With only 12 games left in the regular season, the Kings are in the midst of the final stretch of the playoff chase. Sacramento has been bouncing back and forth between sixth and eighth place in the West all season long.
Securing a playoff spot is not easy this season. Several teams in the West have gotten better while the Kings stayed put. Keegan Murray keeps getting better, and Keon Ellis’ emergence looks like a real game-changer, but the front office still has work to do over the summer to turn this team into a true playoff force.
Last summer it was fine to not make any big moves, and apparently, the right deal wasn’t available at the trade deadline. This summer is the time to make a move. So, let’s look at three trade targets the Kings should chase in the offseason.
3. Mikal Bridges
This name should be no surprise. Mikal Bridges is the perfect 3-and-D wing, and the entire league is waiting to see what the Nets decide to do with him. They have said before that they don’t want to move Bridges because they see him as the centerpiece of their future.
That future is not looking very bright right now. With a 26-45 record, the Nets are eleventh in the East, way behind the Atlanta Hawks in tenth. So, they are not winning much with how the roster is currently constructed but their draft situation also isn’t ideal. The Nets still owe a number of picks to the Rockets from the James Harden deal.
Bridges could get them a lot of picks. If word were to get around that he might be available, it would likely start a bidding war. The Kings should pursue a trade for Bridges, no matter what the Nets say publicly. They might be convinced to rebuild around someone else at the right price.
Bridges could really take the Kings to the next level. They need better wing defense. Bridges is one of the best defenders in the league, never misses games, shoots well from three, and has vastly expanded his offensive arsenal in Brooklyn.
He is a great player but overtaxed as a number-one option. In Sacramento, he could fall back into a more natural role, and it would be worth every penny to add him to the roster.