Kings Predicted to Part Ways With $77M Guard For Former First Overall Pick

2 weeks ago 2

Since the Sacramento Kings decided to part ways with head coach Mike Brown, everything has changed. The Kings went from a team destined to miss the postseason to a potential contender in the Western Conference.

However, Sacramento still needs something to hold them back. That would be another piece in the frontcourt, but with the NBA trade deadline approaching, the Kings could be active.

In this new trade idea from Eddie Bitar of Fadeaway World, the Kings take a gamble and land a former first-overall draft pick. The deal would be between the Kings and Portland Trail Blazers, sending Deandre Ayton to Sacramento.

Here is what the deal could look like:

Sacramento Kings Receive: Deandre Ayton

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, 2027 First-Round Pick, 2029 First-Round Pick

"For Sacramento, the hope would be that Ayton's physical presence in the paint could complement Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox, but giving up two high-level role players and multiple picks might cripple their depth. Huerter and Monk are both vital to the Kings' offense, even if the former has struggled with his offense. Their shooting and playmaking will not be replaced even if the frontcourt twin-towers might look promising."

Deandre Ayton and Zion Williamson
PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 09: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans dribbles against Deandre Ayton #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter of the game at the Moda Center on... Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images

Landing Ayton would be a risk but playing for a winning team again could serve him well. The big man hasn't lived up to the potential that he had coming out of college but being paired alongside Domantas Sabonis could do him good.

Ayton would be at best the third option for the Kings behind Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox. His offensive game could serve the Kings well and give them a lethal frontcourt duo for opposing teams to deal with.

Sacramento has dove into their offense in recent years but having more size could be a good move for them. Ayton is averaging just about 10 rebounds a game so he could help the Kings address an issue.

This would be a steep price to pay for Ayton but if the Kings could keep one of the first-round picks it may be more worth it. Portland has a plethora of centers to work with and it seems that Ayton could be the odd man out ahead of the trade deadline.

More NBA news:

Pistons Predicted to Land $36M Star in Massive Trade

Massive Trade Proposal See Lakers Lands $28M Scorer

Bucks Blockbuster Trade Proposal Lands Them $90M Star Forward

For more NBA news and rumors, head on over to Newsweek Sports.

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About the writer

Matt Levine

Matt Levine works as a contributing writer for Newsweek. His expertise is in covering the NBA but he also covers ... Read more

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