Sacramento Kings are eyeing potential game-changing center to complete perfect offseason

Despite what some people may say, those who know ball will agree that the Sacramento Kings have had a strong offseason. Between drafting a stud like Devin Carter, retaining Malik Monk, adding DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade, and an assortment of other things, the Kings are primed to be a darkhorse team in the Western Conference.

If I had to quibble, the most glaring missing link on this current roster (outside of a true starting power forward) is a legitimate rim protecting center.

The big drawback of having Domantas Sabonis at center is that he's not a great rim protector (15th percentile block rate among centers, per Cleaning the Glass). Along with Sabonis, the team rosters Alex Len and Orlando Robinson. Len is an elite shot-blocking center (96th percentile block rate), but that was in just 404 non-garbage time minutes (small sample size alert). Plus, he's mainly a one-trick pony – offering hardly anything on offense or defense outside of his paint protection.

In the ideal world, Sabonis' backup center would be someone who can provide strong paint protection while also being a threat as a lob finisher. Do you know who can do both of those things very well? Robert Williams III.

In a recent news dump, ClutchPoints NBA Insider Brett Siegel mentioned the Kings being interested in the Portland Trail Blazers center. Here is what he had to say:

"In the Western Conference, the Sacramento Kings are another team that has registered interest in Williams, sources said. The 6'9″ center would provide immediate rebounding and defensive depth in the frontcourt behind Domantas Sabonis," Siegel wrote. "Sacramento ranked 14th in defensive rating and 13th in opponents' points in the paint during the 2023-24 season, two areas that Williams would immediately provide a boost in."

The Ultimate Buy-Low On A Starting Caliber Center

Those who play fantasy football are familiar with terms like "sell-low" or "sell-high." Well, Williams would be the ultimate "buy-low" for the Kings.

Williams is a God-tier rim protector. In the first four seasons of his career, he finished in the 96th percentile or higher in block rate among centers. Williams also quarterbacks elite defenses when he's on the court. In 2021-22, the Boston Celtics were in the 96th percentile in defensive rating when Williams was on the floor. And in 2022-23, they were in the 97th percentile.

And Williams is a dangerous rim-runner in the pick-and-roll. In 2021-22, he averaged one dunk per 11.4 minutes. For reference, last year, Len averaged one dunk every 22.2 minutes, and Sabonis averaged one every 26.4 minutes.

The problem with Williams (and the reason he would be so cheap for the Kings) is that he struggles to stay healthy, especially after rushing back from a torn meniscus to help the Celtics during their 2022 Finals run. Since then, Williams has only appeared in 41 of 164 possible regular season games (including only six last year).

Given how crowded the Trail Blazers center room is with Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, and (my guy) Duop Reath, the Kings should be able to get Williams for relatively cheap (maybe a couple of seconds and some matching salary).

Some Competition For Williams

The Kings aren't the only team that is interested in poaching Williams from the Trail Blazers. In his report, Siegel also identified the New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans as potential suitors for his services. Both of those teams will be heavily motivated to acquire Williams, as they both lost their starting centers from last year this offseason (the Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein and the Pelicans lost Jonas Valanciunas).

So, that could end up driving up the price for Williams to a degree. Still, the price he ultimately gets traded for will still be lower than it would be if Williams' health record was safer.

If the Kings can get him (and he can stay healthy), Williams would be the perfect change-of-pace backup center for Sabonis. On most nights, Williams could operate as a solid role player, giving the Kings 10-15 strong minutes off the bench when Sabonis needs a breather. But when they really need a defensive five, Williams could step up and maybe help the Kings win a playoff game or two they wouldn't have without him.