After months of rumors and speculation, the long-anticipated Jonathan Kuminga trade finally came to fruition, but the Sacramento Kings were not involved in the deal.
The Kings acquired De’Andre Hunter on Saturday in a three-team trade that sent Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis to the Cleveland Cavaliers with Dario Saric going to the Chicago Bulls, but Thursday’s NBA trade deadline passed without any additional moves.
The Kings were the subject of numerous trade rumors in recent weeks as general manager Scott Perry worked to reshape an aging and imbalanced roster, but he was unable to find suitable deals for veterans Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis.
The Kings lost their 10th consecutive game on the eve of the trade deadline, falling 129-125 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Kings have the worst record in the NBA and the longest active losing streak in the league.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Grizzlies star Ja Morant were not traded, but some of the league’s biggest stars changed teams amid a flurry of activity in the days leading up to the deadline. Trae Young and Anthony Davis went to the Washington Wizards, James Harden went to the Cavaliers, and Jaren Jackson Jr. went to the Utah Jazz.
The Kings managed to clear up their logjam in the backcourt while adding wing depth with the acquisition of Hunter, but that probably won’t change their trajectory amid one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Perry will go into the summer with more work to do as he looks to clear cap space, acquire younger talent and accumulate draft capital.
LaVine has a player option for $49 million next season in the final year of a five-year, $215.2 million contract. Sabonis has two years and $94 million remaining on a four-year, $186 million contract. DeRozan is owed $25.7 million in the final year of his deal, but only $10 million is guaranteed.
The Kings have been trying to acquire Kuminga since he became a restricted free agent last summer, but they were never able to reach a deal with the Golden State Warriors. In the end, the Warriors went elsewhere, trading Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal to acquire Kristaps Porzingis.