The Sacramento Kings have a hard line they're not willing to cross when it comes to their NBA Trade Deadline aggression.
The Sacramento Kings are a team no one seems to be talking about in the Western Conference. Through a little more than a quarter of the way through the regular season, the Kings are 15-9 and are just one game out of the second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
After making the waves last season, and finishing as a top 3 seed in the regular season standings, there should be more hype and intrigue surrounding the Kings. For one reason or another, there isn't. And perhaps that's due to the fact that many don't view Sacramento as a viable contender in the West.
That's probably fair. From all indications, for as talented as the Kings are, they're probably one splash move away from being considered a true player in the West. Recent reporting seems to indicate that the Kings plan on being aggressive in trying to accomplish that at the NBA Trade Deadline. With names such as Zach LaVine, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and possibly others, you can't help but wonder just how aggressive the Kings may be at the deadline.
We may have the answer to that. According to a recent report, while the Kings are expected to be aggressive in their trade deadline pursuits, there's one line they may not be willing to cross. The Kings aren't willing to include talented second-year wing Keegan Murray in any trade discussions.
How aggressive should the Sacramento Kings be ahead of the trade deadline?
This is probably the best approach for the Kings to be taking. They fully believe in the potential of Murray and the last thing they need to do is part ways with a huge part of their future for a player that may or may not help the team make the jump to fringe contender in the West.
The Kings should be aggressive but to a certain extent. It's true that the Kings will likely have to overpay for any difference-maker they're going to be able to get their hands on. That's largely been the case for the Kings for the entirety of their existence.
However, trading away Murray, who has been extremely promising to start his career, is the type of move that could set this franchise back another half-decade.
The Kings are in a great spot and seemingly may be one splash move away from fringe contender status. But I think it's safe to say that Murray won't be part of their aggressiveness ahead of the deadline.