The Sacramento Kings are stuck in basketball limbo with talented veterans and little to show for it. It's a problem many teams would admittedly like to have, but the hurdle placed in front of Sacramento is that the contracts they signed said players to range beyond the 2025-26 season.
Thankfully, the Kings have been thrown a lifeline by an LA Clippers side that's eager to add to the roster instead of blowing it up.
Sacramento is 8-27 and running out of time to make a realistic run at the Play-In Tournament. With significant salaries eating up their cap space, there's unfortunately no clear end in sight of the current predicament, as the Kings will likely need to run most of its roster back next season.
Thankfully, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Clippers are interested in trading for an "impact player" who can help Kawhi Leonard and James Harden lead the team's resurgence.
"If anything, league sources say the Clippers are expected to explore the prospect of adding an impact player around Harden and Kawhi Leonard as a way to revive their season in the second half."
With this in mind, the Kings should at least kick the tires on a trade that would center around their more expensive players who are limiting their ability to escape their current predicament.
Clippers want an impact player and the Kings have several
Amick notes that the Clippers are willing to include their most attractive expiring contracts if the right trade comes along. That could include John Collins at $26.58 million, Bogdan Bogdanovic at $16.02 million, and Brook Lopez at $8.75 million, with the latter two players having non-guaranteed 2026-27 salaries.
If Amick's report proves true, then it would behoove the Kings to capitalize on the opportunity to create financial relief ahead of a pivotal 2026 offseason.
One potential trade could see the Clippers and Kings agree to swap Collins for DeRozan, with draft compensation likely included to help sweeten the pot. Such a move would prevent the Kings from having to pay DeRozan's 2026-27 salary of $25.74 million.
It's worth noting that DeRozan is only guaranteed $10 million for next season, but if the Kings intend to part ways, then it'd be more ideal to get some kind of a return than to eat $10 million for no reason.
Sacramento could also maneuver to part with one of or even some combination of DeRozan, Malik Monk, and Dennis Schröder. Monk will make just under $20.2 million in 2026-27, while Schröder is owed just over $14.8 million—and both are signed through 2027-28 with either a partially guaranteed salary or a player option.
Finding a way to cut long-term costs would not only prevent the Kings from dragging this dreadful season into another campaign, but actually figure out how a player like Zach LaVine fits.
It's also worth noting that the Clippers technically have the flexibility to take LaVine and his near $47.5 million salary on. For instance, a trade that's built around Bogdanovic, Collins, and Lopez would be financially feasible and thus give the Kings a gigantic source of financial relief if they decline to bring the incoming players back next season.
Regardless of what the Kings ultimately chose to do in this scenario, the option may very well exist for a trade with the Clippers that would instantly improve both teams' overall outlook.