Report: Kings shopping the 13th pick, were “close” on Caruso – The Kings Herald

The Sacramento Kings are actively shopping the 13th pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, according to a new report from The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Sam Amick. While we’ve heard rumors that the Kings were shopping the 13th pick for weeks now, Slater and Amick also report that the Kings were close to a deal for Alex Caruso last week, and that deal would have included the 13th pick.

The Kings already tried to use it for a significant roster upgrade. They were close to a trade for defensive ace Alex Caruso last week, according to league sources, offering the No. 13 pick to Chicago as the key chip. The Bulls, to the surprise of many within the league, instead opted to send Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey.

It’s no surprise that the Kings are shopping the pick. The Kings are absolutely in improve-now mode. Falling short of the playoffs last year was a big disappointment, even if the Kings record wasn’t much different despite a much tougher Western Conference. It’s also not surprising to hear the Kings wanted Caruso, especially after last week’s reports of Sacramento’s interest. Caruso has been a trade target we’ve loved around here for a while. Caruso is a little older than Sacramento’s core of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and the newly re-signed Malik Monk, but Caruso provides and ideal balance of outside shooting, basketball IQ, and hard-nosed defense.

Worth noting: Slater and Amick report that the Kings could still be interest in Zach LaVine, but would need to be incentivized (read: draft picks or other good players) to take on LaVine’s massive contract.

What’s sadly unsurprising is hearing that the Sacramento Kings, once again, were near a trade for an impactful player only for it to fall apart at the last second. The Kings have failed to make a major acquisition at the last two trade deadlines, and all of last offseason. The Kings are regularly reported as being close to deals, only to have another team swoop in and match or beat Sacramento’s offer. The Kings front office is chasing the exact right types of players, but they are perpetually unable to get deals made. If the Kings are truly aggressive in trying to improve this team, that’s going to mean doing what it takes to complete deals. No team wants to lose a trade, but failing to do anything is still losing, just slower.

It should be a busy couple days as we lead up to the first round of the draft on Wednesday.