NEWSLETTER
The Sacramento Kings made a small move before Round 2 of the NBA Draft on Thursday. But it could come with big implications.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings have sent Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, and the No. 45 pick in the draft to the Toronto Raptors for Jalen McDaniels. The Raptors will add two players to their developing roster. Mitchell, while undersized, is a pesky defender coming off his best season shooting the basketball. Vezenko was a rookie this past season despite being 28 years old. He signed a three-year deal with the Kings from overseas and is a six-foot-nine power forward.
As for the Kings, they will add a long wing who has struggled to make his mark in the NBA. Jalen McDaniels signed with the Raptors last offseason and appeared in 50 games. The 26-year-old previously played for both the Hornets and Philly, where he was a decent perimeter shooter and rebounder off the bench.
Considering Sacramento is fresh off drafting Devin Carter with the No. 13 pick in Wednesday night’s draft, making room in the backcourt with a Mitchell trade makes sense. Nevertheless, it’s noteworthy that they sent out roughly $13.0 million in salary in this deal and took back only about $5.0 million. They are now under the luxury tax, which sure feels notable as they try to bounce back from losing in the Play-In Tournament.
Is it possible they just wanted to create general financial flexibility as they look toward free agency? Absolutely. But these can also be the exact kind of moves we see teams make before they attempt a big splash. With that in mind, I can’t help but think about Zach LaVine.
Kings Now Have Room for Zach LaVine
The Kings were recently labeled the “most likely” suitor for LaVine after being linked to him multiple times. A report even surfaced during the season that said LaVine had Sacramento on his list of preferred destinations. If the Kings were willing to move Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter in exchange for LaVine after this most recent trade, they should STILL be under the luxury tax. And, well, that sure is something!
For what it’s worth, I think their re-signing of Malik Monk makes it unlikely the pursue LaVine. I also think the Kings may be more interested in reshaping their supporting cast than putting all their eggs in that one basket. But we can never say never in the NBA! The Kings have been most mentioned around LaVine in recent weeks, and they now have a way to add him (or another star) without overspending. We’ll see if that leads to anything.
