Wizards Should Root for Kings' Downfall

The Washington Wizards should be monitoring how the Sacramento Kings do out West as they have potential pieces to add to a young core in D.C.

Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) reacts during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are fairly set with their roster. One of the teams out West, the Sacramento Kings, just added a key piece to theirs.

Former Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook just agreed to terms with the Kings to play for them in the 2025-26 NBA season. The two teams have been trade partners before.

NBA veteran point guard Russell Westbrook agrees to deal with Sacramento Kings https://t.co/zTYBfXADWX

— The Sacramento Bee (@sacbee_news) October 15, 2025

Chris Webber was flipped for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe prior to the lockout season in 1998. Last season, Washington shipped center Jonas Valanciunas out to Sacramento before the trade deadline.

As the Wizards are hoping to sneak into the playoff picture for just the second time this decade, the Kings could be of assistance should they decide to become sellers in the trade market.

Oct 16, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Washington Wizards Head Coach Brian Keefe argues with officials during their game against the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

What Kings' players could become available for the Wizards?

In addition to Westbrook, Sacramento has veteran athletes like DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. They also have double-double machine Domantas Sabonis.

The Kings made waves in the NBA two seasons ago by making the playoffs as the Western Conference's third seed overall and Pacific Division champion. The team also boasted the Coach of the Year then in Mike Brown.

After a disappointing season last year, the Kings barely made the Western Conference play-in and fired Brown mid-season. Yet, the team became buyers taking on LaVine and Valanciunas.

Feb 26, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas (17) warms up before a game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Wizards shooting guard CJ McCollum and small forward Khris Middleton are boht free agents after this season. The allure of these two veterans is that if Sacramento took on either McCollum or Middleton, or both, it would set the Kings up nicely for next summer's free agent class.

Washington has a young and talented core of Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Bilal Coulibaly. The Wizards also have Kyshawn George and added former Houston Rockets player Cam Whitmore.

Oct 15, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) controls the ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller (22) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

LaVine and DeRozan played on the Chicago Bulls together for multiple seasons. If neither of the Kings' wing players appears lucrative for the Wizards, perhaps Sabonis would be a solid pairing next to Sarr. Either Marvin Bagley III or Tristan Vukcevic would be moved in the deal for Washington to make room for the former Indiana Pacer.

As the season progresses, if Sacramento is outside of the playoff picture and players get disgruntled in the locker room for an under-performing Kings team, Washington should inquire about the following assets to improve the Wizards' roster going forward.

Washington and Sacramento won't play each other until after New Years. The Wizards visit the Kings mid-January and then play host on February 1. By then, the two teams should know where they stand in their respective conferences.

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