3 Kings who might not finish the 2023-24 season in Sacramento

2. Davion Mitchell

Davion Mitchell is a great on-ball defender, but other than that, the former lottery pick has not been contributing much for the Kings. He is averaging career-lows in minutes per game, points per game, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. 

Mike Brown obviously does not trust him to have a positive impact on games and gave his spot in the rotation to Keon Ellis instead. It hurts to have a lottery pick not work out, but it seems that Mitchell’s time in Sacramento is coming to an end. 

If Mike Brown is not playing him, there is no point in keeping him around only to have his career slip away while he collects dust on the bench. Mitchell’s value is decreasing with every DNP, but he could still be an interesting asset in a trade. 

It might not even have to be some huge blockbuster deal. If that doesn’t happen for the Kings, or it doesn’t include Mitchell, he could still be on the move in a smaller trade. 

The ideal trade target would be a starting-level wing-stopper to upgrade from Harrison Barnes, but that type of player is not easy to come by. Instead, the Kings could also use another backup point guard since Mitchell isn’t playing, and neither Malik Monk nor Keon Ellis are true point guards, or a true two-way player to wreak some havoc off the bench. 

Mitchell was already listed as the most likely King to be traded before, and that has not changed.