With the Phoenix Suns reportedly agreeing to trade Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, that move now opens the door for other teams around the league to start taking action this summer.
And while the Kings are primed for a big offseason, with reports indicating the Miami Heat's interest in DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors' interest in Malik Monk, The Sacramento Bee's Jason Anderson reported Monday, citing a source, that the Kings have not yet spoken to either team.
A source told NBC Sports California that Raptors president Masai Ujiri has valued Monk for some time, and the expectation is that Sacramento would push to acquire 25-year-old guard RJ Barrett in a potential deal. Barrett, the former No. 3 overall pick and Duke standout, averaged 21.1 points on 46.8-percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range, with 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 32.2 minutes in 58 games last season.
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SIGN UP HERE New Kings general manager Scott Perry, who served in the same role with the New York Knicks from 2017 to 2023, led the front office that selected Barrett in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley also could be an option.
"Things could change quickly now that the Suns have made a deal for Durant, a 15-time All-Star and former MVP," Anderson wrote. "Miami and Toronto were both involved in the pursuit of Durant, along with Houston, the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves."
After a shaky start to his NBA career, Monk joined the Kings in the 2022 offseason and has thrived most as the team's sixth man. The 27-year-old is coming off the best season of his eight-year career after signing a four-year deal to remain in Sacramento last summer, in which he averaged 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 65 games (45 starts).
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Meanwhile, DeRozan joined the Kings just last summer to pair with De'Aaron Fox. But things changed quickly in Sacramento, and after Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs midseason, neither clutch scorer could wind up with the Kings within a year's time.
"Perry knows he needs a point guard after watching from afar as the Kings traded De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell over a span of two years prior to his arrival," Anderson wrote. "Perry also wants to add frontcourt length and athleticism with an eye toward a power forward/center type who would allow [Keegan] Murray to move back to small forward, but the point guard spot is Perry’s top priority."
Trae Young and Ja Morant have been two names floating around Sacramento, as was Jrue Holiday before the Boston Celtics reportedly traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.