NBA Insider Reveals Kings Left Unexpected Player Out of Trade Talks

The Kings were tied to Johnson for what felt like a lifetime, but a deal never came to fruition, and now we know more on why. Carter was the 13th pick in the 2024 draft and had a slow start to his rookie year due to a shoulder injury that caused him to delay his NBA debut until January. But former GM Monte McNair was high on his potential even with the injury and slow start to his career.

In 36 games, Carter averaged 3.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on 37% from the field and 29.5% from three on 11 minutes per game. The numbers don't represent his full impact, as he played pesky defense and had a nose for the ball, but it was a bit of disappointing season overall from the young guard.

Looking back at the season as a whole, it's hard not to wonder what could have been if Monte McNair had been willing to include Carter in a deal for Cam Johnson.

De'Aaron Fox, among other players on the Kings, grew frustrated with the Kings not being able to close deals and bring in more talent, especially on the wings. Sacramento consistently struggled when they played teams with size or athleticism, something Johnson could have instantly helped with.

Instead of taking a position of strength at the guard position and swapping out Carter for a wing in Johnson, the Kings lost Fox when he requested the trade, and stumbled to a play-in loss for the second straight season.

It's hard without knowing the exact details of what the trade would have been, but it feels safe to say the Kings would be in a better position now had they made the deal for the sharpshooter in Cam Johnson.

But instead, Scott Perry is left with a roster full of shooting guards, one of which is Carter. The 23-year-old guard is listed as a point guard, but watching him it doesn't feel like he's a true point guard, and could fit in better as a defensive minded shooting guard similar to Keon Ellis.

If early indications and reports are accurate, it's clear that Perry doesn't value Carter as much as McNair did. Now we just have to wait and see what he does with the second-year guard as he reshapes the roster.