NBA Mock Trade: Kings Balance Out Roster in Deal With Nuggets

News around the Sacramento Kings has gone nearly silent, with the Jonathan Kuminga front appearing to be on hold, and Malik Monk looking more and more likely to return for another season. While rumors are quiet, that doesn't mean that we couldn't get a surprise trade as the Kings still have a drastic need to balance out their roster.

Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley detailed trade ideas for every team's best trade asset, and one of the trades involving the Kings would do wonders to balance out the team going into the season.

Sacramento Kings Receive: Peyton Watson

Denver Nuggets Receive: Devin Carter, 2027 second-round pick (via CHO)

For the Kings, trading Carter for wing depth feels like a no-brainer. They have too many guards on their roster as is, and that's before the potential signing of Russell Westbrook, which still feels like a likely outcome this offseason.

Carter averaged 3.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on 37.0% shooting from the field and 29.5% from three last season. Those numbers are low, even for a rookie, but Carter did have a solid final stretch of the season where he showed promise.

He has the defensive motor to be an extremely disruptive defender, and is a great rebounder for a guard, but his path to rotational minutes feels non-existent for his sophomore season with the roster as-is.

But there would be an opening for Carter to make an impact on the Nuggets, and more importantly, Carter could do so as a cheap contract for the next three seasons.

Watson has shown growth over his first three years in the league, but has just one more year left on his rookie contract before he gets a (likely) raise on his next deal. Buckley noted just that in his write-up about the trade.