Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are expected to be aggressive heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. After the strides the Kings made last season, they're certainly a team that believes it's on the right path toward possible contention in the Western Conference. But if they're going to make that final leap, they're going to have to make a splash move ahead of the stretch run. The Kings are talented enough to finish as a top 6 team in the West standings, but I'm not sure they have sufficient difference-makers to push the Denver Nuggets in a seven-game playoff series.
That's where a move for a player like Lauri Markkanen can come into play. As the Kings continue to wait for Keegan Murray to make the progressional step into stardom, perhaps Markkanen can give the team an added scoring punch on the wing. If Sacramento is serious about winning in the next 1-2 years, this is a move that the Kings have to be considering.
Considering how wide open the West looks, with OKC and Minnesota sitting atop the standings at the moment, the Kings could view this season as the perfect opportunity to go all in on such a move.