The Sacramento Kings remain a sneaky team to look out for if All-NBA C Jalen Duren continues to stand firm on his contract extension talks.
With key players returning to full health, the Sacramento Kings should have an improved season.
The addition of Darius Acuff Jr. has the front office excited, and other young players like Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford have continued to show growth.
But, one question mark is what Sacramento will do with the veteran pair of Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, who are making close to $100 million combined this upcoming season.
With the impressive development from Raynaud, and Sabonis potentially showing recent signs that he may look for a way out of Sacramento, the three-time All Star big man is a prime candidate to be moved.
Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren has been a player floated as a potential Kings target, giving Acuff a more two-way focused center to grow alongside.
On July 1, Sacramento met with Duren to talk about a potential sign-and-trade scenario, but the Pistons have remained firm in negotiations.
Duren and his camp believe he is worth a maximum rookie extension, which is close to $40 million annually, or roughly 25 percent of the NBA’s salary cap, but current negotiations have seemingly stalled.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Anthony Slater noted the Kings as a primary destination who could look to make a move for Duren or gear up for 2027 free agency.
With veteran forward DeMar DeRozan off the books, parting ways with either LaVine or Sabonis could open up a pathway for the Kings to continue to get younger.
Duren was an All-NBA performer last season, helping lead the Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the East.
Duren averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, posting an efficient 65.0-percent field goal percentage.
But, in the postseason, Duren's numbers and production took a significant drop, as the game became more physical and points become more difficult to come by for Detroit's offense.
A Duren-Sabonis swap could be beneficial for both teams, as Detroit pairs an offensive-minded veteran with Cade Cunningham, and Sacramento gets better at the rim defensively.
Players Choice presented a mock trade on X depicting this swap with Sacramento getting an additional first-round pick.
If the Kings can gain additional draft capital while continuing to get younger, this could be a realistic move.
Sabonis is certainly a more versatile offensive player than Duren, but is slightly undersized for the position, and sometimes struggles to defend on the interior.
Acuff and LaVine are not strong defenders either, presenting a need for help on that end.
Duren has shown the ability to protect the rim at a high rate, while serving as a strong pick-and-roll threat.
While it remains to be seen how Detroit will go about keeping Duren, the Kings remain a threat to acquire the young All-Star big.
