The Sacramento Kings had high expectations for Dennis Schroder when he was signed as a free agent over the summer.
“When free agency was embarking upon us, this is the number one guy,” Kings general manager Scott Perry said when Schroder was introduced July 8. “He’s a building block for us establishing that sustainable success that we’re striving to get.”
Nearly seven months later, Schroder is no longer a building block and the Kings have the worst record in the NBA.
Schroder was traded Saturday night with Keon Ellis to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal that also sent Dario Saric and two second-round draft picks to the Chicago Bulls. It brought back forward De’Andre Hunter, who the Kings hope will be in the lineup on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Schroder’s role never materialized
The Kings signed Schroder to a three-year, $44.4 million deal to fill their desperate need for a starting point guard after trading De’Aaron Fox five months earlier. Schroder was viewed as a missing piece given the offense seemed disjointed as the Kings were blown out by the Dallas Mavericks in the opening game of the Play-In tournament. The belief was Schroder would be the starting point guard for multiple seasons.
But then Perry and the Kings signed Russell Westbrook to a veteran minimum deal in mid October after training camp and just before the start of the regular season. He overtook Schroder as the starter by mid-November, making the decision to sign Schroder to a contract guaranteeing $33.3 million over two years questionable at best (the third year of his deal had a partial guarantee).
And while the Kings view Saturday’s trade as an opportunity to get a much-needed versatile forward with size and defensive chops, the pivot off Schroder is worthy of criticism. Moving on from his contract — with the goal creating salary cap flexibility for the summer of 2027 — cost the team Ellis without getting any draft picks back in the deal.
“I don’t think it didn’t work or any of that,” Kings coach Doug Christie said of Schroder before Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards. “We’re in a situation whereas we’re developing and monitoring what we’re doing. We went in a direction with De’Andre. There’s an opportunity and Scott and the front office seized it, and super excited to have De’Andre.”
The issues with the Kings’ trade
It was widely reported before the trade that Ellis was one of the most in-demand players available and the belief was the Kings could net a late first-round pick or multiple seconds in a deal. Instead, Ellis is the apparent sweetener to the Cavaliers for taking on Schroder’s contract, along with sending a late second round pick in 2029 to Chicago to absorb Saric.
Ellis became a fan favorite for his defense and 3-point shooting, but he was in and out of the rotation under Christie despite his emphasis on defense whenever he discussed rotation decisions.
“I think more than anything, when you look at the log jam that was created, that’s part of the issue,” Christie said Sunday. “I think this particular move opens up a little bit and helps to develop Nique (Clifford) and tries to give him the ability to spread his wings a little bit.
“And as we go down the path with him as far as ball handling, defense, where exactly is he at and what are the things are at and what are the things that we’re going to need to make sure that he improves upon, not only in the summertime but for the rest of this season, we want to identify those things.”
The glaring point guard problem before Shroder’s signing is now back. The Kings started rookie Clifford Sunday in Washington because of the foot injury to Russell Westbrook that caused him to miss the previous three games. They had two-way players Daeqon Plowden and Isaiah Stevens with them for the final two games of their road trip.
How will the Kings regroup?
Big picture, the Kings’ first attempt at finding a starting point guard post Fox wound up costing them Ellis.
The salve for the Ellis and Schroder situation would be Hunter providing value with his defensive versatility on the wing to complement Keegan Murray, which the Kings have needed for multiple seasons, which they amplified by swapping Harrison Barnes for DeMar DeRozan in 2024 (while including an unprotected 2031 pick swap in the trade with San Antonio).
Hunter makes $24.9 million next season in the last year of his deal, which could make him a trade candidate as an expiring contract this summer or at next year’s trade deadline. The Kings have made it clear they’re prioritizing clearing salary cap space for the summer of 2027 when Hunter could be off the books.
In the meantime, Perry will continue to work the phones ahead of Thursday’s deadline with the Kings slated to have one more game before it on Wednesday when they host the Grizzlies. DeRozan, Malik Monk, Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis — who was a late scratch Sunday with lower back soreness — have all been mentioned in rumors.
“One of our key tenants is toughness,” Christie said. “It’s not just physical toughness. It’s mental toughness as well. We got to lock in and make sure that we are on point moving forward regardless of what happens.”