeRozan move');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/7581044060.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings still interested in Kyle Kuzma trade after DeMar DeRozan move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-07T14:05:45-07:00">July 7th, 2:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-07T14:05:45-07:00">July 7th, 2:05pm</time><address><a>Nayan Brahmbhatt</a>Nayan Brahmbhatt is a recent graduate from Queen's University's Smith School of Business living in Toronto, Ontario. He is passionate about and has been involved in sports since a young age, and continues to reminisce about the (brief) time Kawhi spent in Toronto. Although he can talk shop about the Raptors and Ravens all day, what's really always on his mind is having finished his undergrad without having won a single fantasy or intramural league.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Sacramento Kings have been making waves this offseason, first by securing DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade deal. However, according to recent rumors, their activity on the trade market might not be over just yet. The Kings are reportedly still interested <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-linked-to-kyle-kuzma-wizards-trade">in acquiring Kyle Kuzma</a> from the Washington Wizards, despite already landing DeRozan.</p><p>This potential move highlights Sacramento’s aggressive strategy to bolster their roster and make a significant push in the competitive Western Conference.</p><p>On Saturday night, the Kings completed a sign-and-trade deal to bring DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento on a three-year, $74 million contract. The move was facilitated by a multi-team trade involving the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. The Bulls received two second-round picks, Chris Duarte, and cash, while the Spurs acquired Harrison Barnes and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick swap.</p><p>DeRozan, a six-time All-Star, is expected to provide the Kings with a scoring punch and veteran leadership. His addition addresses some of the team’s offensive concerns, particularly in the clutch where DeRozan has excelled throughout his career.</p><p>However, questions remain about the fit, especially with players like Domantas Sabonis, who is not known for his shooting prowess. This makes the potential interest in Kyle Kuzma even more intriguing, as Kuzma could help address some of these spacing issues.</p><p>Despite the DeRozan acquisition, NBA insider Damien Barling confirmed that the Kings are still interested in Kyle Kuzma. Responding to a fan’s query on Twitter, Barling mentioned that while interest remains, the outcome will heavily depend on Washington’s asking price and the broader trade market dynamics.</p><p>“There’s still interest in Kuzma though the market and Washington’s asking price will dictate what happens next. As far as Ingram, I don’t think so. I think that’s a name we can stop discussing.” (@<a href="https://x.com/damienbarling/status/1810009651142099171" rel="noopener">damienbarling</a>)</p><p>Kuzma, who averaged 21.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season, has been a bright spot for the Wizards and would be a valuable addition to the Kings.</p><p>Kuzma’s ability to stretch the floor with his shooting and versatility as a forward makes him an attractive target for the Kings. His presence could help alleviate some of the spacing concerns associated with the current roster.</p><p>Furthermore, Kuzma’s defensive capabilities, combined with DeRozan’s scoring, could create a more balanced and formidable lineup for Sacramento.</p><h2>Potential trade scenarios for Kuzma to the Kings</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Wizards-forward-Kyle-Kuzma.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Several trade scenarios could bring Kuzma to Sacramento. The Kings might offer a package involving a mix of young players, such as Keegan Murray or Davion Mitchell, along with draft picks. Alternatively, they could explore multi-team trades to facilitate the move, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-kings-bulls-spurs-demar-derozan-trade">similar to the DeRozan deal</a>.</p><p>Given the Kings’ recent activity, it’s clear they are in win-now mode. They missed the playoffs last season in a highly competitive Western Conference, and adding both DeRozan and Kuzma could significantly boost their chances of breaking that drought. Balancing immediate needs with future assets will be crucial in these negotiations.</p><p>Acquiring Kuzma would have significant implications for the Kings’ roster. Kuzma’s scoring ability and defensive versatility would complement DeRozan’s offensive prowess and Fox’s playmaking. This combination could make the Kings a more well-rounded and dangerous team.</p><p>However, integrating two high-usage players like DeRozan and Kuzma will require careful management from head coach Mike Brown. Ensuring that both players have defined roles and can coexist on the court will be essential for maximizing their effectiveness.</p><p>Additionally, the Kings will need to address any remaining gaps, particularly in their defense and bench depth, to solidify their position as playoff contenders.</p><p>The Sacramento Kings’ interest in Kyle Kuzma, even after securing DeMar DeRozan, underscores their commitment to building a competitive roster. Kuzma’s potential addition would address some of the team’s spacing issues and provide additional scoring and defensive capabilities. However, navigating the trade market and meeting Washington’s asking price will be pivotal.</p><p>As the Kings continue to pursue these ambitious moves, they are clearly signaling their intent to make a serious playoff push. Balancing the integration of new players, managing cap space, and maintaining flexibility for future moves will be critical as they strive to emerge as a formidable force in the Western Conference.</p><p>The next few weeks will be crucial in determining whether Kuzma joins DeRozan in Sacramento, potentially reshaping the team’s future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings still interested in Kyle Kuzma trade after DeMar DeRozan move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-substantial-lauri-markkanen-trade-offer-didnt-include-1-key-piece');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings’ ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer didn’t include 1 key piece');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Kings-substantial-Lauri-Markkanen-trade-offer-didnt-include-1-key-piece.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings’ ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer didn’t include 1 key piece</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-07T12:49:02-07:00">July 7th, 12:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-07T12:49:02-07:00">July 7th, 12:49pm</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Sacramento Kings made a big move to acquire DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls, but before they made that move, they made an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5621320/2024/07/07/demar-derozan-kings-trade-sacramento-celebration/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">aggressive pursuit</a> of Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz while protecting Keegan Murray in discussions.</p><p>“The Kings went hard after the Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen earlier in the week, protecting Keegan Murray in the discussions but putting on the table what they believe was a substantial enough picks-based offer, team sources said,” Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports. “But they put a deadline to their side of the deal, needing an answer quickly considering the urgency of the dissolving market.”</p><p>The Jazz and Danny Ainge ultimately did not meet that deadline, which resulted in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-deaaron-fox-feels-demar-derozan-partnership">the Kings pivoting</a> to DeMar DeRozan. There reportedly is skepticism around the NBA that Danny Ainge actually will trade Markkanen, who is under contract for this upcoming season before being scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. Ainge and the Jazz could still move Markkanen before the coming season’s trade deadline.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-kings-bulls-spurs-demar-derozan-trade">The Kings heard</a> that DeRozan would have interest when they pivoted quickly to him, and they had multiple veteran players, along with his former Toronto Raptors teammate and current assistant coach Leandro Barbosa, according to Slater.</p><p>To create financial flexibility, the Kings dealt Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs in the trade for DeRozan, which included three teams. It took a pick swap for the Kings to get the Spurs to take Harrison Barnes’ contract, but it was a price that was viewed as worth it by Sacramento. Now, DeRozan forms a “big three” with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. In an increasingly competitive Western Conference, this is a move that gives the Kings more star power. Hopefully, this will help them climb the standings in the Western Conference to give themselves a chance to make a run in the playoffs.</p><h2><b>Why was Keegan Murray off the table for the Kings?</b></h2><p>Given the fact that the Kings viewed Keegan Murray as untouchable for a Markkanen trade, the organization obviously views him as a piece for the future. He has played two seasons in the NBA, and he has been a solid shooter in those seasons.</p><p>Murray’s three-point percentage was better in his rookie season (41.1%) but ended up better in his sophomore season (35.8%). However, Murray’s two point percentage improved (56%) compared to his first year (52.7%), according to Basketball reference. Murray also took more two-point shots in his second season as a result of getting more minutes.</p><p>Murray finished fifth in the rookie of the year race in his first season, when he <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/murrake02.html" rel="noopener">averaged 12.2 points</a> per game. He put up 15.2 points per game in his second year. It will be interesting to see his usage and impact on this year’s team.</p><p>Obviously, the Kings have belief in Murray long-term if they are refusing to put him in a trade for Markkanen. Only time will tell if that was the right decision, but it would be reasonable to assume that he will be a big part of the team for the foreseeable future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings’ ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offer didn’t include 1 key piece

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-take-big-step-their-demar-derozan-pursuit');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings take big step in their DeMar DeRozan pursuit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Kings-take-big-step-in-their-DeMar-DeRozan-pursuit.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings take big step in their DeMar DeRozan pursuit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-06T11:43:00-07:00">July 6th, 11:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-06T12:21:28-07:00">July 6th, 12:21pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Other than acquiring Toronto Raptors forward Jalen McDaniels in a trade, the Kings have watched the NBA offseason from the sidelines. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-a-dark-horse-demar-derozan-suitor">Sacramento may be gearing up</a> for a headlining transaction any minute now.</p><p>The Kings <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1809632331944108522" rel="noopener">meeting up with</a> Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan, via The Athletic’s Shams Charania.</p><p>“Sources: DeMar DeRozan is traveling to meet with the Kings in Sacramento this weekend,” Charania tweeted. “The Kings are in serious pursuit of the six-time All-Star, who has begun one-on-one conversations with various team personnel.”</p><p>The Bulls are <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1809605035300376598" rel="noopener">interested in signing and trading</a> the six-time All-Star, but only if they can include a third team to take on salary, via NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>“Sacramento continues its pursuit of DeMar DeRozan via sign-and-trade and San Antonio has emerged as a potential third-team facilitator, league sources say,” tweeted Stein. “The Kings have chased DeRozan this week and Chicago is willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade but insists on a third team in the deal to take in salary.”</p><p>Adding <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-proposal-lands-demar-derozan-in-bulls-sign-and-trade">DeRozan to form</a> a “Big Three” with De’Aaron Fox and Damontas Sabonis could lift the Kings into the Western Conference’s upper echelon. However, it may depend on how many assets they’d have to give up in return.</p><p>How would the 34-year-old fit with Sacramento?</p><h2><b>DeRozan could bring a new element to the Kings’ offense</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Bulls-DeMar-DeRozan.jpg"><figcaption>© Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Sacramento had an above-average offense last season, ranking 13th in offensive rating and ninth in points per game. Adding DeRozan, who ranked 17th last season with 24 points per game, would open up even more looks for Fox and Sabonis.</p><p>DeRozan would give the Kings two top front-court scoring threats, as Sabonis scored 19.4 points per game last season on 59.4% shooting, to go with 13.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists. The Gonzaga alum led the league in boards and was sixth in assists, so he and DeRozan could do damage together with second-chance buckets.</p><p>Sacramento would most likely have to<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10127330-demar-derozan-trade-rumors-kings-pushing-to-land-bulls-star-in-possible-3-team-deal" rel="noopener"> give up a role player</a> to fit the Compton, California native under the salary cap, via Bleacher Report’s Mike Chiari.</p><p>“Assuming DeRozan gets something close to the $27.3 million average annual salary he made during his last contract, the Kings would likely have to part with at least one of Harrison Barnes or Kevin Huerter in a sign-and-trade since they will make $18 million and $16.8 million, respectively, next season,” Chiari wrote.</p><p>While parting with valuable depth is never preferable, the Kings have to take a big swing in the trade market to contend with the West’s top squads. DeRozan could be the missing piece to the puzzle for Sacramento, who hasn’t made a deep playoff run since 2004.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings take big step in their DeMar DeRozan pursuit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-were-close-to-lauri-markkanen-trade-jazz');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings were ‘close’ to Lauri Markkanen trade with Jazz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kings-were-close-to-Lauri-Markkanen-trade-with-Jazz.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings were ‘close’ to Lauri Markkanen trade with Jazz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-04T10:57:02-07:00">July 4th, 10:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-04T10:57:02-07:00">July 4th, 10:57am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While most of the headlines have understandably swirled around the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and other more marquee teams, one of the most fascinating teams in the NBA landscape today is the Sacramento Kings, led by point guard De’Aaron Fox. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-mike-brown-hot-seat">Fox enjoyed another</a> strong season in 2023-24 but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-spurs-among-teams-with-substantial-lauri-markkanen-trade-offers-on-table">the Kings overall</a> took a step back after their first playoff appearance in over a decade, instead floundering in the Play-In round this year vs the New Orleans Pelicans.</p><p>This of course raises the <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10127151-lauri-markkanen-trade-rumors-kings-were-close-to-a-deal-amid-warriors-spurs-buzz" rel="noopener">question of whether</a> or not the Kings would push all of their chips in on the trade or free agency market this offseason in an attempt to keep pace with an expanding Western Conference playoff picture, and the answer thus far to that question has been a resounding “no.” Still, that doesn’t mean that the Kings haven’t tried to swing a deal for a big name since their season ended.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings were ‘close’ to Lauri Markkanen trade with Jazz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-warriors-spurs-among-teams-with-substantial-lauri-markkanen-trade-offers-on-table');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Warriors, Spurs among teams with ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offers on table');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jazz-Warriors-Spurs-Lauri-Markkanen.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Warriors, Spurs among teams with ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offers on table</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-04T07:57:17-07:00">July 4th, 7:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-04T08:19:13-07:00">July 4th, 8:19am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The most appealing trade candidate in the NBA is currently Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. With so many big names gone in the free agency pool, the 27-year-old sharpshooter is perhaps the best potentially available player on either the trade market or in free agency.</p><p>The Jazz are in a rebuild, adding several young players to their roster again as Markkanen continues to age into his prime years. To make sure he isn’t lost to another team for nothing next summer, Utah will either have to extend Markkanen’s contract, which expires after this season, or trade him. Given his immense value (he’s making just over $18 million next season) and age, the latter option appears to make more sense, especially with so many suitors lining up.</p><p>According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings have “substantial” offers for Markkanen. Each of those teams has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lauri-markkanen-trade-buzz-grows-with-warriors-spurs-links">linked to a pursuit</a> of the Finnish star previously, but Jones points them out as the teams making the biggest efforts.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">According to <a href="https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tjonesonthenba</a> the Kings the Warriors and the Spurs all have “substantial offers on the table” for Lauri Markkanen. <a href="https://twitter.com/Sactown1140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sactown1140</a></p><p>— Kevin Whitey Gleason (@whiteygleason) <a href="https://twitter.com/whiteygleason/status/1808654441551384585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jones wrote <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5610621/2024/07/02/lauri-markkanen-jazz-trade-prospect-nba/" rel="noopener">that Markkanen “is a star.</a> The NBA knows this. That’s why half the league is standing in line hoping the Jazz decide to trade him. Out of that number, several reports have teams such as the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings ramping up interest and preparing offers for the Jazz to mull. The Jazz know this as well, which is why they are hesitant to trade Markkanen, even amid a rebuild that still appears to be in its infancy.”</p><h2><b>Lauri Markkanen receiving massive trade interest</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-dunks-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>After years of being merely a solid player, Markkanen has become a bona fide star in his two seasons with the Jazz, averaging 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from deep. As a top option, he drew way more fouls and scored more efficiently than ever before, posting true shooting percentages above 63 percent for the first time in his career.</p><p>The Jazz may be approaching decision time with Markkanen soon, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to trade him. They can keep him around as a top option in case a star player elsewhere asks out and Utah can trade for him. It would also be nice to support the rookies and second-year players with a floor spacer who can carry the workload on offense. However, if another team goes over the top with a trade offer, it may be best to just add more assets for a rebuild that is still barely getting off the ground.</p><p>Markkanen would be a massive coup for the Warriors, who just lost Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks and have struggled for years to put a reliable second option behind Stephen Curry. Golden State has some interesting young players to dangle in Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moodey and Brandin Podziemski, though Kuminga might not be on the table. Trying to offload Andrew Wiggins in a trade could also be an option.</p><p>The Spurs aren’t super eager to put a great team around Victor Wembanyama just yet — they may want to stay in the lottery one more time for the chance to land another great prospect like Cooper Flagg. But once San Antonio is ready to start winning again, the front office has picks and young players to offer in exchange for the Jazz star.</p><p>The Kings adding Markkanen alongside De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis would give them <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-timberwolves-kings-emerge-as-potential-lauri-markkanen-suitors">another incredible shooter</a> to utilize in their powerful offense. If they’re somehow able to keep Keegan Murray, it would give them a great core four to build around. Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter have been dangled in trades for a while and could be options here, in addition to draft capital.</p><p>Markkanen is far from the only solid player available for trade. The Brooklyn Nets are likely to trade their own sharpshooter, Cam Johnson, plus 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith as they begin rebuilding. The Washington Wizards could look to dangle Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole and Corey Kispert. The Chicago Bulls haven’t had much luck finding a suitor for Zach LaVine, but he has a star pedigree that could make him an intriguing buy-low option.</p><p>The Jazz don’t exactly need any more additional draft picks, even if it’s always beneficial to add as many as possible. They have all of their own picks going forward plus extra unprotected first-rounders and swap rights from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Even though they’re without some of their second-rounders, they have plenty of draft capital to swing more trades and add more young talent.</p><p>Whatever happens (or doesn’t happen) with Lauri Markkanen will have massive ramifications on the rest of the NBA landscape.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Warriors, Spurs among teams with ‘substantial’ Lauri Markkanen trade offers on table

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-a-dark-horse-demar-derozan-suitor');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings a ‘dark horse’ DeMar DeRozan suitor');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Kings-a-dark-horse-DeMar-DeRozan-suitor.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings a ‘dark horse’ DeMar DeRozan suitor</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-03T08:21:23-07:00">July 3rd, 8:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-03T08:21:23-07:00">July 3rd, 8:21am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The dust has mostly settled on this year’s free agency, with many of the biggest names already latching on to their respective teams for the 2024-25 season. LeBron James, the biggest free agent left on the board entering Wednesday morning, finally signed his much-awaited new <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-104-million-contract-free-agency">contract with the Los Angeles Lakers</a>, further taking away from what has become an increasingly depleted free-agent class. But one name still stands tall among the rest, with there being plenty of uncertainty regarding which team DeMar DeRozan will be playing for come next season.</p><p>DeRozan, whose time with the Chicago Bulls is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-josh-giddey-trade-final-straw-demar-derozan-bulls-future">done and dusted</a>, is yet to find a new home; coming off a season in which he averaged 24-4-5, DeRozan definitely deserves a contract worth around the $25-$30 million mark per year. However, with the 34-year old guard looking to join a contending team, his options dwindled quickly. But in the eleventh hour, there could be a suitor who swoops in for him out of left field in the Sacramento Kings.</p><p>The Kings, per Marc Spears of ESPN via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, have reportedly emerged as a <a href="https://x.com/KCJHoop/status/1808480210926321833" rel="noopener">“dark horse”</a> candidate to sign DeMar DeRozan in free agency.</p><p>“(The Kings) are a dark horse to get (DeMar) DeRozan … The Kings will be back in the postseason next year, they got a move coming soon,” Spears said as he speculated on which team would make a move next on the ESPN’s NBA Today show.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Hall of Famer <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcJSpears?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarcJSpears</a> was 1st to report Bulls link to DeRozan in 2021. Bulls are fans of Kevin Huerter, per sources. Something to monitor. <a href="https://t.co/3u4PwcTE9d">https://t.co/3u4PwcTE9d</a></p><p>— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) <a href="https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/1808480210926321833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It will be interesting to see how the Kings pull off the signing of DeMar DeRozan, if, indeed, they end up being the team that acquires his services. They are currently above the salary cap as presently constructed, which means that DeRozan will either have to sign for the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (which he reportedly has no intention of doing) or the Bulls will have to facilitate a sign-and-trade.</p><h2><b>Building a potential Kings sign-and-trade offer for DeMar DeRozan</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kevin-Huerter-1.jpg"></figure><p>The Kings have sort of hit a snag in their roster-building process as they have failed to make the acquisitions to help keep in step with the other strong teams in the Western Conference. Adding DeMar DeRozan could give them some additional scoring punch as well as crunch-time production, and it’s not like the Bulls should get much of anything in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-what-does-lebron-james-104-million-max-contract-mean-offseason">sign-and-trade</a>.</p><p>As for salary-matching purposes, the Kings should not find it too difficult to send out a player towards the Bulls. They could either build an offer around Harrison Barnes or Kevin Huerter while adding some draft capital; the only question now is, which player do the Kings prefer to give up in a trade?</p><p>Barnes may be one of the most uninspiring players in the association, as he doesn’t do anything on the court at a particularly elite level. His scoring numbers went down last season after signing a new deal with the Kings, and at 32 years of age, Barnes should be in physical decline, which means that his production is unlikely to get any better.</p><p>However, Barnes has the prototypical size for a combo forward that teams with contending aspirations need. At 6’8, he can hang with bigger wings as well as quicker ballhandlers on the perimeter. They may have added Jalen McDaniels to get some additional wing depth, but Barnes is far and away the better player than McDaniels.</p><p>Thus, even with Barnes’ production not exactly matching his cost, it may be wiser for the Kings to dangle Kevin Huerter instead. While losing Huerter’s gravity on the perimeter as well as his underrated playmaking will hurt, bringing DeMar DeRozan in would mean that Huerter won’t have as much playing time anyway, what with him being a nominal shooting guard.</p><p>Huerter and, perhaps, a heavily protected first-round pick should get a trade done on the Kings’ end.</p><h2>Assessing DeRozan’s fit alongside Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Malik-Monk-DeAaron-Fox-Domantas-Sabonis-and-Keegan-Murray-observe-the-action.jpg"></figure><p>DeMar DeRozan has always been a tricky player to fit alongside other stars due to his ball-dominant nature as well as his below-average three-point shooting. A team has to be tailor-made to his strengths for them to succeed.</p><p>But De’Aaron Fox has become a much-better three-point shooter, and Domantas Sabonis’ ability to get the ball to where it needs to be as the lead conductor of the Kings’ motion-based offense should make life that much easier for DeRozan than it was for him on the Bulls.</p><p>DeRozan also gives the Kings a pop of secondary playmaking that they don’t exactly have on the roster. Adding the 34-year old will come at a cost, but that cost shouldn’t be too prohibitive in terms of risk to reward ratio.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings a ‘dark horse’ DeMar DeRozan suitor

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-timberwolves-kings-emerge-as-potential-lauri-markkanen-suitors');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Timberwolves, Kings emerge as potential Lauri Markkanen suitors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Timberwolves-Kings-emerge-as-potential-Lauri-Markkanen-suitors.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Timberwolves, Kings emerge as potential Lauri Markkanen suitors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-01T19:53:16-07:00">July 1st, 7:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-01T19:53:16-07:00">July 1st, 7:53pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Utah Jazz haven’t yet committed to a hard and fast roster-building decision; earlier in the offseason, they were linked to blockbuster moves for two-way wings Mikal Bridges and even Paul George, the two who have since moved to the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. With the Jazz unable to acquire pieces that will help them make the jump to playoff contention in the Western Conference, everyone’s attention has now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lauri-markkanen-trade-buzz-grows-with-warriors-spurs-links">turned to Lauri Markkanen</a>, who doesn’t appear to be long for Salt Lake City.</p><p>Markkanen, being one of the best pure three-level scorers in the game as well as a hand-and-glove fit on most contending outfits, is sure to draw a ton of interest on the trade market. While he is in the final year of his contract, he’ll only be making around $18 million — making a deal that much more palatable for teams with contending aspirations. And on cue, the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings are <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-free-agency-2024-the-market-impact-of-klay-thompsons-move-to-dallas-211356528.html" rel="noopener">among the teams</a> vying for Markkanen’s services, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.</p><p>In addition to the Timberwolves and Kings, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have also reportedly thrown their hat into the Lauri Markkanen trade ring. But the question is, will the Jazz finally budge?</p><p>At present, the Jazz don’t have that foundational star yet that will lead them back to greatness. Markkanen profiles as a high-level second option on a winning team due to his shortcomings on the playmaking side of the ball. With the Finnisher being <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/23602/lauri-markkanen" rel="noopener">due for a huge contract</a> extension, will the Jazz decide to cash in on him as a trade asset to further stockpile on some draft capital? Or will he be a part of the next great Jazz team? Those are the questions that Utah must answer this offseason.</p><h2>A Lauri Markkanen homecoming on the Timberwolves?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lauri-Markkanen-Arizona-is-interviewed-after-being-introduced-as-the-number-seven-overall-pick-to-the-Minnesota-Timberwolves.jpg"></figure><p>No, Lauri Markkanen has not played a single minute for the Timberwolves franchise for his career. But one must recall that Markkanen donned a Timberwolves cap on draft night back in 2017, with Minnesota trading away that selection, along with a few other goodies that included Zach LaVine, in exchange for Jimmy Butler.</p><p>It is certainly interesting to see the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-timberwolves-trade-targets-in-2024-nba-offseason">Timberwolves pop up</a> as a potential Markkanen suitor, especially given the financial constraints imposed upon them by the second luxury tax apron. The huge contracts of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels have already kicked in, while Rudy Gobert will be due for a huge extension soon.</p><p>Trading for Lauri Markkanen would also mean that the Timberwolves will be giving up one of their core players, and that simply may not be in the cards for a team that’s looking to run it back following an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals.</p><p>As enticing as the prospect of adding a player of Markkanen’s offensive skill and size, further adding to the Timberwolves’ arsenal of talented tall players, a trade with the Jazz simply may not be doable. There could be a workable trade centered around Naz Reid, but Reid is a fan favorite, and it’s not quite clear just how appealing the prospect of trading Reid away is for the Timberwolves brass.</p><h2>Will the Kings shoot for the stars in the form of a trade with the Jazz?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Malik-Monk-DeAaron-Fox-Domantas-Sabonis-and-Keegan-Murray-observe-the-action.jpg"></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-early-kings-trade-targets-2024-nba-offseason">Kings are facing the reality</a> of how difficult it is to build a sustainable contending team year-in, year-out in the NBA. Following an inspired 2022-23 season, the Kings missed the playoffs in 2024. But can Sacramento get it together and up their contending prowess with the addition of Lauri Markkanen?</p><p>The team certainly has the salary to pull off a trade with the Jazz; they should have all of their first-round picks except for next year (due to the Kevin Huerter trade), and they have a blue-chip youngster in Keegan Murray who could be a worthwhile centerpiece of a Markkanen blockbuster trade.</p><p>Lauri Markkanen would represent a huge scoring upgrade on the wing and someone who could flourish in an off-ball role alongside Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox in the Kings’ motion-based, handoff-driven offense. Markkanen has the size to punish mismatches as well, giving the Kings another scorer to run their offense around.</p><p>Murray, for as good of a 23-year old sniper as he is, hasn’t shown as much offensive versatility as Markkanen has. Markkanen is only four years older than Murray as well, so it’s not like the Kings are going to empty the farm for an aging player. This could be a worthwhile trade to pursue for a Kings team that’s looking to return to the top of the Pacific Division.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Timberwolves, Kings emerge as potential Lauri Markkanen suitors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bulls-zach-lavine-trade-hopes-not-yet-dead-2-teams-interested');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bulls’ Zach LaVine trade hopes not yet dead with 2 teams interested');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-rumors-Bulls-Zach-LaVine-trade-hopes-not-yet-dead-with-2-teams-interested.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bulls’ Zach LaVine trade hopes not yet dead with 2 teams interested</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-01T17:54:25-07:00">July 1st, 5:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-01T17:54:25-07:00">July 1st, 5:54pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It has been a wild NBA offseason so far, but it can create louder noises if the Chicago Bulls find a way to let go of Zach LaVine. That will have to be via a trade, as LaVine is still under contract for at least the next two seasons, with a player option worth $48.96 million for the 2026-27 campaign.</p><p>At this point, it’s no longer a secret that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bulls-cant-even-give-away-zach-lavine-trade">Bulls want to trade</a> LaVine. It’s just a matter of finding a partner that will satisfy their demand in exchange for the two-time NBA All-Star shooting guard.</p><h2><b>Are the Warriors still interested in Zach LaVine?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Zach-LaVine-walking-off-court.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings are two teams that were recently mentioned by Bulls insider KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that are still <a href="https://x.com/NBCSBulls/status/1807889445259014412" rel="noopener">entertaining thoughts of trading</a> for Zach LaVine. The Warriors have just lost Klay Thompson via a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dallas-klay-thompson-contract-free-agency">three-team trade</a> with the Dallas Mavericks that also involved the Charlotte Hornets, so LaVine could be a guy the Dubs pursue as a replacement for what they have lost on the perimeter with Thompson’s departure.</p><p>“I’ve been led to believe that there are two teams that are still at least having conversations with glimmer of hope, however you want to phrase it. I don’t want to be aggregated poorly. I’m just, I’m grasping for the best way to phrase it myself. What I will say is I’ve written the Kings and Warriors and I think those two teams, you know, the Warriors obviously are going through significant changes with Klay Thompson’s likely imminent departure or I guess definite imminent departure since he’s told the Warriors he’s not coming back. And obviously Chris Paul was waived, said Johnson during an appearance on Bulls Talk Podcast.</p><p>However, it is also known that the Warriors have rejected a Bulls trade offer that features LaVine just before Golden State decided to waive Chris Paul and let go of Thompson. Perhaps, the Warriors are still not completely closing the door on LaVine, but it gets harder to imagine that such a trade would happen now that Golden State has lost Paul, who could have been a bargaining chip for the Dubs.</p><h2><b>The Kings still keeping an eye on LaVine?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Zach-Lavine-1.jpg"><figcaption>Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Kings, on the other hand, have also been busy this offseason. They can still make a huge splash by trading for a player like LaVine, with Johnson floating the names up of Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter as a possible package Sacramento could offer the Bulls. For what it’s worth, the Kings tried to acquire Zach LaVine back in 2018 when they put an $80 million offer on the table only for the Bulls to match it.</p><p>“And then the Kings just always seem to pop up in conversation. And I know when Malik Monk signed there, it looked like there wasn’t a landing spot for Zach there, but Harrison Barnes-Kevin Huerter package seems like it’s available for a lot of different scenarios. Brandon Ingram would be another one.”</p><p>It just seems that LaVine isn’t an appealing name at the moment for teams out there and the Bulls don’t have much of a leverage. Apart from the large money remaining in the former UCLA Bruins star’s contract, he is also coming off a foot surgery last February that ended his 2023-24 NBA season.</p><p>A first-round pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves back in the 2014 NBA Draft, LaVine played in only 25 games last season and averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bulls’ Zach LaVine trade hopes not yet dead with 2 teams interested

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-2-dark-horse-brandon-ingram-trade-possibilities');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: 2 dark-horse Brandon Ingram trade possibilities');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2-dark-horse-Brandon-Ingram-trade-possibilities.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: 2 dark-horse Brandon Ingram trade possibilities</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-30T09:05:34-07:00">June 30th, 9:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-30T09:05:34-07:00">June 30th, 9:05am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Naples, Florida</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In just a matter of hours, NBA free agency officially begins, giving teams the opportunity to remake their rosters in the most drastic ways possible. One team that has already done just that this offseason is the New Orleans Pelicans, who on Friday <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-atlanta-trades-dejounte-murray-pelicans">traded for Atlanta Hawks guard</a> Dejounte Murray. However, just because the Pels have made one big move already, it doesn’t mean that they’re done dealing just yet. Only instead of trading for a former NBA All-Star, they could be sending one out the door.</p><p>“With trade chatter surrounding George settling down after he opted out of his contract, as well as Dejounte Murray being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, Brandon Ingram now becomes the focal point of discussions,” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-warriors-failed-paul-george-pursuit-nba-free-agency">writes ClutchPoints NBA insider</a> Brett Siegel. “Ingram is entering the final year of his contract and has been made available for trade. At 26 years old, there is still a lot to like about Ingram’s game and ability to be a primary scoring option. However, very few teams have shown legitimate interest at this time in the Pelicans forward.”</p><p>There are a number of reasons why teams aren’t lining up to inquire with the Pelicans about the availability of Brandon Ingram. Over the last three seasons, Ingram has missed 82 games, and given the continued growth of younger wings Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones, in addition to the Pels’ commitment to run more of the offense through Zion Williamson, BI has become expendable to a certain extent.</p><p>So that raises the question, who will be the team that ends up prying Ingram away from New Orleans? The Jazz have been in the mix for a variety of potentially available pseudo-stars, and Ingram fits the bill. Additionally, the 76ers have deemed Brandon Ingram their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-brandon-ingram-is-76ers-plan-b-if-paul-george-pursuit-fails">“plan B”</a> if their pursuit of Paul George falls short. But according to Brett Siegel, two other teams are considered dark-horse contenders to get in the mix for Ingram as well.</p><p>“The Jazz will likely internally discuss the possibility of pursuing Ingram this offseason, as will the 76ers if they are unable to land George. Two teams viewed as possible dark-horse destinations for Ingram are the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors, sources said.”</p><p>Though Ingram’s trade value is something of a mystery at this point in time, from a salary standpoint, a potential deal with both the Kings and Raptors is actually pretty straight-forward. The contracts of Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes would be enough for Sacramento to get a deal done for Ingram, and the same could be said of Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk in Toronto.</p><p>But is there one more mystery team who could get in the mix for Brandon Ingram? One that has taken on a former high lottery pick with a questionable fit in the past, only to see it eventually pay off?</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Brandon-Ingram-making-a-pass-1024x574.jpg"><figcaption>© Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h2><b>Could the Golden State Warriors make a late play for Brandon Ingram? </b></h2><p>At the conclusion of his section on Brandon Ingram, Brett Siegel asks the question, “Could the Warriors possibly emerge as another dark-horse suitor for Ingram in the immediate aftermath of their failed trade talks for George?” We’ve seen the Warriors make a move like this in the past when they traded for 2014 #1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins back in February 2020. Wiggins’ fit within the Warriors finely tuned offensive system was questioned, but just two years later, Golden State won their fourth NBA Title in the Stephen Curry/Steve Kerr era.</p><p>The Warriors were initially thought to be in the mix for Paul George, but those rumors have fizzled out. Golden State <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-open-klay-thompson-trade-help-get-him-to-new-team">will likely be losing Klay Thompson</a> this summer, and that leaves an opening for a player like Brandon Ingram to be able to step in to. Ingram doesn’t provide the Warriors with the floor spacing that Klay Thompson did, nor is he someone who could crash the glass and impact the game defensively like Andrew Wiggins did, but Ingram has scored at least 20 points per game in each of the last five seasons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: 2 dark-horse Brandon Ingram trade possibilities

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-linked-to-kyle-kuzma-wizards-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings linked to Kyle Kuzma amid Wizards’ rebuild');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ASAP-NBA-rumors-Kings-linked-to-Kyle-Kuzma-amid-Wizards-rebuild.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings linked to Kyle Kuzma amid Wizards’ rebuild</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-26T16:47:03-07:00">June 26th, 4:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-26T16:57:30-07:00">June 26th, 4:57pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The rumor mill is red hot with the NBA Draft finally kicking off on Wednesday. There could be a ton of trades during the draft and it sounds like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-how-malik-monk-impacts-kings-zach-lavine-trade-interest">the Sacramento Kings</a> are a team to watch for. Sacramento might be interested in a deal with the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma.</p><p>Washington has plenty of options on the table right now with multiple first-round picks. They may make some big moves as the franchise is in the middle of a rebuild. With that said, rumors are the Kings are <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1806103297226617093" rel="noopener">potentially looking to make</a> a move for Kyle Kuzma, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein.</p><p>“The Wizards are exploring every pathway to try to stockpile assets and, with three turns already in the first round at Nos. 2, 14, and 26, there is rising curiosity about their plans for Kyle Kuzma. Sacramento (No. 13) is known to be interested in the versatile Kuzma once again.”</p><p>It’s not entirely clear what the Kings might be willing to give up in a deal. However, having the No. 13 pick overall could be enticing enough to the Wizards. However, Kuzma is a consistent forward in the league and Washington could receive multiple offers during the first round of the NBA Draft.</p><p>More rumors regarding <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-fell-short-alex-caruso-trade-bulls">the Kings should continue</a> swirling as the organization aims to build a playoff-caliber team once again. Meanwhile, it should be a busy week for the Wizards as they aim to improve the roster amid a rebuild.</p><h2>Is Kyle Kuzma a good fit for the Kings?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Title-Kyle-Kuzma.jpg"><figcaption>© Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Kings have a decent lineup but didn’t find the same success this season as they did last year. However, Sacramento is a team that doesn’t seem to be too far away from being a playoff contender every season. But should Kyle Kuzma be considered as one of those key additions?</p><p>In short, the answer is a resounding yes. Kuzma proved to be one of, if not, the best player for the Wizards last season. He finished the season averaging 22.2 points (career-high), 6.6 rebounds (career-high), and 4.2 assists per game. Those are numbers the Kings would love to have alongside De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.</p><p>Kuzma would fit right in at either small forward or power forward for Sacramento. That would give the Kings four solid starters depending on how the coaching staff views the lineup. Overall, this would be a fantastic move for the Kings and they could then search for a shooting guard to improve the backcourt through free agency or the NBA Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings linked to Kyle Kuzma amid Wizards’ rebuild

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-how-malik-monk-impacts-kings-zach-lavine-trade-interest');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: How Malik Monk impacts Kings’ Zach LaVine trade interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-rumors-How-Malik-Monk-impacts-Kings-Zach-LaVine-trade-interest.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: How Malik Monk impacts Kings’ Zach LaVine trade interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T21:15:18-07:00">June 24th, 9:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T21:16:30-07:00">June 24th, 9:16pm</time><address><a>Christopher Smith</a>Christopher Smith is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University, where he also competed as a Division 1 Cross Country runner. Smith has previously written for FanSided and Last Word on Sports, and his primary interests lie within the NBA and distance running.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Sacramento Kings are coming off a solid 2023-24 season. The Kings finished with a 46-36 record and nearly made the playoffs for the second time in a row after a 16-year drought. A large part of Sacramento’s success is Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malik Monk, whom the team resigned in free agency. Monk’s return impacts the Kings’ trade interest in Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine in an intriguing way.</p><p>The Kings signed Malik Monk to a four-year, $78 million deal. As a result, many rival executives believe Sacramento’s interest with the Bulls for Zach Lavine <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/aggregate-2024-nba-mock-draft-paul-george-tyrese-maxey-free-agency-zach-lavine-trade-talks/" rel="noopener">could be dwindlin</a>g, per Hoops Hype. This development leaves room for the Kings to focus their efforts on improving through the draft.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-exploring-no-13-pick-trade">Sacramento possesses the 13th</a> overall pick, and it is believed they will target a small forward after retaining Monk. Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis are two names that could be good targets for the Kings. Alternatively, Sacramento could bolster their depth with players like Ja’Kobe Walter, Devin Carter, and Johnny Furphy.</p><p>Regardless of what happens, Sacramento wants to regain success reminiscent of their 2022-23 season. That year, the Kings earned the third seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. They faced the Golden State Warriors in the first round but lost in seven games.</p><p>Sacramento faced the Warriors again in the 2024 Play-In and got their revenge. However, they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in their playoff spot-determining matchup, ending their postseason run early. The Kings did not have the services of Malik Monk at the time due to injury, but once he returns healthy he will make a large impact.</p><h2><b>Malik Monk is exactly who the Kings needed back</b></h2><p>As entertaining as it would be to see Zach Lavine leave the Bulls and wear a Kings jersey, it might be best if Sacramento cools their pursuit. Malik Monk’s scoring ability and continuity with the team should help the team get back to the level they were at before their 2024 postseason exit.</p><p>Through 72 games, Monk averaged 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and shot 35.0% on three-pointers during the 2023-24 season. Yet, his offensive ability is not the only thing he provides to the team. Head coach Mike Brown noted the positive impact <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-mike-brown-drops-malik-monk-charismatic-truth-bomb-amid-6moy-bid">Monk’s personality has</a> on the team in mid-April.</p><p>“Malik is one of the most charismatic guys I’ve been around. It’s infectious, you know? I mean, really great, great human being. You know, his charisma makes you want to be around him,” Brown said.</p><p>Unfortunately, Monk could not finish the regular season due to a sprained right MCL. Yet, that has not stopped him from giving energy to the team. Brown noted Monk as a vocal leader who is a supportive presence.</p><p>“And so with his charisma and how vocal he is, you want that presence around as much as possible. And you know, to his credit he’s been there. He comes to our film sessions, comes to our practices. Obviously, he’s active on the bench, and we encourage that,” Brown added.</p><p>The Kings will use Monk’s leadership in 2024-25 as they look for improvement.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: How Malik Monk impacts Kings’ Zach LaVine trade interest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-fell-short-alex-caruso-trade-bulls');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: How Kings fell just short of Alex Caruso trade with Bulls');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/How-Kings-fell-just-short-of-Alex-Caruso-trade-with-Bulls.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: How Kings fell just short of Alex Caruso trade with Bulls</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T13:43:19-07:00">June 24th, 1:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T13:43:19-07:00">June 24th, 1:43pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a somewhat disappointing season that saw them fail to live up to their preseason expectations, the Sacramento Kings are looking to rebound in 2024-25. They already took the first major step by locking up Malik Monk to a new contract. But Sacramento also made significant<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5587438/2024/06/24/sacramento-kings-nba-draft-free-agency-zach-edey-kyle-kuzma-zach-lavine/" rel="noopener"> inroads on a deal</a> with the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso before Chicago ended up shipping him to Oklahoma City, per Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic:</p><p>“The Kings already tried to use it for a significant roster upgrade. They were close to a trade for defensive ace Alex Caruso last week, according to league sources, offering the No. 13 pick to Chicago as the key chip. The Bulls, to the surprise of many within the league, instead opted to send Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey.”</p><p>The Kings, who are looking to add veteran help to their core of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Monk, would have benefitted from adding a player like Caruso to the mix. Caruso is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and also shoots the 3-pointer at a 40 percent clip.</p><p>The Kings have been close on deals to improve their roster recently, but ultimately have come up empty-handed again. Caruso is just the latest example. Sacramento was close to a Pascal Siakam deal at the past trade deadline, but they ultimately lost out to the Indiana Pacers when Indiana paired the two-time All-Star with former King Tyrese Haliburton to make an Eastern Conference Finals run.</p><p>There were strong signs at the time Siakam would not re-sign with Sacramento if he had come. But that’s the type of swing that the Kings must make if they want to reach the upper echelon of the Western Conference.</p><h2><b>Bulls trade Alex Caruso to Thunder instead of Kings</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Caruso-and-Giddey.jpg"><figcaption>© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Bulls last week traded two-time All-Defensive guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-bulls-thunder-alex-caruso-josh-giddey-trade">Caruso to the Thunder</a> in exchange for Josh Giddey.</p><p>Giddey, who has always been recognized for his playmaking abilities as a longer, taller guard, now joins a Bulls team that desperately needs another ball handler next to Coby White. Chicago has long looked to replace Lonzo Ball as he deals with career-threatening knee injuries, and now they have done so with their acquisition of Giddey.</p><p>The Thunder earned the top spot in the Western Conference during the regular season with an impressive 57-25 record. Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City has gone from being one of the youngest teams in the league to one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals.</p><p>After reaching the Western Conference Semifinals, GM Sam Presti decided to bring in Caruso, who adds championship experience and a strong defensive presence on the perimeter. Now the Thunder roll out a perimeter defense that includes Caruso, SGA, and Lu Dort.</p><p>Caruso was a highly coveted player around the NBA. With the Bulls still in the hunt for the playoffs, the front office made the decision to turn down offers involving first-round draft picks in order to keep the defensive star.</p><p>A few months later, Chicago has now moved on from Caruso for a 21-year-old playmaker who can bring the ball up the floor and still has room for immediate growth.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: How Kings fell just short of Alex Caruso trade with Bulls

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-exploring-no-13-pick-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings exploring No. 13 pick trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kings-Monte-McNair.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings exploring No. 13 pick trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-19T10:45:56-07:00">June 19th, 10:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-19T10:45:56-07:00">June 19th, 10:45am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Sacramento Kings missed out on the 2024 playoffs due to a myriad of injuries they were unable to overcome. They stood pat last offseason but cannot afford to make the same mistake again. This offseason has to be a busy one for them, starting with the 2024 NBA Draft.</p><p>With the 13th overall pick in the draft, the Kings have a lot of different ways to upgrade. They have done a nice job adding young talent around De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis with Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis and Colby Jones, so <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/page/NBADraft24-40343667/2024-nba-mock-draft-all-58-picks-trade-talks-heat-30-teams" rel="noopener">standing pat and making their pick</a> could pay off. That seems to be the way the cookie is crumbling for them, according to Jeremy Woo of ESPN, but they aren’t ruling out trades.</p><p>Woo writes the following: “Sacramento has explored trade options with this pick, but there will be a range of quality players on the board if the Kings stand pat — they might be content to simply see who falls to No. 13.”</p><p>The Kings trading their pick for a more surefire contributor is sensible, especially if they can land someone who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kings-trade-calls-bulls-zach-lavine-alex-caruso">can be a major upgrade</a> on either side of the ball. The contract of Harrison Barnes ($18 million salary for next season) and/or Trey Lyles ($8 million) can facilitate a trade using the 13th pick as the asset to acquire a better player. They also have the 45th overall pick to include. But they could also add a good player on a cheap deal, which can go a long way toward building the rest of their team.</p><h2><b>Kings pondering options with No. 13 pick in 2024 NBA Draft</b></h2><p>The Kings have most of their core players locked up on contracts for the next few seasons but could lose a valuable contributor, sixth man Malik Monk, to free agency. They should obviously look to re-sign him but the market for his services could be too rich for their tastes. It should be something they try to do regardless of what they do with their pick.</p><p>If the Kings want to find a prospect to plug into Monk’s role as a sparkplug scorer off the bench, they could look at Ja’Kobe Walter, Jared McCain or Bub Carrington. All three of them have their own tendencies, strengths and weaknesses but each of them has the potential to be a legitimate scoring threat at the next level.</p><p>The Kings could also opt to add another wing and consider a well-rounded, versatile player like Tristan da Silva, a top-notch shooter at the four spot like Tyler Smith, a potential 3-and-D wing like Tidjane Salaun or a superb athlete/defender in Ron Holland. That’s who ESPN has Sacramento taking in its mock draft and it would be a spectacular pick if the G League Ignite product falls that far.</p><p>Sacramento may have fallen out of the playoff picture in large part because of injuries but the Western Conference is indeed becoming more competitive. Even if the older teams like the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers truly begin to fade, other teams are on the rise with young talent. Three of the teams who didn’t even make the play-in last season were Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs, a good Memphis Grizzlies team decimated with injuries and the Houston Rockets, who boast young talent and the third overall pick. Complacency spells doom.</p><p>The Kings have to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-major-offseason-fixes-kings-must-make-reach-2025-nba-playoffs">keep getting better</a> or run the risk of having to start all over again. They’ve come a long way under Mike Brown, posting their first two winning seasons since 2005-06 in his two seasons at the helm. This offseason has to get them moving toward another level as a team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings exploring No. 13 pick trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kings-mike-brown-hot-seat');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kings’ Mike Brown on hot seat');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kings-Mike-Brown-on-hot-seat.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kings’ Mike Brown on hot seat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-22T17:25:50-07:00">May 22nd, 5:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-22T20:53:31-07:00">May 22nd, 8:53pm</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis, and Formula 1. He is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. Jay's need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It was not the ideal year for the Sacramento Kings. The team was a dark horse in last year’s NBA Playoffs but came crashing down. Hopes were high for the Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox-led squad but they were not met. So, all they could do was re-tool and get ready to make a run this season. After all, they already made the leap into postseason contention. But, each and every part of their squad crumbled, leading to an early exit. This had fans wondering after their loss to the New Orleans Pelicans if they’ve seen the last of Mike Brown as a head coach.</p><h2><b>Mike Brown’s lack of NBA Playoffs success</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sacramento-Kings-head-coach-Mike-Brown-gives-direction.jpg"><figcaption>© Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Player development does not seem to be the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-sacramento-the-betting-favorite-to-sign-jonas-valanciunas-in-free-agency">issue for Mike Brown’s Kings.</a> They have gotten the best out of guys like De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. The rapid rise of Davion Mitchell and Keegan Murray also allowed this squad to have better success en route to the NBA Playoffs. Heck, they even made it so that Domantas Sabonis became an All-NBA third-team player. So, that’s clearly not the issue.</p><p>Apparently, Kings ownership is concerned about winning where it matters most. Their faithful have been starved of a deep NBA Playoffs run for the longest time. The last era where they were successful was when Mike Bibby and Chris Webber were still at the center of attention. So, what type of change is expected? It looks like they could be demanding more out of Mike Brown, or else he could be<a href="https://kings-beat.beehiiv.com/p/mike-brown-coaching-salaries-avoiding-basketball-hell-20" rel="noopener"> getting sacked</a>, via James Ham.</p><p>“The failure to repeat the success of the previous year hasn’t sat well with ownership, according to sources. This shouldn’t be a complicated matter, but like everything else in Sacramento, it is,” the insider declared.</p><p>The eagerness of the Kings’ organization is very palpable. Brown is slated to make somewhere between $10 million to $12 million in his next contract. Will they give him the contract he wants?</p><h2><b>Mike Brown’s time with the Kings</b></h2><p>Prior to Brown’s arrival, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-knicks-tom-thibodeau-kings-mike-brown-get-8-figure-contract-extension-updates">Kings have not seen</a> the NBA Playoffs for 16 years. He made it work with guys like Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox as his primary guys. With Malik Monk and Keegan Murray often giving the team a much-needed boost on offense too, there were a lot of hopes for this squad. Recent coaches like Luke Walton and Dave Joerger could not even get 40 wins off of one season. Brown, on the other hand, has led the Kings to two stints with more than 45 wins.</p><p>A big reason for their drop off in the standings and eventually their early NBA Playoffs exit was their drop in pace. The Kings ran and gunned for every possession that they were executing, much like this year’s Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately, teams caught on, and their halfcourt sets were not quite as dynamic in keeping the offense alive.</p><p>Another key issue in the Kings system was their defensive schemes. They allowed 114.8 points per game which netted them 115.2 defensive rating. Those numbers were good for only 14th in the league. Drop-offs are going to happen whenever the same squad runs it back with a similar system. Hopefully, eagerness does not get the best of the Kings after they experienced a year of success.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kings’ Mike Brown on hot seat

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-mike-brown-kings-future-uncertain');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Mike Brown’s Kings future uncertain a year after Coach of the Year honors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NBA-rumors-Mike-Browns-Kings-future-uncertain-a-year-after-Coach-of-the-Year-honors.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Mike Brown’s Kings future uncertain a year after Coach of the Year honors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-22T11:08:43-07:00">April 22nd, 11:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-22T11:09:36-07:00">April 22nd, 11:09am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When Mike Brown took over on the sidelines as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings, he inherited a broken organization just looking for energy to try and end what had become an inexcusable and overwhelming 16-season playoff drought. With De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis as his two best players, Brown was able to create the foundation of a new culture in Sacramento, one that would finally put an end to their losing ways. The Kings finished the 2022-23 season with a 48-34 record, resulting in a playoff appearance and Brown being named the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-mike-brown-wins-coach-of-the-year-award-after-snapping-16-year-playoff-drought">NBA Coach of the Year</a>.</p><p>One year later, the Kings finished with a 46-36 record, resulting in them having to fight for their lives in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-total-domination-sends-warriors-to-offseason-facing-serious-questions">defeating the Golden State Warriors</a> in a very meaningful 9-seed vs. 10-seed game, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-most-to-blame-in-shock-play-in-loss-to-zion-williamson-less-pelicans">Kings fell short</a> of making the playoffs, losing 105-98 to the Zion Williamson-less New Orleans Pelicans. Over the last two seasons, Brown has coached the Kings to a 94-70 record, establishing themselves as a true threat in the West. However, time is not a given in the NBA, especially regarding head coaches.</p><p>Originally, Brown signed a four-year contract in 2022 that contained a <a href="https://theathletic.com/5434131/2024/04/22/sacramento-kings-mike-brown-future/" rel="noopener">mutual option</a> between him and the team for the 2025-26 season, according to The Athletic. As a result, next season is the final year in which his contract with Sacramento is guaranteed. Brown, who is seeking long-term stability from the organization he has helped rise from the depths of the Western Conference, has a lot of uncertainties surrounding his future with the Kings.</p><p>Their win over the Warriors was meaningful in more ways than one, especially since the Kings were taken down by Golden State in the first round of the playoffs last season. Revenge in this matchup was sweet for the time being, but the Kings were unable to seize their opportunity and claim the 8-seed in the conference when they lost to the Pelicans. As a result, a “wait-and-see” approach for Brown’s future now looms large in the minds of those who make decisions for the organization, according to The Athletic.</p><p>It would be a shock to see the Kings move on from Brown just after he was awarded the 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year. But then again, it may not be all that surprising given the nature of coaching in the league today. Job security doesn’t exist with NBA coaches. With no extension talks being held between the two sides, Brown enters the 2024-25 season not knowing if he will continue to be in Sacramento.</p><h2><b>Mike Brown’s future with Kings</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mike-Brown-with-hands-on-head.jpg"><figcaption>Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Although they missed the playoffs, this was still a very successful season for the Kings. They won at least 45 games for the second straight season, the first time they have accomplished such a feat since the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, and Sacramento held a 15-8 record against the six-best teams in the West. The Kings have proven that they can win under Brown’s leadership, which is why there is not really much reason to think that the 2024-25 season will be his last in Sacramento.</p><p>This organization has been seeking stability for quite some time. Jumping around from head coach to head coach, the Kings have finally found a guy they not only believe in, but his players believe in as well. At this point, the Kings’ lack of postseason success is not necessarily Brown’s fault, as this problem may fall on the front office.</p><p>Outside of Sabonis, the Kings do not have much length to defend the paint. That is not Brown’s fault. On offense, the Kings struggled to find consistent production late in the year outside of Fox due to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-malik-monk-to-miss-play-in-game-vs-warriors-due-to-knee-injury">Malik Monk’s knee injury</a>. That is not necessarily Brown’s fault either.</p><p>The Kings will turn their attention to finding upgrades in the offseason, specifically players who can create opportunities for themselves on offense without Fox or Sabonis having to do everything. While adjustments could’ve been made last season against the Warriors and this year against the Pelicans, blaming Brown for all of this organization’s lack of postseason success would be blasphemous.</p><p>Brown has put the Kings on the path to success. Now, it is up to the front office to return the favor and get him the talent needed to truly compete at the top of the Western Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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