{"id":159388,"date":"2026-02-01T19:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T19:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/159388\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T19:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T19:40:10","slug":"is-this-the-first-of-many-moves-for-the-sacramento-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/159388\/","title":{"rendered":"Is this the first of many moves for the Sacramento Kings?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dennis Schroder never made sense for the Sacramento Kings. It makes even less sense now.<\/p>\n

As soon as the Kings and De\u2019Aaron Fox\u2019s relationship came to a rocky ending this time last year, it became evident that Sacramento would need to find a long-term solution at the point guard spot.<\/p>\n

Although the Kings allowed former Executive of the Year winner Monte McNair and his front office to execute the Fox trade not even eight weeks prior, McNair and his staff were excused less than two hours following Sacramento\u2019s season-ending loss to Dallas in the NBA Play-In Game.<\/p>\n

First-year general manager Scott Perry, who was brought in to replace McNair a few days later, struck quickly during the opening minutes of free agency by signing veteran journeyman Dennis Schroder, who was entering his age-32 season and suiting up for his 10th NBA franchise.<\/p>\n

While Schroder\u2019s age, skill set, and surprisingly large contract \u2014 $44.5 million over three years with a partial guarantee in the final season \u2014 didn\u2019t seem to align with the Sacramento Kings\u2019 current roster makeup or timeline, Perry saw it differently.<\/p>\n

Internally, Schroder was viewed as the top target on the market, the \u201cnumber one guy\u201d Sacramento believed could serve as a building block as the organization pushed toward sustained success.<\/p>\n

\"OKLAHOMA<\/p>\n

(Photo by Joshua Gateley\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen free agency was embarking upon us, this was the number one guy we felt in the league for us that was going to fit that bill and help us establish\u2014he\u2019s a building block to us\u2014establishing that sustainable success that we\u2019re striving to get,\u201d Perry said at Schroder\u2019s introductory press conference back in July.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need a leader at that point guard position. I think Dennis is going to definitely provide that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fast forward to today, and Schroder\u2013along with the highly-coveted three-and-D guard Keon Ellis\u2013has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> in return for veteran forward De\u2019Andre Hunter.<\/p>\n

Rather than receive a first-round pick in return for Ellis, as many expected would be the case over the past month, Sacramento settled on attaching him with Schroder\u2019s bloated contract in a move that the organization views as a solution to clearing a current logjam at the guard spots, one that will now give rookie Nique Clifford more run at the shooting guard spot.<\/p>\n

Clearing the log-jam is one thing. Losing a young player that half the league wanted in Ellis, without bringing back a draft pick, is another.<\/p>\n

The fact that the Sacramento Kings were forced to attach Ellis to Schroder\u2019s contract while ALSO taking back more money in the short-term (Hunter is set to make $24 million on an expiring deal in 2026-27, adding nearly $10 million to the Sacramento Kings\u2019 cap sheet) is another issue in itself.<\/p>\n

According to ESPN\u2019s Bobby Marks, Sacramento will have to get busy before Thursday\u2019s trade deadline (12 pm PT) if it wants to avoid being a team above the tax line, an inconceivable possibility considering where they sit in the standings.<\/p>\n

Sacramento is $2.1M below the tax<\/p>\n

Would expect the Kings to get their 2026-27 finances in order in the next few days and most certainly in the offseason.<\/p>\n

Sacramento is a projected tax and double apron team next year. Plenty of options for them to create flexibility moving\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/mkmB5HLwJT<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

A Move Still Waiting on Its Explanation<\/p>\n

Many fans and analysts from around the league are looking at this move as another lost trade for Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Moving Ellis, while losing a draft pick and adding more salary, doesn\u2019t help a Sacramento team that is currently 26 games under .500 and holds the league\u2019s worst record.<\/p>\n

Making more moves before Thursday\u2019s deadline could help this deal make sense. As it stands right now, though, it\u2019s hard not to be confused about what the Kings are actually trying to accomplish.<\/p>\n

This feels less like a completed thought and more like the first step in a plan that hasn\u2019t fully revealed itself yet, one that could include trades for other veterans like DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, or Zach LaVine in the coming days.<\/p>\n

Building Block or Trade Tool?<\/p>\n

One possible justification for the Ellis-Hunter move is flexibility, although it may not be immediate.<\/p>\n

Sacramento could include De\u2019Andre Hunter in another deal at this deadline, use his $24 million contract this summer or next season as an expiring salary.<\/p>\n

That kind of contract can be useful when reshaping a roster. The issue is that the value of this move is entirely dependent on something else happening later, which makes it difficult to evaluate on its own.<\/p>\n

The Cost of Moving Keon Ellis<\/p>\n

Not getting a single draft pick in return for Keon Ellis\u2013and having to attach him to what we can now definitively say was a bad, pointless Schroder signing\u2013is brutal.<\/p>\n

Ellis clearly had league-wide value, yet the Sacramento Kings walked away empty-handed in terms of draft capital (while actually losing a 2029 second-round pick in the process).<\/p>\n

The Athletic\u2018s Sam Amick<\/a> reports that some teams, namely Indiana and Boston, balked at the first-round pick asking price near the end of trade talks, but Sacramento lost another promising young player without adding the potential of a future pick.<\/p>\n

Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan aren\u2019t likely to bring back a first if they are traded this week. Moving Domantas Sabonis could bring the Kings a first-rounder or two under the right circumstances, but it feels like Ellis was their most attractive trade chip\u2013And now he\u2019s off the table.<\/p>\n

\"LOS<\/p>\n

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

An Unclear Team-Building Direction<\/p>\n

This move also underscores the ongoing lack of clarity in how the roster is being shaped, a confusion that arguably began with Schroder\u2019s signing.<\/p>\n

Are the Sacramento Kings trying to add established veterans to stabilize things in the short term, or are they attempting to build toward a younger core that can grow together?<\/p>\n

By offloading Dario Saric to Chicago in the three-team deal with Cleveland, Sacramento will be able to convert two-way center and rookie surprise Dylan Cardwell to a standard contract.<\/p>\n

However, this outcome could have been achieved regardless. The Sacramento Kings are unlikely to keep both Drew Eubanks and Doug McDermott on the roster much longer, and waiving one of those bench veterans would have opened a spot for Cardwell without requiring a trade.<\/p>\n

For a team sitting 26 games under .500, the logical priority would be leaning into youth and development. Instead, this sequence of decisions feels stuck between two timelines, without fully committing to either.<\/p>\n

A Fit That Feels Late<\/p>\n

On the court, Hunter could be a nice fit next to Keegan Murray in the forward spots, particularly from a defensive and positional standpoint.<\/p>\n

But even that comes with a caveat. This feels like a move that would have made far more sense a year or two ago, when the Sacramento Kings were still trying to push forward and build around the Fox-Sabonis-Murray core.<\/p>\n

In the current context, it feels late \u2014 and slightly misaligned with where the franchise actually is.<\/p>\n

There are four days to go until the trade deadline passes. Perry and the Sacramento Kings still have a lot of work to do if this move is going to make sense for the long run.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season<\/p>\n

Sunday, February 1st\u00a0\u2013 @ Washington Wizards \u2013 3:00 PM PT
\nWednesday, February 4th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Memphis Grizzlies \u2013 7:00 PM PT
\nFriday, February 6th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Los Angeles Clippers \u2013 7:00 PM PT
\nSaturday, February 7th \u2013 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers \u2013 7:00 PM PT
\nMonday, February 9th \u2013 @ New Orleans Pelicans \u2013 5:00 PM PT<\/p>\n

Thank you for reading\u00a0SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube<\/a> channel.<\/p>\n

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