Hi All,

Free Agency is imminent, I’m convinced that the Kings are in a position to capitalise on their great season but in order to do so they’ll have to make some sacrifices. Down below is a rough approximation of what I’d like their Free Agency to look like, headlined by a blockbuster trade for OG Annunoby.

So, the headline move, swapping Kevin Heurter, yes red velvet, for the most traded man in Bleacher Report articles since John Collins. Annunoby is seemingly the answer to most teams prayers but I really think his value would be maximised for the beam team.

OG is a mean wing defender, super switchable, suited to getting out in transition as the Kings love to do and a good enough spacer to keep that offence humming. I think in a movement based system you get the most out of him as a cutter having previously been victim of a crowded half court north of the border.

He also gives them plenty of versatility. You can emphasise size and switch ability playing OG, Keegan and Barnes next to Fox and Sabonis, or lean into that Fox Monk back court that lit up the playoffs last year. Bringing in an all-defence style wing means you can cope with having 2 small guards sharing the court at the same time and I genuinely believe that given even more minutes Monk shows himself to be a borderline all star level offensive player in the league.

Huerter is a huge loss but personally I’d back Keegan to maintain that movement shooting element as well as Monk and I even think the move for Duarte suggests that the Kings think they can replace his skill set on the cheap.

Other moves in FA include bringing back Trey Lyles and Alex Len, two players who held up in the playoffs last year as well as taking flyers on Cam Reddish to further deepen that wing spot and Darius Bazley who’s worth a gamble as a back up center, particularly with the security of having Lyles back.

What’s the ceiling on this team? I’m not sure, I’m still confident no one stops them on the offensive end if they’re all healthy. They become more versatile with a move like this and can throw Davion and OG at premier offensive players. They hold their own on the boards and have a deep roster, it’s not a Western favourite but I think this team would be in a better position than last years to make a deep playoff run.

Raptors: This is about reshaping the roster for the new coach, Dario Rajakovic. Darko loves movement and the Raptors lack spacing, swapping OG for Kevin clears the wing log jam they’ve got and adds an incredible shooter off movement and off the catch to play next to Huerter and Siakam.

If they believe in point Scottie and Pascal isn’t pushing for a trade I think you need to surround them with shooting, I love the idea of Scottie at the point with Kevin and Gradey at the 2 and 3, Pascal at the 4 and Poeltl manning the Center position.

It keeps a defensive infrastructure but just makes it a bit easier for those two big wings to operate.

Factor in that you’re adding valuable firsts and I think the Raptors should make this trade, ideally you move Pascal instead but long term it has to be one of him or OG.

Maybe you can get better pick based packages but Huerter adds an exciting dimension to the Toronto offence and eases the development of your “offensive engine” going forward.

Let me know your thoughts, what would you do if you were the Kings/Raptors,

Like and Flame!