The Sacramento Kings' current roster is flawed. They have too much on-ball creation and ball handling and not enough complimentary wings/forwards with size who can space the floor and defend.
The problem is that a lot of teams are in the market for players like this, and they are all willing to pay top dollar for it (see what the New York Knicks gave up for Mikal Bridges). This makes it really hard to get your hands on these types of players.
The Kings have tried to address this issue, particularly with their signing of journeymen forward Jae Crowder. But that hasn't exactly panned out the way they'd hoped.
And given the recent uncertainty surrounding their team, it is probably hard for their front office to justify giving up significant resources to nab someone like Cam Johnson or Bruce Brown. So, they will need to try and pinpoint a low-cost two-way player who can uplift their roster enough to offer some proof of concept and get the decision-makers in the room to not give up on this current core.
Who knows, one of those options could currently be hanging out in the G-League.
Sacramento Kings could try to sign Nassir Little
After being drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Nassir Little's career hasn't turned out the way he wanted to this point. And after five years of failing to find his footing in an NBA rotation, Little found himself on the Miami Heat's G-League team (the Sioux Falls Skyforce).
Credit to Little for not letting that minor setback keep him down, though, as where most people would have thrown in the towel, Little has not wavered in his resolve. Little is not only playing well in the G-League, he is absolutely balling out.
Nassir Little averaged 16.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks in 16 Tip-Off Tournament games.
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) December 25, 2024
He was spectacular during the G-League showcase, including a 28-point performance (11-20 FG) in the G-League championship.
Glad to see he’s receiving interest. https://t.co/nY7OtCW9iR
Little is playing so well that he has generated interest from NBA teams looking to sign him to a standard contract. Here is what NBA Insider Jake Fischer said in a recent intel dump:
"No surprise, then, that league personnel expect Little to earn an NBA callup in coming weeks, sources said, after he opted to turned down attractive overseas opportunities to stay home and fight for his place back in the NBA," Fischer wrote in his substack (hyperlinked above).
Now, as the report states, Little has his fare share of suitors. And considering how slow of a start the Kings have gotten off to, they likely aren't the most attractive destinations.
But they are in desperate need of his services. So, at the very least, they can offer him more of an immediate role than many of the other teams that will be inquiring about his services. Plus, it likely wouldn't take more than a minimum contract and clearing a roster spot to bring him on board.
Little isn't as sexy of a name as some of the other forwards who we have talked about for the Kings in recent months, but he may be the most attainable one.