It’s rare that a team is gifted a perfect trade to get them out of a middling situation. The Washington Wizards were granted such a gift when Bradley Beal was sent to the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Lakers postponed a rebuild for more than a decade when the Dallas Mavericks offered up Luka Doncic.
The Sacramento Kings could be next in line.
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis and guard Zach LaVine© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
With the Kings’ core being perfectly mediocre, Sacramento is unable to compete or rebuild, finding itself in NBA purgatory. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan have long track records of not finding playoff success, and only a truly desperate team would make an offer for either of them.
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Luckily, the Miami Heat, who got blown out in their first-round opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, could be desperate enough.
ClutchPoints’ Bailey Bassett recently proposed a trade that would net the Heat a star to pair with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, while alleviating the Kings from their projected future.
Full Mock Trade Details:
Miami Heat acquire: Zach LaVine
Sacramento Kings acquire: Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, 2025 first-round pick (via GSW)
If the Kings commit to a rebuild, Robinson and Wiggins could likley be flipped for more draft capital, although either of them netting an unportected pick seems unlikley.
However, the Kings owe their pick in a loaded 2025 class to the Atlanta Hawks, and this deal would allow them to add immediate young talent to build around, and set them up for the future, which right now looks rather bleak.
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Related: Why Kings Trading Tyrese Haliburton, De’Aaron Fox Set Franchise Up For Failure