One Thing That Could Help the Kings in Trade Talks This Offseason

The Sacramento Kings are in for an extremely difficult offseason as Scott Perry looks to rebuild the roster. He not only has little to money to work with, but also has to try and move off veterans that are around from the previous regime in Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk.

All four players have reportedly been on the trade market since last offseason, and there has already been buzz around the Kings moving off of their large contracts this year, with Sabonis getting the major headlines of late.

It's hard to tell what Sabonis' trade value truly is. Not only because of the general NBA landscape, but also because of his large contract and unique playstyle. There's no denying that Sabonis is one of the most talented players in the league, but he's difficult to build around and plug into a lot of teams around the league.

But luckily for Perry and the Kings, they do have one thing that could work to their advantage as they look to find a trade partner for their All-NBA caliber center.

Lack of Centers in Free Agency

Apr 4, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) controls the ball against New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Looking at the free agent list for this offseason, there is one position that is clearly lacking in terms of talent. There are guards available, like James Harden (Player Option) and C.J. McCollum, and wings like LeBron James and Andrew Wiggins, but there are few, if any, starting-caliber centers available in free agency this offseason.

Kristaps Porzingis is set to hit free agency, and Isaiah Hartenstein has a club option that the Oklahoma City Thunder might be forced to decline, but other than that, there aren't any bigs that a team looking to make an all-in move will be chasing in free agency.

That could inherently raise Sabonis' value as other options are limited on the market. He and the Kings have had a difficult few years, but that isn't all Sabonis' fault. He's still one of, if not the best, rebounders in the league, can set up others with screens better than almost every other big, and can get a bucket inside and dominatete the paint on any given night.

His fit and future with the Kings may not make sense anymore, but the talent is there that clearly outshines the others on the free agent list.

After Porzingis and Hartenstein, the centers available in order of money made last season are Nikola Vucevic, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, Mitchell Robinson, Robert Williams III, and Moritz Wagner. There are some good players in that list, but none that are better than Sabonis. And it's not relatively close.

It is important to note that free agency feels like it's taken a back seat to trades in terms of team building, but for the Kings, this offseason especially, I'll take any kind of positive that I can find.

Even with fit and money being a huge part of the NBA landscape, talent still wins out in the league. Sabonis may not feel like one of the best players available this offseason, but aside from Anthony Davis being moved again, he could be the premier center on the market this year.

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