Kings Should Target Recently Waived Mavericks Forward

Prosper is by no means in the same conversation as Kuminga in terms of skillset or potential, and not even in the same tier as Russell Westbrook, even with Westbrook's age, but he does fill a need that the Kings desperately need to address.

Prosper is 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, making him a true wing that can play either the small or power forward position. Throughout his two years in Dallas, he predominantly played the power forward spot, and even lined up at center 37% of his time last season, according to Basketball Reference.

His numbers don't jump off the page, as he averaged 3.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists last season on 40.2% from the field and 23.5% from three, but he has all the tools to be an impactful player on the defensive side of the ball.

Looking at his defensive on/off rating, the Mavericks had a defensive rating of 109.5 when Prosper was on the court, and 115.2 when he sat, good for a difference of -5.7. That's a significant drop in defensive rating (negative is better for the stat) that could help balance out the Kings offense heavy lineups.

The problem is that Prosper hasn't shown enough on offense to stay on the floor and make an impact. Unfortunately, the same splits for offense are worse for Prosper, as the Mavericks had a 115.0 offensive rating when he sat, which plummeted to 101.8 when he played.

But for the Kings, they need defense, especially as they're attempting to build a defensive identity during Scott Perry and Doug Christie's first season together. They also don't currently have anyone who comes close to Murray's skillset.

Prosper doesn't come close to Murray's offensive potential, but he could theoretically fill in on defense perfectly behind Murray, something Isaac Jones and Maxime Raynaud don't appear capable of doing. Both players are intriguing options for next season, but they aren't prototypical wings like Prosper is.

Signing Prosper after all the back-and-forth around Jonathan Kuminga would feel like a letdown, but it's an extremely low risk signing that doesn't hurt to explore. Prosper is on the older side for a third-year player at 23 years old, but wings are harder to come by ever in today's NBA landscape.

If there's a chance to bring in a former first-round pick as a late offseason flyer, Perry should at least call on Prosper. Either that, or hopefully, he has another plan up his sleeve to bring in more wing depth to help out Murray and the rest of the front court.