Official: Kings a Top Favorites to Land Two NBA super stars
Is it possible for the Sacramento Kings to pursue an NBA player?
This off-season could make or break the Sacramento Kings, who have been trying to put together a championship roster around its best players, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. The Kings may find some excellent deals on the market as many teams in the league are anticipated to shop their elite players.
If they decide to leave their respective teams, the Kings have the fourth-best odds to sign Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat and the third-best odds to sign Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans, according to Sportsbetting.ag.
The 34-year-old Butler, a six-time All-Star, may be finishing his career in Miami. Despite being a proven champion who has made appearances in three conference finals and two finals in the last five seasons, Butler may have already played his final game in a Heat uniform after missing their first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics.
This season, Butler shot 49.9/41.4/85.8 percent and averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals a game. The star forward, who just finished his 13th season in the Association, has not displayed any discernible signs of slowing down in terms of performance.
The financial position for Sacramento would get more complex because Butler will earn $100 million over the next two seasons, including a player option in 2025–2026. The Kings are in a precarious financial situation where their meager resources may prevent them from making any significant trade. If the front office thinks the deal would turn their team around, money becomes less of a consideration, as it does in most NBA trades.
While Ingram isn’t pushing his way out of New Orleans the way Butler might in Miami, he might still run into trouble if the Pelicans decide to go in a different route. With an average of 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game this season—his lowest totals since he was a rising star with the Los Angeles Lakers—Ingram’s output suffered.
The Pelicans may have put an end to the Ingram era in New Orleans when they lost to the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round, following their upset of the Kings in the Play-In Tournament. The Pelicans have assembled a strong core around Zion Williamson, and with the ascent of Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones, the team may be considering trading for the 26-year-old Ingram.
Compared to Butler, Ingram is a far more affordable alternative. He will earn $36 million the following season but will then be available for free. It’s a risky move for the Kings to try to part with so many priceless assets for a one-year rental, but adding a capable wing scorer to complement Fox and Sabonis is an intriguing concept.
The availability of Sacramento’s excellent sophomore quarterback Keegan Murray will determine the majority of any possible transactions. If the Kings could sign a player like Butler or Ingram without talking to Murray, it would be obvious.
