Should the Sacramento Kings make a trade? | The Athletic NBA Show

Should the Sacramento Kings make a trade? | The Athletic NBA Show

So one of the uh other bigger developments this season for the Kings has been the defensive Improvement of Keegan Murray who’s in his second season as one statistical indication of this Improvement dunsen 3es currently has Keegan 23rd in defensive EPM easily the highest for any Kings player watching

Him every night what are some of the specific improvements on defense you’ve noticed compared to how he played in his rookie season well one he’s just being he’s just moving better like last year he was getting hunted a lot as most rookies do and he spent the off season

Working out with dearen fox in Sacramento the entire time like they were playing one-on-one all the time and you know I didn’t think much of it at the time they’re just both in Sacramento hang out but I think that just going up against dearon Fox oneon-one is going to

Help your game like you’re going to be able to take on some different types of matchups and you’ve seen his versatility he’s able to defend multiple positions now he’s playing More Physical without fouling and he’s got good size you know he’s 68 69 and long and I think he’s

Done a much better job he’s also a high IQ guy he he understands defense and you’re just seeing his growth where last year he’s being hunted this year Brown’s putting him on Steph Curry during a game right like he’s taking on some more challenging matchups yeah he’s going up

Against some of the best players out there and I think also you know he’s always had his length but his second year in the league he knows how to utilize his length better he knows he has more control of his arms his body and everything out there and so he

Understands the importance of not only being able to quickly move your feet but also contesting a shot and you’re you’re seeing that he’s able to contest shots against some of these guys that are usually capable of elevating uh in the mid-range or elevating at the rim and I

Think he’s also being a lot more physical I know we’ve talked about him on the offensive end but he’s been able to be more physical getting to the rim but he’s also been been able to be more physical with guys without fouling we’re almost a month away from

The NBA tread deadline how how important do you think it is for the Kings to be active this trade deadline and what are some of the biggest needs for the team that fans have identified as like or maybe some obvious targets that like the fan base has

Identified yeah I I think being active is really important for this team because they have the same weaknesses that they did last year right I think teams look to Target Kevin herder a lot of nights especially when he’s in the starting lineup they go at Harrison Barnes those are probably some issues

Right there just from a defensive standpoint that limits the Kings from reaching a their I don’t know their highest of ceilings right I think that has to get better those positions especially defensively having more athleticism a little more versati versatility it’s what everyone wants right it’s like we

Want a whole bunch of guys that can hit threes and play defense like it’s hard to achieve right but those are some upgrades that I think people look at like okay can you upgrade those spots um I I think a lot of fans are looking around and they would love someone like

Marinan but it’s just like you’re not gonna get him and that’s the challenge that Monty McNair faces how do you raise a ceiling of this group when you don’t want to trade Keegan Murray yep yep and that’s it I mean that’s part of it is

You know you you can make some moves on you know with some of the guys we’ve talked about but part of it too is like can Keegan keep developing can turn into a legit two-way stud yeah it’s it’s do not lose Keegan Murray in any of this

And I don’t think that’s their goal you guys so um I I think in some ways like he’s off the table uh dearen Fox and sabonis off the table which and I wish Malik monk was off the table I just don’t know where this front office is

Willing to go um but at the same time yeah I I I told Deuce I go what about some of the under the radar under the radar top type guys or just go to the Chicago Bulls and pick whoever you want you know yeah I mean the other names

That you know siakam’s gotten brought up a lot OG before he got moved and it’s just like I think these teams are going if they’re picking up the phone talking to Sacramento for names like that they’re starting with Keegan Murray so that’s off the table so how are you

Gonna upgrade this roster by keeping someone like Keegan Murray and I think they should keep them do do you off the top of your head do you know how many they have one outgoing first right from The Herder trade yeah the Hawks one which is weird how it’s going to be

Conveyed like it could be conveyed this year if they they miss the playoffs so that’s kind of you know that that’s the one that’s kind of hanging around but they could do some pick swaps and they have some desirable contracts it’s not like they have a whole bunch of bad

Contracts so I think there are moves that Monty McNair can make and part of it too I know you’ve talked about this with OKC before is like I know it’s not fun to be a little patient yeah and there you know there there’s a window for sure when you’ve

Got Fox and sabonis at the same time like I kind of see want to see what Keegan looks like I I don’t I don’t want to feel like they have to go all in like it’s okay to make the playoffs again this year and maybe get bounced out in

The first second round yeah it’s how do you grow from here and part of it is just growing together and making some subtle tweaks around the edges yeah well honestly just if Kevin herder just started if he just broke out of this slump like that would be like trading

For a really good player someone who really helped this team last year I was listening to one of your I think it was one of your n chats and you’re talking about Duncan Robinson who similarly last year like he was out of the rotation for

The heat for a lot of last season and then he gets to the playoffs and it’s like oh there’s Duncan Robin there’s the guy we paid all the money and now he’s having a great season and so you kind of just hope that like something similar can happen with herder and this isn’t

Just like what he’s going to be going forward track record I mean that’s what we that’s what we keep trying to say with Kevin herder and I think we remember his ups and downs throughout um his time even with the Hawks and for so many people they want to see success and

Results now now now and I understand that Sports culture but if you’re at the top and you’re running this team you got to make sure that you’re still finding a way to understand the importance of some of these other pieces in their roles and sometimes it’s just their personalities

And how they need to be communicated with differently to to get the most out of them I think Kevin herder is just a confidence guy that has lost a lot of his confidence and not only is he going to find it when he starts making shots

Feeling his rhythm but I think he it’s not that he needs to be babied he just needs to be communicated with differently I mean this guy is like 25 years old he has a track record of being a really good three-point shooter we’ve seen his play making ability you can’t

Tell me that all of a sudden he’s just done as a basketball player and he’s been super ineffective so so it’s you know it’s on him to try to get out of this but like morn said the coaching staff too and I think that’s the one thing you talk about the change with

This with this team this year I think Mike Brown’s been a little more rigid this year I mean I think the leash has gone shorter when it comes to mistakes outside of fox and sabonis like if you are out there and you’re not doing if you make a defensive mistake sometimes

You’re getting yanked and you’re sitting for a while Malik monk the game before he just had this 37o outing Mike Brown played him five minutes in the first half and then came out the other night and said that was a mistake so I think Brown has this like he has these amazing

Goals that he wants this team to reach but I think there has to be some you you you can’t treat every game like it’s a playoff game in the regular season you have to help these guys and put them in a position to succeed

The Athletic NBA Show discuss the Sacramento Kings’ options at the trade deadline.