After the Sacramento Kings traded franchise star De’Aaron Fox to land Zach LaVine, the Kings are on the lookout this offseason for a point guard that they badly missed following the Fox trade.
There is a trio of guards that the Kings may pursue this offseason, and they boast plenty of playoff experience, which includes NBA Finals appearances.
Kings Look To Pursue 3 Guards This Summer, Per Insider
New GM Scott Perry has made finding a point guard a point of emphasis. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, contributor for ‘The Stein Line,’ “Sacramento has continued to evaluate its point guard options, according to league sources.”
Perry made his intentions clear in his introductory press conference regarding the point guard spot: “There’s an obvious need; there’s not a true point guard on this roster.” He also expressed his wish to build around LaVine and Keegan Murray by acquiring length and athleticism to the roster.
Fischer listed three veteran point guard names to watch this summer for the Kings, including Jrue Holiday.
To address the point guard situation, Fischer says, “That list includes Holiday in Boston and Marcus Smart in Washington…and stretches to more affordable free agent ballhandlers like Malcolm Brogdon.”
Holiday is likely to be made available by the Boston Celtics. Furthermore, insider Jake Weinbach tweeted: “There’s growing belief that the two-time NBA champion will be moved by the start of next season with Boston determined to cut its payroll. Holiday has three years, $104.4M remaining on his contract.”
Holiday would add an All-NBA-caliber defense to the Kings’ backcourt and solid offensive production. If the Kings could pull this trade off, this would be the most significant acquisition.
Smart, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in the 2021-22 season, spent most of his career with the Boston Celtics before being moved to the Memphis Grizzlies and then the Washington Wizards.
He’s still a solid defender, but his level has dropped considerably since leaving Boston as a fan favorite, then struggling to play well in Memphis and Washington, partly due to health reasons. Perhaps the Kings feel they can rejuvenate the latter part of his career.
Brogdon, a solid veteran combo guard for the Washington Wizards last season, is an unrestricted free agent. He has averaged solid numbers throughout his career, with 15 points and 4.7 assists per game on 38.8% shooting from behind the arc.
In line with the King’s thinking, another possible option is Tyus Jones, another unrestricted free agent. For four seasons, he served as an excellent backup to Ja Morant for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 8.3 points and 4.5 assists per contest.
Jones also averaged a solid 5.3 assists per game for the Phoenix Suns in the 2024-25 season. Additionally, he has never averaged fewer than seven assists per 36 minutes for his past seven seasons. They may consider it affordable if they cannot land a Holiday via trade.
According to Fischer, the Kings may consider trading into the first round of a stacked NBA draft class, as they own only the 42nd pick.
“Sacramento has searched for trade avenues to acquire a first-round pick, sources say, and has expressed confidence to various agents that it could be selecting as high as the early 20s.”
A big offseason ahead as the Kings look to address key needs to get back to being a playoff contender next season.
