A bold proposal includes a surprising trade, involving valuable draft picks and a controversial star. Can the Kings resist the allure of an uber-athletic star?
The Sacramento Kings would love to add an entertaining star talent prior to the upcoming Feb. 5 trade deadline, but securing their future looks to be their main priority.
Even still, the trade rumor mill has run rampant with talks concerning the Kings' interest in trading for 2-time All-Star point guard Ja Morant before the deadline, but the premise of most pitches to get the controversial guard to Sacramento usually lack a clear reason as to why it should happen.
Morant has continued to decline at 26 years old, posting averages of 19.0 points, 7.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 40.1% from the field. Those numbers look fantastic at face value, but the fact that he was netting All-NBA Second Team selections and pouring in an efficient 27.4 points by his third season makes you wonder if he'll ever return to the early standard he set for himself.
A recent post on X from CBS Sports' Sam Quinn provides an idea of how the Grizzlies could look to swindle the Kings into accepting a rough deal, one that would see Sacramento part with some form of first-round draft capital to land the athletic floor general.
"If I'm the Grizzlies my preferred Ja Morant trade involves going to the Kings and saying 'yea, yea, sure, we'll take whatever bad contracts you want, but we need an unprotected or lightly protected first," Quinn wrote Sunday evening.
"You'll have have Ja! You'll be fine! No need to worry about that pick!"
By most accounts, the Kings do not, in fact, feel that letting go of valuable draft picks to welcome a player of Morant's caliber is necessary.
If anything, the Kings' front office and their general manager Scott Perry are likely preparing to manufacture a few upcoming trades that will bring in even more draft assets, giving them more chances to land future franchise-altering talents.
Perry and the rest of the franchise seem to have moved completely in the direction of getting ready for a heavily impactful 2026 NBA Draft and ensuing offseason, so offering up their own picks makes little sense.
Sure, the Grizzlies will be trying their hardest to receive whatever valued pieces they can for an obviously declining star who has depended heavily on his athleticism for the first seven season of his NBA career, but the Kings won't be the franchise to give them what they desire.
At this juncture, the Kings have bigger fish to fry, as they'll likely receive a chance to nab a generational talent this offseason.
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