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Sacramento Kings
Aug 21, 2025 8:27 PM EDT
The Sacramento Kings entered the NBA offseason with a key decision to make regarding the future of their franchise after trading De’Aaron Fox last season.
While many around the league expected the Kings to begin a rebuild this summer, they have instead elected to keep their core of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine together to chase a playoff spot next season.
Zach LaVine
Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) and forward DeMar DeRozan (10) and forward Keegan Murray (13) — Source: © Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Sacramento also made some notable additions to their roster this offseason as they added both Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud in the 2025 draft and they also signed Dennis Schroder in free agency to become their new starting point guard.
While the Kings have already made multiple moves this offseason, more could be coming as they have been linked to Russell Westbrook and Jonathan Kuminga.
Kings predicted to land Jared McCain from 76ers
Sacramento could also look elsewhere to upgrade their lineup this summer and Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes recently released a mock trade that has the Kings sending Keegan Murray to the Philadelphia 76ers for a rising guard.
Jaden Springer, Keegan Murray
Utah Jazz guard Jaden Springer (11) and Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) — Source: © Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
In the trade, the Kings would send Murray to the 76ers in exchange for Jared McCain and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Of course, moving on from Murray would be a tough decision for the Kings to make with their lack of forward depth and they would also be moving on from arguably their best defender.
Despite this, adding an emerging star in McCain could be the exact player the Kings need to build around for their future if they ever decide to begin a rebuild and he would also become a key piece with their current core.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain.
Source: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
For McCain, he had a great start to his career last season before suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee after just 23 games, ending his chances of winning Rookie of the Year, which he was the clear frontrunner for before the injury.
The 21-year-old guard is a great scorer and decent defender who would give Sacramento another young guard to build around and possibly turn into their point guard of the future.
While adding McCain to their roster might be a solid move, swapping Murray for him would be hard to imagine, especially with the abundance of shooting guards already on their roster.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain — Source: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Philadelphia is also unlikely to move on from McCain this season, especially after he showed flashes of being a potential star to begin last season.
About the Author
Nathaniel Holloway