Kings Showing Trade Interest in Two All-Star Point Guards

Garland is coming off a season where he averaged 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 45.3% shooting from the field and 40.1% from three. He was a major factor in the Cavaliers winning an Eastern Conference best 64 games, and his injury in the playoffs was a major blow for the Cavs.

The 25-year-old guard is under contract for three more seasons, making $39.4 million next year, and $42.2 million and $44.9 million the following two. It was just announced that Garland underwent surgery on his toe, and will be out for four to five months.

But for the Kings, who aren't in a championship window, shouldn't sway them from targeting Garland. It's not often that a well-rounded point guard who is young, under contract, can score and facilitate is available. It's not going to be easy to replace De'Aaron Fox from a talent and production level, but Garland seems like the closest they can get this offseason.

The other reported guard of interest is Trae Young, who averaged 24.2 points, a league-leading 11.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 41.1% from the field and 34.0% from three.

While the counting stats beat out Garland, there's a big drop-off in efficiency between the two guards. Young is the type of player who dominates the game from a usage perspective, with his shooting and passing. And unlike Garland, Young is under contract for next season at $46 million and has a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season. That's not only a lot of money, but also uncertainty with a potentially even bigger contract extension on the way.

According to Afseth, the talks between the Kings and Hawks have stalled, but it's not uncommon for talks to pick back up throughout the course of an offseason, especially with the latest injury news around Garland.

The interesting part of Afseth's article was sprinkled in towards the end when discussing how the Kings prefer Garland over Young.

"[Young] has some fans in the Kings front office, but this trade construct has been met with resistance by Perry, sources informed RG. It’s believed that Sacramento values Garland over Young, though that stance was formed prior to news of Garland’s toe surgery."

The Kings have dealt with conflicting voices in the front office for years, and seeing similar reports this early into Scott Perry's tenure is a worrisome sign. The Kings need to do whatever they can to support Perry and his vision for the Kings. He was brought in to build a culture and future for this organization, and that all starts with this offseason.