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Kings Emerge as Best Fit For Cavaliers' Breakout Guard

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zachary Rainey | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 7:11 PM ET

The Sacramento Kings are at a relative crossroads. They're not quite good enough to compete for a top seed in the Western Conference, but also not quite bad enough to bottom all the way out and try for a considerable draft pick.

The Kings shocked many when they traded the face of the franchise, De'Aaron Fox, after making puzzling decisions not to draft Luka Doncic and instead select Marvin Bagley. In return, they received Zach LaVine, reuniting him with DeMar DeRozan. Fans of the Chicago Bulls could tell you the limitations of a team led by those two.

Kings emerge as best fit for Cavaliers' breakout guard

As a result the Kings have an opening at the guard position. While Malik Monk is still under contract, he's not a traditional point guard. In a recent piece by ESPN, Bobby Marks highlights teams that could be in the mix for Ty Jerome who made a substantial leap forward with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Marks highlights the Kings among others that would make a good fit for Jerome for a four-year, $40 million deal.

"Atlanta, Brooklyn, Charlotte and Sacramento all have a void at starting or backup point guard and have the full $14.1 million non-tax midlevel exception available to offer," wrote Marks. "A starting salary of $10 million is comparable to the extension T.J. McConnell signed with the Pacers last season."

Jerome's ability to facilitate was highlighted down the stretch of the season and could be a great fit with players like DeRozan, LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, while they bring along second-year guard Devin Carter, who the Kings selected at No. 13 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The Kings don't have a first-round pick in next week's NBA Draft, so a signing like this could be just what they need to improve the roster and improve upon their loss in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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