When it comes to who needs to be traded on the Sacramento Kings, the focus frequently ends up on Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine. But De'Andre Hunter might be a better option. He has one year left on a much less expensive contract. If not, the Kings have to let him walk in free agency.
As the trade deadline approached in February 2026, there were big expectations around the Kings. Many people assumed that Sabonis and LaVine were both going to be on the move as well as DeMar DeRozan. Of course, none of that happened and people were shocked. All three were longshots.
In the cases of LaVine and Sabonis, the issue was money. They are being grossly overpaid, and no other team wanted to take those contracts on. DeRozan's situation was different. He was going to be a free agent in a few months, and that would allow a team to get him for less money.
The only move the Kings did make as trading Dario Saric, Keon Ellis, and Dennis Schroder while acquiring Hunter. There were benefits to the Hunter trade, such as signing Dylan Cardwell to a standard NBA contract. But Hunter himself was injured in his second game and out for the season.
Hunter is will be gone by the end of this season
With him on the bench, rookies had breakout seasons, two-way players showed up and showed out, and the Kings had another successful draft in 2026. That's the long way of saying Hunter became old news in Sacramento really quickly. It's become increasingly difficult to see how he fits this roster.
On top of that, he's going to make almost $25 million this season. For a team flirting with the first apron penalties, that's a huge deal. As such, trading Hunter makes more sense. They really don't need him anymore and moving him would open just enough salary cap to fill the last two roster spots.
If that's not possible, the Kings absolutely have to let him walk in free agency. Again, that is a huge chunk of payroll to work with, more than enough to give two-way players like Jonathan Mogbo and Adam Flagler standard NBA contracts. Heck, they could bring Russell Westbrook back.
It's unlikely that Hunter is going to have a 2026-2027 season so incredible that the Kings have to keep him after it's over. Even if he does, Scott Perry is not going to pay Hunter another $25 million per season to hang around. Moving on from Hunter is smart for Kings at any angle you look at it.
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