4 Teams who should call the Sacramento Kings about Kevin Huerter
By Mat Issa
The Sacramento Kings probably aren't actively shopping Kevin Huerter as we speak. But they also don't consider the sharpshooting wing to be untradeable, as evidenced by reports that they were willing to trade him and Harrison Barnes to upgrade their roster earlier this offseason.
So, teams with a need for his skillset should call Monte McNair and the rest of the Kings front office to see what it will cost to land him. In this article, we will identify four teams that should make that call, but we won't go into the specifics of what the trade would look like (that's a different topic for a different post).
But before we do that, let's quickly go over what Huerter brings to the table. As a knockdown 3-point marksman, Huerter provides something every team in the NBA is looking for: shooting and spacing. And it isn't just standstill 3-pointers, either. Huerter is one of the best movement shooters in the league, which makes him one of the most dynamic spacing threats in the association.
Unfortunately, Huerter isn't much of a three-and-D role player (23rd percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, per Dunks & Threes). So, ideally, the team that trades for him should have the defensive infrastructure to make up for his limited impact on that end of the floor.
Anyway, here are those four teams.
Team #1: Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls don't really have the defensive infrastructure (21st in defensive rating) to hide Huerter's shortcomings, but man, could they use Huerter's spacing.
This offseason, the Bulls made a big bet on the upside of Josh Giddey, choosing to receive him in a trade for Alex Caruso instead of seeking some draft capital. And if they plan on unlocking Giddey's full power, they need to surround him with as much spacing and shooting as possible.
The Bulls are going to be bad this year, with or without Huerter. So, they may as well sacrifice their defense to see how far an offense that is led by Giddey can go. To do that, you need to give Giddey the pieces that will give him a chance at succeeding. Huerter gives you that chance.
The best part about this one is that the Bulls have already expressed interest in Huerter!