Reason #2 Against Trading For Johnson: Probably Doesn't Raise Their Ceiling Enough
With teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and the aforementioned Knicks all making big splashes this offseason, the Kings know they need to make a big move if they hope to graduate to anything more than first round fodder.
The question then becomes: is trading for Johnson enough to make the Kings a serious contender?
Well, it isn't that cut and dry because he wouldn't be the only improvement the Kings have made this offseason. In the 2024 NBA Draft, the Kings added promising players like Carter and Crawford (someone I am really high on). Plus, they are bound to get some internal improvement from youngsters like Murray, Ellis, and Colby Jones. So, we need to factor in those changes alongside the potential acquisition of Johnson when we ask ourselves that question.
Even with that extra context added, I still don't think that adding Johnson would be enough to make the Kings an inner-circle title contender. Even if they only have to give up Barnes and some draft capital (see my trade suggestion below) to get him (meaning they can keep Kevin Huerter), the Kings just feel like a really deep team that has a really high floor but an unspectacular ceiling.
The Bottom Line
On paper, Johnson would be a really nice offensive fit for this Kings team, given his spacing and movement shooting. And he's under contract for another three years at a pretty fair rate.
However, he doesn't fulfill the biggest defensive need they have for a power forward (rim protection), and he isn't that much of an upgrade over Barnes to say that adding him will definitely vault the Kings into contender status.
Overall, I wouldn't be mad if the Kings traded for Johnson (for the right price), but I think they should look for a bigger name.