Source reveals that Sacramento Kings are still eyeing Zach LaVine or Brandon Ingram

On Monday, the Sacramento Kings traded Jalen McDaniels and a second round pick to the San Antonio Spurs. The deal was a cost-cutting move that led to many people speculating whether the Kings may be gearing up for a win-now deal.

This storyline seemed to be coming to an anti-climatic ending, as, on Wednesday, the Kings signed sharpshooting journeyman Doug McDermott. McDermott has put together a solid NBA career, and in the right context, he still has something to offer to an NBA team. But, respectfully, he is far from a marquee player at this point in time. There goes the chance to discuss a blockbuster trade. Sigh.

The Sacramento Kings May Have Another Big Trade In The Tank

Wait just a minute there. It appears that the Kings may not be done making moves.

“They are still trying to trade for Zach LaVine or Brandon Ingram,” an anonymous source close to the situation told Sportscasting. “Those are their two targets.”

LaVine and Ingram Don’t Make Sense For The Sacramento Kings

LaVine and Ingram have both been in trade conversations for months, with the Kings being linked to the two of them at various points in the offseason (the Kings’ interest in LaVine extends even further back than that).

LaVine and Ingram are great players and former All-Stars. However, trading for either of them wouldn’t make much sense for the Kings from an on-court perspective. LaVine and Ingram are offensively slanted on-ball stars. The Kings already have an abundance of that in DeMar DeRozan (LaVine’s now former teammate), De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Domantas Sabonis. What the team really needs is size, shooting, defense, and secondary rim protection.

Even if one of those players did make sense, it would be tricky to pull off a hypothetical deal from a financial perspective. LaVine is set to make 43 million dollars next year. Meanwhile, Ingram’s employer is on the hook for 36 million. Any trade would probably have to include Kevin Huerter (16.8 million dollar cap hit in 2024-25), Trey Lyles (8 million), and (maybe) Keegan Murray (8.8 million) – who should be considered untradeable in both of these instances.