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Sam Amick on Kings GM Scott Perry’s thought process moving forward

Amid a tumultuous start to the 2025-26 regular season, the Sacramento Kings are expected to be active in trade talks leading into February’s trade deadline.

The Athletic‘s Sam Amick joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Thursday to share his main takeaways from his conversation with Kings general manager Scott Perry, lay out what Perry may have to do in order to move the sizable veteran contracts on the roster, and much more.

Plus, what does the future hold for Sacramento and guard Keon Ellis?

Be sure to check out the entire interview with Sam Amick on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.

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Topics Discussed

What was Sam’s biggest takeaway from his conversation with Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry?

“The thing that he’s asking for from the fans is not easy to ask for.”

Was it interesting to Amick that Perry made it a point to relay that he has full control of all basketball decisions?

Scott highlighted a few players during his conversation with Sam, including rookies Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud

Does Sam agree with DeMar DeRozan’s notion that the Sacramento Kings are Keegan Murray’s team?

How will Perry navigate the Kings’ veterans (DeRozan, Zach LaVine, etc)

Could LaVine opt out of the final year of his contract? ($48.9 million player option in 2026-27)

Sam says it’s too early to determine whether or not LaVine will opt out, but he would be surprised if the guard opted out.

It may take Sacramento attaching draft capital to offload DeRozan and LaVine

What does the future hold for Keon Ellis and the Kings?

Sam thinks Sacramento will use Ellis as a sweetener in a larger deal (DeRozan, LaVine, etc) rather than the Kings parting with draft picks.

Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

Click here for full episodes of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

For the Sacramento Kings and their loyal fan base—just two games removed from an eight-game losing streak, the team’s longest since April 2021—the time for reflection and positive thinking about this year’s iteration of “The Beam Team” has been minimal.

With injuries seemingly coming game by game and the on-court product resembling what fans watched throughout the 17-year playoff drought, the holiday season feels like the perfect excuse to step back and reflect on what the Sacramento Kings (and their fans) can still be thankful for.

Keegan Murray

A night like the one Keegan Murray had on Monday against the Timberwolves is exactly the type that reminds you that even in a losing season, there are still things to track and be excited about. He dropped 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and hit three triples in what may end up being a meaningless win in the grand scheme of the season.

This season might not be under ideal circumstances for Keegan or any of the young players’ development, but after he missed the first 15 games while recovering from a surgically repaired thumb on his non-shooting hand, it’s been nice to tune in and watch the fourth-year forward continue to take massive steps in his development.