The Sacramento Kings have had a busy offseason in the front office, bringing in a new staff for head coach Doug Christie after he penned a deal to be the official replacement for Mike Brown.
The Kings are coming off a disappointing 2024-25 season that saw them miss the postseason for the second straight year after breaking their drought in 2023. If Sacramento wants to become a routine playoff squad, changes might have to be made.
A three-team trade idea with the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards would shake things up for the Kings. The mock trade proposes a potential Buddy Hield return to Sacramento after he was traded away from the team just over three years ago.
The proposed trade from Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey goes as follows:
Kings Receive: Marcus Smart, Buddy Hield, Saddiq Bey, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and a top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick from Washington (via Golden State)
Warriors Receive: Corey Kispert, Jonas Valanciunas, and a top-5 protected 2031 first-round pick from Washington
Wizards Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (via sign-and-trade) and Malik Monk
The Kings would have the chance to get back Hield while also bringing in a top defender in Smart, a 3-and-D player in Bey, and a new backup center in Jackson-Davis. In the meantime, the Kings would move on from current backup center Jonas Valanciunas and starting guard Malik Monk.
Hield, a former sixth overall pick, appeared in 385 games for the Kings from 2017-2022. He averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 30 minutes per game during that time before getting dealt to the Indiana Pacers in a package for Domantas Sabonis.
Hield has bounced around various rosters since getting drafted in 2016, but spent his most recent season with the Warriors. He played in all 82 games, averaging 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
Smart, who won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022 with the Boston Celtics, has struggled with injuries over the past couple of years. He’s played just 54 games over the past two seasons, but he can still defend at a high level.
If the Kings want to improve their backcourt depth, Hield and Smart would be two guys who can complement each other on the court.
Looking at Bey, he’s coming off a torn ACL that kept him out for the season. The Kings would be taking a risk on him, but he has shot 35% from three over his career, and a leg injury shouldn’t affect his shooting too much.
Jackson-Davis is an intriguing prospect who stood out at Indiana University as an NCAA star before earning his way onto the Warriors roster. The Kings passed on the opportunity to draft him a couple of years ago, so who knows if they want him now?
Monk leaving would be a shocker, especially after he chose to stay in Sacramento for less money last offseason. He’s coming off a career-best season that saw him average 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 43.9% shooting from the field. He’d be hard to replace, but the Kings are in need of a true point guard.
Valanciunas turned 33 earlier this month and may be looking to win a ring before his career comes to a close. Sending the big man to play with Steph Curry might be up his alley, especially since he would become the best big on the roster.
The Kings have the entire summer to mull over who to keep and who to trade, but this idea isn’t the worst in terms of how much capital the Kings could get in return for just two players.
