The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away, meaning the Sacramento Kings could be close to making some deals in the coming weeks.
Kings general manager Scott Perry joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share his thoughts on Sacramento’s approach to the February 5th deadline, outline what has stood out to him during Sacramento’s rough start to the season, and much more.
On the topic of his current thought process heading into the trade deadline, Perry maintained a similar tone to his previous conversations with Dave and Jason, among others:
Patience, prudence, and being opportunistic.
While the Kings enter play on Monday with a record of 9-30 (the worst 39-game start to a regular season in the Sacramento era), Perry made it clear that he will not be sounding the alarms or hitting the panic button when it comes to making deals.
“You’ve heard this, these words from me too, being prudent and opportunistic,” Perry said on Monday. “I think the key is building, and it requires patience. I have not seen many impatient or rash, reactionary decision-making lead to sustainable winning, and I’ve been in this league 25 years.
“I just have not seen that work all too well. I’ve seen it happen, I’ve seen people do it, but I have not seen that result in sustainable winning.”
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
During his interview with Dave and Jason, Perry made it clear that he is looking to help steer Sacramento into a new direction, one that emphasizes youth and athleticism.
Last summer, Perry traded for the 24th pick in the NBA Draft, selecting wing Nique Clifford out of Colorado State. Perry then drafted center Maxime Raynaud, who many draft evaluators viewed as a first-round talent, before also adding undrafted big man Dylan Cardwell to a two-way contract.
All three of the Kings’ rookies have played roles in Sacramento’s rotations thus far, especially Raynaud, who has started in 17 consecutive games in light of star center Domantas Sabonis’ knee injury.
Perry told Dave and Jason that he’s pleased with the development of the three rookies, and is looking to add players that can help them continue to grow into players that can help build a sustainable winner.
“Really pleased with their arc and development, and looking forward to seeing more of them during the second half of the season,” Perry said of the Kings’ trio of rookies. “We want to bring in people who are going to enhance their growth.”
Getting younger and adding athletic, positional flexibility options appear to be Perry’s top goal for this deadline and beyond.
Sacramento currently has one true interchangeable forward on the roster–Keegan Murray, who is nursing an ankle injury–although Clifford fits the bill as a player who can defend positions one through four.
For Perry and the Kings front office, improving in those areas is a necessity for the long term.
“We want to get younger, more athletic, you know, so that we can be that team that can and get bigger positionally across the board,” Perry said.
“We want to develop into the type of defensive team we want to be, and be the type of offensive team we want to be, in terms of playing at a lot faster pace, on a more consistent basis, and a team that is capable of sharing the ball and, you know, attacking the rhythm, getting to the free throw line. And so that is the grand vision looking ahead.”
Be sure to check out the entire interview with Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
If the Sacramento Kings end up with a top-three pick in this summer’s 2026 NBA Draft, they will likely end up with one of Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, or AJ Dybantsa.
Although the NBA season has yet to reach the midway point, it isn’t too early for the Kings (8-30) to set their sights on May’s NBA Draft lottery, which will provide clarity on whether they will be in position to select a franchise-altering talent.
Those three that were previously listed–Duke’s Boozer, Kansas’ Peterson, and BYU’s Dybantsa–are widely viewed as the top-three prospects for the 2026 Draft Class.
While a lot can change in the coming months, especially as the college basketball season moves into conference play and March Madness, Sactown Sports’ Matt George has a good idea of who Sacramento would select if the draft took place today.
George: Sacramento Kings ‘love’ BYU star AJ Dybantsa
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will complete a back-to-back on Monday night against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento has dropped both games against the Lakers this season, including the most recent matchup–a 125-101 loss in Los Angeles on December 28th.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Monday, January 12th – vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7:00 PM PT
Wednesday, January 14th – vs. New York Knicks – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, January 16th – vs. Washington Wizards – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, January 18th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 6:00 PM PT
Tuesday, January 20th – vs. Miami Heat – 7:00 PM PT
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