The Sacramento Kings are facing an identity crisis. On one hand, they're not quite good enough to compete for a top-five seed in the Western Conference, but they're also not bad enough to justify tanking for a high draft pick.
It shocked many when the Kings announced that they were trading the face of the franchise, De'Aaron Fox, to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a three-team deal with the Chicago Bulls that landed the Kings Zach LaVine in return, reuniting him with his former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan.
Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) drives to the basket during the second half against against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.
Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) drives to the basket during the second half against against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Kings, Nuggets swap veteran big men in offseason trade
Fans of the Bulls will be the first to tell Kings fans the limits of a team that relies heavily on LaVine and DeRozan night in and night out. The Kings qualified for the NBA Play-In Tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference but fell to the Dallas Mavericks.
After signing former Detroit Pistons guard Dennis Schroder, the Kings remained active when they announced they were trading one of their big men to the Denver Nuggets, according to Shams Charania.
"The Sacramento Kings are trading Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Dario Saric, sources tell ESPN," wrote Charania.
Valanciunas started last season on the Washington Wizards. He appeared in 49 games for them before they executed a trade that sent him to Sacramento in exchange for two second-round draft picks and forward Sidy Cissoko.
Valanciunas saw fewer minutes and less production once traded to Sacramento, so it shouldn't come as much of a shock to see the Kings move on from him. While Dario Saric isn't necessarily a prize, he becomes a free agent after this season.
Meanwhile, Valanciunas still has two seasons on his contract at roughly $10.1 million per year. He can come off the bench and offer valuable relief for Nikola Jokic in those minutes, and he has still shown the ability to be a good rebounder. This is a win for both sides.