The entire league knows the Sacramento Kings are open for trade offers on all but a small handful of players. That includes Keon Ellis, a young 3&D player many teams are interested in. As it turns out, the only person in the league who reportedly has no interest in Ellis is Kings' head coach Doug Christie.
"The numbers tell us, and the playing time tells us, [Doug Christie] just doesn't believe in [Keon Ellis], but I can tell you from conversations with folks in the front office that there is still a belief in [Ellis]."
— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) December 10, 2025
What is happening with the Ellis in Sacramento? Is he bound…
Keeping in mind there a lot of things about the Kings that confuse the rest of the NBA, a big one is Keon Ellis. He's an impressive defender with a mean three-point shot who is seen as a major bench player, if not a potential superstar if given the proper chance to develop.
The problem is that the Kings are not developing him, despite both the fans and the rest of the league seeing that obvious potential. According to Sactown Sports, the front office is high on Ellis but Doug Christie and members of his coaching staff are not. That's why he gets few minutes and poor usage.
In the wake of those comments, Kings' general manager Scott Perry spoke to Sactown Sports about Ellis. He essentially said that there is no disconnect between the front office and Christie on the young guard, and that Sacramento wants to stay in the Keon Ellis business.
The Kings actions don't match their words
In the original reporting from Sactown, they pointed out that the numbers and minutes show that Ellis is not being used correctly, if at all. It wasn't that long ago that fans in Golden 1 Center had to chant for Keon until Doug Christie finally relented and put him in the game.
All due respect to Scott Perry, but his response sounds more like damage control than anything else. The question remains as to Doug Christie's own response, which is non-existent at the moment. This is a team with a minimal defensive presence barely playing one of their top defensive assets.
Perry saying positive things about Ellis isn't a surprise being that the front office are rumored to be his supporters. The reality of Doug Christie's coaching doesn't match what the front office is preaching at all, which can be perceived as confirmation of the disparate opinions on Ellis.
Several teams in the NBA are rumored to be interested in Keon Ellis, and the Kings are desperate to trade almost anyone on the roster. The likelihood of Ellis still being in a Sacramento jersey at the trade deadline are low. He'll just end up on a better team willing to work with him, proving Christie wrong.