The NBA trade deadline is roughly two weeks away, and plenty of Sacramento Kings players have been involved in rumors.
Brett Siegel, NBA Insider for ClutchPoints, joined The Drive Guys to discuss the trade landscape and potential value of DeMar DeRozan, Jonathan Kuminga, Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and Keon Ellis.
The final name on the list, Ellis, is perhaps the most sought after. Regularly getting DNP-CDs under head coach Doug Christie — and previously Mike Brown — has been a confusing part of the season as Christie has often pointed to the “logjam” they have at the guard position.
With Ellis being on an expiring minimum contract ($2.3 million), he’s easy for the team to acquire. If a team were to trade for him, they would also obtain his bird rights, allowing them to go over the salary cap to re-sign him.
“Over half the league has talked to Sacramento with interest in Keon Ellis,” Siegel told The Drive Guys. “I think that he’s the one player at this trade deadline that people aren’t paying enough attention to, and he may be just the most sought-after player, and that’s why the kids are holding a very high asking price for him.”
“That’s why they think that they can create a bidding war for Keon Ellis. But there’s several teams in the east, both contenders and younger teams. There’s multiple teams in the West that have reached out about Keon Ellis, and that’s why he’s very high on my list right now of a guy that I’m expected to be traded just because I think that that bidding war is going to take place.”
More on Keon Ellis
Of the 39 games Ellis has played in this season, he saw the floor for less than 10 minutes on nine occasions. He’s also recorded four DNP-CDs. Inconsistency with his role has certainly played into his poor numbers.
In an average of 17.3 minutes per night, Ellis has tallied 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and less than one assist while shooting an unideal 38.4 percent from the field.
Known as a sharpshooter from distance, he’s also shooting 35.7 percent from three, a down year compared to his 43.3 percent conversion rate in 2024-25.
If Sacramento general manager Scott Perry were able to get a first-round pick for Ellis, it could help their future-focused timeline.
The potential bidding war Siegel mentioned brewing would play in their favor, especially given his limited role on their current roster.
Be sure to check out the entire interview with NBA Insider for Clutch Points, Brett Siegel, at the top of this page, or on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube channel.
Listen to The Drive Guys from 2 – 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.
Click here for full episodes of The Drive Guys.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors aren’t any closer to agreeing on a trade that would send Jonathan Kuminga to the 916, but could Jimmy Butler’s injury change things?
With Butler–who suffered a season-ending knee injury this week–on the shelf for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign, all eyes have shifted to Kuminga, who played in his first game action in over a month on Tuesday night.
Sacramento has been linked to the 23-year-old forward since the offseason, where they attempted to strike a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors that would have landed them Jonathan Kuminga and sent guard Malik Monk (along with a protected first-round pick) to Golden State.
Read More:
Should the Kings & Warriors talk about a DeRozan-Kuminga swap?
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Wednesday, January 21st – vs. Toronto Raptors – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, January 23rd – @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 4:30 PM PT
Sunday, January 25th – @ Detroit Pistons – 12:00 PM PT
Tuesday, January 27th – @ New York Knicks – 4:30 PM PT
Thursday, January 29th – @ Philadelphia 76ers – 4:00 PM PT
Thank you for readingSactownSports.com. Follow us onTwitterandGoogle News, and subscribe to ourYouTubechannel.