When the tires of trade season hit the NBA pavement on December 15, you can bet that Keon Ellis will be a hot topic of conversation. The young 3&D player is on a lot of radars, including the Los Angeles Lakers who are looking for defense and three-point shooting on this year's run.
While it still baffles the mind why Sacramento Kings' head coach Doug Christie seems so disinterested in developing Ellis, it's safe to say the rest of the league does not feel the same way. Ellis is coming up in a lot of rumors as trade season gets closer and closer.
The Warriors were actually quite interested in Ellis in the offseason, and were looking to include him in the then brewing Jonathan Kuminga deal. Despite wanting to trade Ellis, Sacramento didn't go for it and the whole deal fell apart. Now, both Kuminga and Ellis are likely back on the trade market.
Kuminga and Golden State are a whole separate issue. That being said, another California team may be knocking on the Kings' door. Led by the big three of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James, they are looking at another championship run and Ellis could be part of it.
A move to the Lakers would be good for Ellis
At this point, it's become quiet clear that Ellis isn't going to get a real opportunity on the Kings, so a trade would be good for him. And moving from Sacramento to Los Angeles to join the Lakers is definitely an upward move for the young guard.
Going into this title run, the Lakers are in need of strong defensive players and three-point shooters. Those are two skillsets Ellis has that the Kings don't seem to put to good use. Keon could be the 3&D guard the Lakers need to complete their roster going into the back half of the season.
For the Kings, there are players on the Lakers like Rui Hachimura, Nick Smith Jr., and even Jake LaRavia who are definitely worth looking into. Even more importantly, the Lakers own most of their draft picks over the next few seasons. That is definitely worth something to the Kings.
This is speculation at absolute best. The Lakers are definitely going to be looking for 3&D players like Ellis, but there has been no official mention of them being specifically interested in him. At the same time, the Lakers would be foolish not to go after him, almost as foolish as the Kings if they let him go.