Sacramento Kings: Three trade ideas to address hole at small forward

The Washington Wizards are reportedly looking to make some major changes, the Sacramento Kings should get involved if Otto Porter Jr. is on the table.

"Sacramento Kings Receive  SF Otto Porter Jr. C Ian Mahimi Washington Wizards Receive PF/C Willie Cauley-Stein PF Zach Randolph SG Ben McLemore SG Iman Shumpert 2020 2nd Round Pick (via Sac)"

This one is a doozy. As reports of the Washington Wizards’ desire to blow up their current team swirl, the Sacramento Kings would be wise to try to scoop up Otto Porter Jr. The Sacramento Kings did try to poach Porter Jr. away from the Wizards before, offering him a four-year max-contract in the summer of 2017.

On the season, Porter Jr. is averaging 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting .463/.364/.765. His numbers are down quite a bit from last year where he averaged 14.7/6.4/2.0/1.5 on .503/.441/.828, but that could be a direct result of the Wizards dysfunction on the season. A move out of Washington could help him get back on track and there’s no better place to do it than in Sacramento.

Snagging Otto Porter Jr. for, essentially, Willie Cauley-Stein and a 2020 second would be a big-win for the Sacramento Kings, but that elephant in the room in Ian Mahimi looms large. Mahimi is in the third-year of a four-year, $64 million contract, and is set to make over $31 million in the next two seasons.

While that’s a hard pill to swallow for the Kings, it’s also the only reason the Wizards would entertain a trade like this. Zach Randolph, Ben McLemore and Iman Shumpert aren’t part of the long-term plan in Sacramento and are just expiring contracts. Second-round picks are valuable, but that value is limited and it’s unclear whether Willie Cauley-Stein will become what many envisioned he’d be when he was selected in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft.

Besides, the Kings aren’t going to need that cap space for a while anyway. While they’ve played well and appear to have finally turned a corner, the Sacramento Kings are still the Sacramento Kings and it’ll take more than playing .500 ball for a season to make the Kings are free-agent destination.

For the Wizards, they get an absolute ton of cap-relief here. Not only do they get rid of Mahimi’s two-years, $31 million, but they also get out from under the three-years and $82 million remaining on Porter Jr.’s contract. All while adding a talented big in Willie Cauley-Stein who could thrive next to John Wall.

There’s plenty of incentive for both teams to make this trade, for the Wizards it represents the first-step in a full-scale rebuild and for Sacramento it represents a further shift in the team’s culture.

Sitting at 8-8, the Kings could force themselves into the playoff picture by making a few moves early in the season. Adding Otto Porter Jr. gives the Sacramento Kings, not only an above-average small forward who can start immediately, but it gives them a legitimate chance at being a future contender.

A starting-five of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica and Marvin Bagley could very well contend for the playoffs this season and in the future.