Reports indicate the Sacramento Kings could be one of the more active teams in the days leading up to the NBA trade deadline. Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson reportedly could be a trade target, and Kings players Nik Stauskas and Jason Thompson both could be on new teams after Thursday.
Sacramento appears to be looking for two things: a stretch-4 to complement star DeMarcus Cousins and an upgrade at point guard. At best, the Kings will only be able to land a quality player at one of those positions this season. For the 1-guard spot, Grantland's Zach Lowe suggested Sacramento might make a move for Lawson, despite it being a long shot because of their lack of assets.
"The Kings don't have as many cards, since they owe their first-round pick to the Bulls if it falls outside the top 10. Their free fall down the standings since canning Mike Malone has Sacto on pace to keep the pick this June, meaning the Kings could trade the player they select after the draft. That would obviously delay any big trade until the offseason," Lowe wrote Monday of a possible Lawson trade. "But the Denver connections run deep here now, with George Karl onboard and Pete D'Alessandro in his second season as GM. The Kings don't have much to offer, especially since Nik Stauskas has looked borderline helpless when he has been able to crack the rotation.
"Still: Never underestimate the possibility of Sacramento springing something funky."
Lawson's 16.9 points and 10.1 assists per game would be an upgrade over Ramon Sessions and Darren Collison, and the remaining two years and $25 million on his contract isn't too outrageous. The Kings have also been linked to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson, but they don't have the kinds of assets to make a trade worthwhile for Oklahoma City.
As Lowe mentioned, Stauskas is Sacramento's best asset. The rookie hasn't done much this season, but he has upside. Multiple reports from different media outlets have indicated Stauskas could be had, with Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy offering the latest update on Sunday.
"Kings have been offering a package that includes Nik Stauskas to see what it could return, per sources," Kennedy tweeted Sunday. "Seems SAC wants to make splashy move."
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times indicated Wednesday the Milwaukee Bucks were interested in a possible trade for Stauskas.
Thompson could also be on the move, although his contract -$6 million in each of the next two seasons - makes him a tough sell. Yahoo Sports reported Thompson's agent would like to see his client traded before the deadline on Thursday passes.
