Kings Could Reignite Attempt To Land F Kyle Kuzma After Trade Rumors

The forward decided to re-sign with the Wizards last summer despite being highly linked to Sacramento.

The Sacramento Kings traded away the 24th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft to the Dallas Mavericks and C/F Richaun Holmes to free up cap space and looked geared up to make a splash in free agency. While there was a lengthy of targets, one who was highly linked to the Kings was Washington Wizards F Kyle Kuzma.

Ultimately, Kuzma decided to re-sign with the Wizards, and the Kings re-signed F Harrison Barnes. However, as we approach the February 8 trade deadline, a few Kings are in the hot seat - Barnes, G Kevin Huerter, and G Davion Mitchell. On top of that, the Kings could attempt to trade for their highly-linked forward Kyle Kuzma after he has been placed on the trade block, as Brett Sigel of Clutch Points reported.

Kyle Kuzma is expected to be made available by the Washington Wizards for multiple first-round picks, league sources told @ClutchPoints.

More details on the NBA trade market in today's story: https://t.co/wEyrpnnlbJ

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) January 2, 2024

While the asking price of Kuzma is multiple first-round picks, the Kings could make the splash for him and attempt to throw a combination of Barnes, Huerter, and Mitchell as well as future draft picks. The Kings missed out on trading for another linked prospect in F OG Anunoby after the Toronto Raptors sent him to the New York Knicks, so this potential trade would give the Kings another option. The Kings are also linked to Raptors F Pascal Siakam, who would command a much higher price but would likely pay out more, making Sacramento a lethal opponent in the West.

While what is being asked in exchange for certain players is unclear, what is clear is the Kings need to make a change to make the next step. The attempt to run it back may have made sense in July, but after the first half of the season is nearly complete, it has become clear that the Kings are a consistent forward away from being true contenders.

A way to push a deal through quickly would be to offer rising star F Keegan Murray to teams, as his trade value is higher than the three in the hot seat, however, the Kings have already stated they have no intentions of trading Murray - and for good reason. Murray has shown what he will become and has already broken numerous NBA records in his year and a half in Sacramento. 

However, while the Kings have said they will not trade Murray, the Tyrese Haliburton-Sabonis trade came out of nowhere. While the team has massively benefitted both teams, GM Monte McNair could have a trick up his sleeve once again that sees Murray shipped off somewhere - but it's safe to say that Murray will remain in Sacramento as a fan-favorite.

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