All season long, the Kings have been linked to pretty much every player rumored to be on the move. After their first season of playing winning basketball, they failed to make a significant jump.
Especially defensively, the team still struggles, with Keegan Murray being the only good wing defender who plays meaningful minutes. Getting a defensive-minded wing or forward should be the team’s top priority.
The Kings are starting to run out of options, however. Pascal Siakam is now in Indiana, the Trail Blazers don’t want to trade Jerami Grant, and Mikal Bridges won’t be leaving Brooklyn anytime soon.
So, let’s look at three trade deadline moves that would boost the Kings and two they must avoid.
Trading for Matisse Thybulle would help the Kings’ defense
This is not a move that would immediately turn the Kings into a title contender. That move doesn’t seem to exist, however, so the Kings need to upgrade the supporting cast around De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray.
Matisse Thybulle is not a big scorer. Currently, he only averages 4.6 field goal attempts per game, including 3.6 from three. He is a great wing defender, though, averaging 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
The Kings need someone like that. They need someone who can come into the game and guard one of the best players on the court without it taking away from his offense. Murray’s offensive role has grown but so have his defensive responsibilities and it impacted his shot early in the season.
Being a top option on both ends of the floor is a lot to put on such a young player. Adding Thybulle to the mix would take some weight off of Murray and really help the Kings’ defense, especially on a bench unit that doesn’t feature any outstanding defenders (since Davion Mitchell and Kessler Edwards aren’t really playing).
Plus, getting into passing lanes and collecting steals automatically boosts the offense. Steals lead to fast breaks, and fast breaks lead to easy points. So, getting Thybulle at the trade deadline might not change the trajectory of the season, but it would boost the Kings’ supporting cast in an area that desperately needs improvement.