With a full rebuild of the Sacramento Kings' roster looking more and more likely, there are several players who will no longer be part of the team. One of them will be Devin Carter, who the Kings drafted but has received little to no development from the franchise.
If the Kings are going to go through a rebuilding process, there are probably a few players they should keep on the roster. Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, and Dylan Cardwell are great young players to build around, each one of them with high level capabilities.
Many of the trades will likely feature the veterans on the team, and that doesn't just mean veterans to this specific roster. Players like Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Dennis Schroder, and possibly even Malik Monk are a few of their best options for trades.
It also doesn't hurt that these players represent some of Sacramento's biggest money contracts. It's those millions of dollars tied up in aging stars that is preventing the Kings from making bigger moves right now. Until they can free up cap space, the front office will have to work with what they can.
Devin Carter should leave the Kings
Since being drafted by Sacramento in 2024, Carter has had a bit of rough run. He spent part of his first season in the G League. When he was finally called up to the NBA, it was just after Mike Brown's firing and just before the De'Aaron Fox trade. It was a terrible time to show up as a rookie.
In many ways, Carter got lost in the shuffle. He's a second year guard on a roster absolutely loaded with guards competing for minutes. If that's not enough, there are new rookies around who are outshining him every chance they get. It's not a good situation for Carter.
While he is a solid shooter and capable defender, Carter has struggled to make the most of the minutes he does get. Devin has potential but he's not going to realize it on the Kings, particularly with their focus shifting to their new crop of rookies over developing him.
Carter deserves a chance to play for a team who is looking for a young guard to grow into a key bench player. He's also someone who could work well in a trade package for the Kings. Devin Carter has a long career ahead of him, but it shouldn't and won't be in Sacramento.