4 Kings who are playing for their future in Sacramento

Kings who are playing for their future in Sacramento: Trey Lyles

Trey Lyles stands above the other three players listed so far and rightfully so. Unlike the others, Lyles is a solidified role player each and every night for Sacramento. He plays an important role off the bench and has become one of the Kings more reliable players off the bench this season.

He is in store for a multi-year contract somewhere but if he wants that to be in Sacramento he is going to have to step up down the stretch and in the playoffs. Lyles is 27 years old and if he can get a multi-year deal in free agency this will be his best and most profitable time to capitalize on the open market.

The Kings will need to see a lot more before they are the ones committing to Lyles long-term, though. This is despite his strong performance this year and the fact that he took big steps forward from last season to this season.

Lyles is shooting better this year while also taking more outside shots per game than he did last season. He has had some scoring outbursts that quite literally won the Kings games this season.

Where his biggest contribution could be is on the defensive end. We see flashes but certainly haven’t seen enough for the Kings to be interested in investing very much in Lyles over the course of multiple seasons.

If he can show up in the playoffs and potentially bother certain players that could be the sign the Kings need to invest in him taking another step this offseason. Lyles could potentially have the opportunity to match up with players such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard in the NBA Playoffs.

That will be the moment where Lyles can either prove himself or make it all the more likely that he is playing elsewhere next year.