Mock Trade Lands Kings Impact Wing, but at the Ultimate Cost

In this mock trade, the Kings bring in a veteran wing that could lift them to contenders, but give up a valuable young asset.
Dec 6, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers small forward Jerami Grant (9) looks on during warm ups before the game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center.
Dec 6, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers small forward Jerami Grant (9) looks on during warm ups before the game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. / Soobum Im-Imagn Images
In this story:

Trade season is officially underway, and the Sacramento Kings are in need of help if they want to climb back up the Western Conference standings. Trysta Krick, host of The Heat Check with Trysta Krick, joined Damien Barling and Kenny Caraway on ESPN1320's D-Lo & KC, as she does on a weekly basis, to discuss a potential trade that could bolster Sacramento's roster.

She preemptively warned listeners that it was going to hurt, and it does indeed hurt to think about.

The trade is gonna hurt. The trade is Trey Lyles, who I'm sure you're fine with, Kevin Huerter, who I'm sure you're fine with, and Keegan Murray, which will hurt...I think you can probably get away with no first-round picks, for Jerami Grant.

Trysta Krick

While the idea of giving up Keegan Murray is a painful one to consider, there are valid concerns over the current state of the Kings roster. Sacramento was already in a win-now mode with De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, and they only increased the pressure to perform when they brought in six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan.

The window to win is now, and while Murray has shown tremendous growth this year, particularly on the defensive side of the ball and on the boards, he's been inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball.

Is Keegan Murray ever going to be on De'Aaron Fox...Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan's timeline.

Trysta Krick

The 24-year-old wing is currently averaging 12.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks on 42.9% shooting from the field and 29.9% from three.

Murray is a renowned three-point shooter, but his shot just hasn't been there this year so far. After shooting 41.1% from deep in his rookie season, his shooting dropped to 35.8% last year and dipped even further early on this season.

That's not to say that Murray hasn't been productive for Sacramento, but for a Kings team with three-point shooting issues on both sides of the ball, it's a clear area that they stand to improve if they hope to compete in the loaded Western Conference.

Jerami Grant is putting up 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 39.4% shooting from the field and 38.4% from beyond the arc. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but Grant is shooting 47.2% on his corner threes, and most importantly, is hitting his open and wide-open threes at 43.8% and 42.9%, respectively.

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a tough spot this season going through a full rebuild. Grant's overall efficiency is down, but his number of good looks would increase exponentially next to Fox, Sabonis, DeRozan, and Malik Monk. Grant is currently averaging 2.0 wide-open three-point attempts per contest, compared to 3.5 for Murray.

At 30 years old, Grant fits the timeline of the Kings roster to a tee. Sacramento would see a drop in rebounding production by swapping out Murray for Grant, but Sabonis and others should be able to pick up the slack in that regard.

The upside of bringing in a player like Grant is that he knows exactly how to contribute in this type of role and can function as one of the best 3&D players in the league. He should theoretically be able to pick up the defensive assignments that Murray was assigned and is a knock-down shooter when he gets good looks.

He's also under contract for two seasons after this year with a player option for the 2027-28 season in which he'll be 33 years old. At $29 million this year and increasing to $36 million for his player option, the money isn't outrageous, and is likely in line with what Murray would command for his extension.

The question with deals like this is do you keep Keegan Murray with an eye on the future, or do you cash in on the potential and go all-in to win now? With De'Aaron Fox recently stating how he needs to see the franchise grow and win, the pressure is only going to continue to increase.

Jerami Grant may be the player to take Sacramento to that next level, but is he worth the ultimate cost of Keegan Murray? That's a question only Monte McNair and the front office can answer.


Follow Sacramento Kings on SI on Facebook and Twitter.

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


Published
Will Zimmerle
WILL ZIMMERLE

Will Zimmerle is a staff writer covering the Sacramento Kings.