How the Kevin Durant, Rockets Trade Impacts the Kings

The Kings continue to explore options for almost everyone on their roster, and now that Durant is off the table, the question is who teams that missed out on the 15-time All-Star will set their sights on, and if any of those players are currently on the Kings.

It's been reported that DeMar DeRozan is a ' Plan B' for the Miami Heat, but it was also reported that the two teams haven't had any discussions involving the six-time All-Star. But now that the blockbuster trade is done, that might be subject to change.

It seems like a foregone conclusion that DeRozan will don a different uniform next year, and the Heat seem like a great fit for the veteran scorer. Miami has a multitude of players they could send to Sacramento in a trade, from a veteran like Andrew Wiggins to a young player like Jaime Jaquez Jr., or a contract they want to move off of in Duncan Robinson.

Compared to Durant, DeRozan should cost significantly less and allow the Heat to reshape their roster without losing as many assets as they would have in a deal with the Suns. DeRozan is no Kevin Durant, but the two share a similar skill of putting the ball in the basket that not only the Heat but many teams could covet in the coming weeks.

And turning our eyes North, the Toronto Raptors join the Heat as a team that struck out in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, and could look once again to bring in Malik Monk.

Much like the Heat, the Raptors are in a position where they have pieces to compete, but struggled last season to put it all together. With Brandon Ingram in town, they're likely in win-now mode, and the addition of Monk as either another starter or in the sixth-man role could help them make a push in the playoffs.

Unlike the Heat, the Raptors don't have as many players that make sense coming back to the Kings since the money of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett don't match up with Monk, but with enough creativity, a deal can likely be found.

All of this is to say that life just got a little bit easier for the Sacramento Kings. They have a great amount of talent on the team, but it just doesn't make sense together. That was the problem last year for Sacramento, and would be again next season if they don't make any changes, but when it comes to the trade market, it's a good spot to be in.

Between DeRozan and Monk, as well as Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings have a lot of directions they can go with this offseason. With the Finals ending and this Durant deal done, more fireworks could be close behind.