Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis remains one of the most underrated players, and with the Kings sitting at 5-13, there’s a strong expectation of a firesale soon. It was reported by Jake Fischer on The Stein Line that the Sacramento Kings are entertaining trades except for two specific players.
The two specific players considered untouchable are Keegan Murray and Nique Clifford which makes DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Zach Lavine, Keon Ellis, Malik Monk and others potential candidates.
On the flip side, the Miami Heat are third in the Eastern Conference at 12-6, and with a health Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Kel’el Ware, Erik Spoelstra and company need to capitalize on an injured Conference.
Here’s why the Miami Heat need to call the Kings about a Keon Ellis trade before the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline. *THIS IS A PREDICTION, NOT A REPORT*
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Sacramento Kings Trade Keon Ellis To Miami Heat
Miami Heat Receive: G Keon Ellis
Sacramento Kings Receive: G Dru Smith & MIA 2026 1st Rounder (Dru Smith trade only after 12/15/2025)
Why Sacramento Kings Should Trade Keon Ellis
The Kings, as discussed before, are a complete mess right now, and with these trade rumors it makes sense to completely clean house. With Ellis entering free agency, it’s either they lose him for nothing or attempt to capitalize by getting some sort of return for Ellis.
Sure there is always the chance that the Kings could resign Keon, but with their roster about to undergo some serious changes, it doesn’t make sense to lock in a role player like Ellis before figuring out the true core of the team.
Why Ellis Would Fit on the Miami Heat
This proposal would be centered around Miami giving up their 2026 1st rounder, but for Ellis that could be a massive steal because they get the ability to lock him down before free agency. We’re talking about a Miami team that could have two of the best point-of-attack defenders in Davion Mitchell and Keon Ellis on their squad.
Miami has a plethora of elite bigs and wings with Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, Pelle Larson, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr, and Andrew Wiggins, but they could use some more depth in the backcourt.
The biggest problem with this trade for Miami is the question if they would even want to mess up their current roster for Ellis who is an upgrade but not a massive change over a guy like Dru Smith.
Keon Ellis Stats
In 2024-25, Ellis played 80 of 82 games and averaged 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and an even more impressive 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks in just 24.4 minutes per game.
So far through the 2025-26 season, he has seen a dip with 18.1 minutes per game with 6.6 points per game but still 1.3 steals on an impressive 42.4% from three.
The best part of his game is by far and away his defensive presence as he’s such a sneaky on ball defender in addition to an extremely quick off ball defender in help situations.
Looking at his shooting, the dude has the ability to be elite. He’s not shooting a high volume, but in the three games this year where he’s taken more than 6 shots, he’s gone 6/11 and 5/8 from three which shows he can catch fire.
This is the type of playstyle that would fit perfectly with Miami’s new fast-paced offense as well as not needing to be a ball dominant player to have a positive effect on winning.
Keon Ellis Contract
Keon Ellis is currently only under contract for the 2025-26 season for $2.3 million and then he enters free agency this offseason. Ellis is going to be turning 26 this season, so this upcoming contract will be his first extension which will prove to be a massive pay-increase from before.
Other Keon Ellis Landing Spots
It remains to be seen if the Kings want to resign Ellis, but with him not seeing consistent minutes off the bench, it seems likely that he’ll either hit unrestricted free agency or be traded by the deadline. If it’s not the Miami Heat, maybe the Houston Rockets or Los Angeles Lakers call for Ellis.