Kings might eye a game-changing move, chasing Trae Young at a historic low. Could this polarizing star reignite Sacramento's offense?
The struggling 8-28 Sacramento Kings are more desperate than ever for an exciting star talent to take their attention away from other areas of deficiency.
Since letting go of former All-Star and 2023 Clutch Player of the Year winner De'Aaron Fox prior to last season's trade deadline, the team has been itching for another big-time offensive talent at the point guard position.
Interestingly enough, CBS Sports' Sam Quinn recently put forth an intriguing trade concept that would see the Kings partner with the Atlanta Hawks to nab their 4-time All-Star point guard and 2025 assists champion, Trae Young.
"The Hawks seem to be the one team among the many with overpriced, small point guards that appear ready to move on," Quinn wrote Monday morning.
"All of these teams with expensive guards, whether it's the (Memphis) Grizzlies or the (Charlotte) Hornets or whomever, have been linked to the Kings," Quinn continued. "They're one of the few teams that doesn't seem to have gotten the memo that the league is moving away from this sort of player, at least at a max price point. They've seemingly been searching for a point guard since they gave away De'Aaron Fox last deadline."
"Young's value is at an all-time low right now...Reports indicate (the Hawks are) open-minded, and the Kings could view Young as a rare shot at a star-level talent who might actually want to play for them."
Just one season after deciding to throw Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, the Kings already look to be in a compromising position due to a severe lack of star-power at the point guard position. Will Young fix all of their issues relating to the duties of a floor general? Maybe, but Young's efficiency concerns should give Sacramento's front office pause in any kind of discussion centered around the polarizing 6-foot-2 passer.
At his best, Young has proven to be one of, if not the best pure passing guard in the entire NBA, as evidenced by a career 9.8-assist figure through his first eight seasons.
However, his career mark of 4.2 turnovers and overall lacking scoring efficiency (50.4% career effective field goal percentage) should spark disagreements over whether he's worth trading for in the near future for not only the Kings, but the rest of his potential suitors.
In a season where Young has been plagued with countless injury setbacks, the Hawks' star is averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.0 steals while connecting on just 30.5% of his 5.9 attempts from three-point range in 10 games this season.
It's easy to declare that Young has experienced a down year to this point, but deciphering whether or not he could immediately pick things up following a change of scenery remains to be seen.
Still, it will be hard for the Kings to stay out of these conversations due to his current perceived value being lower than ever before.