3 Early Trade Candidates for the Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings could look toward the Brooklyn Nets for their next trade target.

Nov 17, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) brings the ball up in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

We’re still months away from the February 6th trade deadline, but it’s never too early to look at trade ideas. For a Sacramento Kings team perpetually lacking wing depth, news of the Brooklyn Nets, a team filled with wings, being sellers at the deadline opens numerous intriguing options.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that the Nets are expected to be open for business leading up to this year’s deadline.

The rebuilding Nets are expected to be open for business, sources tell @sam_amick.

Cam Thomas is widely considered to be available, but Brooklyn’s list of possibilities hardly ends there.

More intel: https://t.co/zo3rBWp5mt pic.twitter.com/LblJQO7lj8

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) November 19, 2024

Let’s get into the top Brooklyn options that make sense for the Kings.

1. Cam Johnson

Nov 9, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) stands on the court in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

Season Stats: 18.1 Points | 4.3 Rebounds | 2.9 Assists | 47.9/39.3/91.8% shooting splits

Age: 28

Contract: 3 Years, $68.8 Million

Cam Johnson’s fit on Sacramento’s roster is nearly seamless. He’s a knockdown shooter who can play the three or the four, which the Kings lack outside of Keegan Murray.

Keegan is averaging 36.7 minutes per game, tied for seventh most in the league. Getting him help on the wings would go a long way to not only help the Kings as a whole, but specifically take some of the pressure off of Murray.

At 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Johnson would give the Kings another lengthy defender and would immediately flip the Kings size concerns from a weakness to a strength.

The conversation of starters and lineups would be interesting, but having more good players is never a bad thing and a problem Mike Brown and the staff would likely be happy to solve.

2.  Cam Thomas

Oct 27, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) drives to the basket in the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Season Stats: 24.6 Points | 3.4 Rebounds | 3.1 Assists | 45.8/39.2/86.5% shooting splits

Age: 23

Contract: 2 Years, $6.2 Million

Cam Thomas is likely going to get the most attention from around the league, as he’s leading the Nets in scoring and 14th in the league with his 24.6 points per contest. His age and contract also make him highly coveted, as he’s still on his rookie deal and set to hit restricted free agency after next season.

He would likely be the ‘all-in’ trade candidate for the Kings, as they would likely know max money is a few years away for Thomas.

His fit on the Kings' roster isn’t as seamless as Johnson’s. He doesn’t have the same size, standing at 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, and is more of a volume scorer, but adding another scorer of his caliber could catapult the Kings into championship contention.

A starting lineup of De’Aaron Fox, Cam Thomas, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis could do some serious damage for years to come.

3. Dorian Finney-Smith

Jan 27, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (28) celebrates after making a three point shot in the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Season Stats: 11.2 Points | 4.7 Rebounds | 1.8 Assists | 47.3/42.5/61.1% shooting splits

Age: 31

Contract: 2 Years, $30.3 Million (2025-26 Player Option – $15.4 Million)

Dorian Finney-Smith is likely the most realistic option of the trio of Nets players. He’s the type of player any team can plug into a roster and make better. Much like Johnson, he has the size to play either the three or the four.

At 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, he would fit seamlessly into multiple lineups.

Finney-Smith has been a starter throughout his career, starting 417 of his 541 career games, but is the most likely trade candidate from Brooklyn to come off the bench.

A bench unit of Keon Ellis, Malik Monk, Finney-Smith, and Trey Lyles would give the Kings one of the strongest benches in the league and balance out defense with offense nicely.

---

Follow Sacramento Kings on SI on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!