New Report on Kings Targeting Russell Westbrook, Trae Young Among Point Guards

The Sacramento Kings are reportedly searching for their next point guard.

Apr 11, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

After Sacramento’s selection of Nique Clifford last night, the team’s plans to reshape the roster are starting to become clearer. The Athletic’s Sam Amick shed some light on what insiders are hearing regarding the Kings’ current state. 

First, Amick notes that Sacramento still badly needs a point guard. This has been acknowledged by just about anyone with working eyeballs who watched the Kings after the trade deadline, and directly stated by Domantas Sabonis during his exit interview. 

A very interesting exit interview for Domantas Sabonis, who talked about their need for a PG, wanting to be involved in decision making, and more: pic.twitter.com/SDW4EnFwoK

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) April 17, 2025

Amick begins by addressing several options the Kings will not end up with. First, Jrue Holiday was certainly on the table and would have been an interesting addition. One could certainly see the benefits of bringing Holiday in to run the point to assuage the seemingly evergreen win now desires in Sacramento while also serving as a mentor to Devin Carter. 

Scouts compared Carter to Holiday relatively often during last year’s draft process. Learning from the player you are compared to (especially when that player is a champion, All-Star, and perennial DPOY and All-Defensive Team candidate that has made nearly $300M during his 16-year career) would have been invaluable for last year’s 13th overall pick. 

However, the Holiday pursuit never came close. Per Amick, the Kings were “ultimately concerned with both his age (35) and cost (a combined $104.4 million, including his player option in the 2027-28 season).” This makes sense - a new regime typically does not want their first move to be one that holds their cap sheet up and makes them much older right off the bat. 

Similarly, Sacramento was wary of pursuing Trae Young due to concerns over financial flexibility. Young fits the age of Sacramento’s core much better than Holiday, but is extension-eligible this summer. If he does not command a max extension, he will certainly receive a value far greater than Holiday’s numbers over the next few seasons. 

Moving down a rung on the hierarchy means the Kings will probably be looking at point guards in the exception range. Amick notes that league sources have confirmed Marc Stein’s report that Dennis Schroder is a priority target for Sacramento. Schroder has bounced around in recent years, but found himself in a great place with the revived Detroit Pistons after the 2025 trade deadline. It may take as much as the full Non-Taxpayer Mid Level Exception (valued at $14.1M this season) to court him away from Detroit. 

Other targets that the Kings are reportedly considering include Tyus Jones and Russell Westbrook. Like Schroder, these are more veteran bridge point guards than true long-term building blocks. Despite being relatively short-term fixes as opposed to the long-term fixture some fans may be hoping for, all three would bring competency to a position that is currently a gaping hole on a roster that was once overflowing with talent. 

Sacramento will be able to negotiate with Schroder, Jones, Westbrook, and other free agents on June 30 at 6 PM EST. Scott Perry and co. have already made good on one widely reported action item this week, so Kings fans should be prepared for them to move quickly to address this very obvious and widely reported need.