Game-Changing Trade Proposal for Kings to Land Raptors F OG Anunoby

The Sacramento Kings have started their 2023-24 NBA season by winning eight of their first 13 games, but reports suggest they are not content. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports the Kings will be shopping for stars around the league, becoming a premier trade destination.

Charania mentions three players the Kings will likely be going after. The Toronto Raptors duo of F OG Anunoby and F Pascal Siakam and Chicago Bulls All-Star G Zach LaVine.

While each of those stars would be game-changers for a championship-minded Kings squad, the most realistic and affordable would be Anunoby. The 26-year-old wing is the only mentioned player without an All-Star appearance but could be the best fit for Sacramento.

It could be challenging for Sacramento to pry Anunoby from Toronto, but the Raptors are struggling and could look to blow it up to build around rising star F Scottie Barnes.

Anunoby has a player option for the 2024-25 season, and there are many reasons for the young wing to get out of Toronto. If the Raptors are looking to deal him before he hits the open market, here is a potential trade proposal from Sacramento to acquire Anunoby:

Sacramento Kings receive: OG Anunoby, Thaddeus Young

Toronto Raptors receive: Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, 2026 first-round pick

While Anunoby has many upsides for Sacramento, the most important could be how it would take fewer assets to acquire him than it would LaVine or Siakam.

The Kings might be hesitant to give up on two of their starters that led them to a 48-win season in G Kevin Huerter and F Harrison Barnes, but they will likely be involved in any trade made by Sacramento.

The Raptors would likely only entertain this trade if they are certain Anunoby will not opt into his player option for next season. In return, Toronto would get two players that still help them win but will not require costly extensions to keep them on the team like Anunoby would.

Anunoby is making just $18.6 million this season and $19.9 million for his player option next year, which is around the same as Barnes despite having a significantly higher ceiling. The most prominent reason the Kings would not look to acquire Anunoby is if they are not confident in him re-signing after this season and are not interested in a half-season rental to make a championship push.

Sacramento has a plethora of guard depth with the arrival of G Chris Duarte and the emergence of G Keon Ellis, allowing them to move on from Huerter and upgrade from Barnes.

A starting lineup of De'Aaron Fox, Duarte, Keegan Murray, Anunoby, and Domantas Sabonis with a bench unit consisting of Malik Monk, Davion Mitchell, Ellis, Trey Lyles, Sasha Vezenkov, JaVale McGee, Alex Len, and Colby Jones could push the Kings to the level of powerhouses such as the Denver Nuggets.

The Kings would likely not offer much more than this, but this package might not be enough for the Raptors to accept. There could be some wiggle room from both sides, but the Kings should not give up too much for a possible rental. Acquiring Anunoby could push the Kings to the next level, but until then, Sacramento will likely remain a second-tier team.

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