If the Sacramento Kings are planning on being more than first round fodder (at best) next season, they can't be afraid to swing for the fences this offseason.
Thiswas further illustrated on Tuesday night – when the New York Knicks (a team that arguably already had a stronger roster than the Kings) made a blockbuster deal for one of the best role players in basketball, Mikal Bridges.
The Knicks are sending four unprotected picks (2025, 2027, 2029, 2031) a 2025 protected Milwaukee first, a 2028 unprotected pick swap and a 2025 second-round pick for Mikal Bridges and a 2026 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/E4pTq3wCMP
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2024
As the tweet above states, the Knicks are sending four unprotected firsts, a protected first, a pick swap, a second round pick, and Bojan Bogdanovic in exchange for Mikal Bridges and a second round pick.
What This Means For The Kings?
Like we said, the Knicks were already looking more like a championship team than the Kings. The lineup of Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Isaiah Hartenstein already had championship indicators (see the article I just hyperlinked). Now, they are adding one of the best two-way wings/forwards to that mix.
Along with the Knicks, the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves are all definitely better teams than them. That doesn't count the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, and New Orleans Pelicans – all of whom could seriously level up their rosters with the right moves this offseason.
If the Kings don't make a significant offseason move, they are in serious trouble of being relegated to basketball purgatory.
What Can The Kings Do Now?
If the Kings weren't motivated enough already, this trade should be the final jolt they need to push for a big move this offseason. Specifically, a trade that helps them net an upgrade at power forward. Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Jerami Grant, and Naz Reid are all names we've discussed before that could be in the mix.
Another thing the Kings could try and do is move Keegan Murray up to the power forward and try to land a small forward like Jimmy Butler or Paul George. Acquiring one of those guys is far less likely (and would cost them way more), but as the Knicks just showed us, you need to aim big to win big.
Regardless of what the Kings end up doing, they need to do something, or else this season could get very mediocre very quickly.