Eyes should be on the Sacramento Kings this summer as they could look to shake things up under new general manager Scott Perry. The obvious trade candidates include Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan, as Sacramento needs to alter its core to escape purgatory as the Western Conference's version of the Chicago Bulls.
However, the player that should be of interest to the Portland Trail Blazers is a surprising name: last year's lottery pick, Devin Carter.
Blazers should capitalize on Kings' front office chaos
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto recently reported that "Sacramento has gauged the trade market on guards Malik Monk and Devin Carter" as they look to acquire a first-round pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. The Hawks have the Kings' No. 13 overall pick this year due to the Kevin Huerter deal in 2022.
Perry seems eager to start the retooling process by adding his own selections that better align with his vision. The Blazers should capitalize on Sacramento's front office incompetence and Perry's impatience by trading for Carter.
The Providence guard was a highly coveted prospect entering the draft who many deemed as a steal by Sacramento at No. 13. He was limited to just 36 games due to injury and didn't get a significant role when he did play, averaging just 11 minutes and 3.8 points per game.
Devin Carter is the defensive piece Portland's backcourt needs
Guards typically take longer to develop in the NBA, and Carter still has plenty of time to return his lottery pick value.
The Oklahoma City Thunder showed the championship blueprint as a team with multiple defensive pests out on the perimeter between Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace.
Perhaps Scoot Henderson can eventually become that with his athleticism, especially with Chauncey Billups to help guide him. But the reality is that Portland's backcourt is still far from having one of those players. Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe are their two worst defenders.
Portland's backcourt is preventing them from becoming a truly elite defensive team despite their multiple frontcourt pieces. Adding a two-way guard like Carter would be a perfect role player to help the Blazers separate themselves defensively -- something they'll need to do to become contenders.
How can the Blazers land Carter without overpaying?
While we would love the Blazers to pursue adding Carter to their young core, we're also hesitant to swap the No. 11 pick (and a salary filler) straight up for him. He was a later pick than that in a weaker draft class and hasn't necessarily shown enough to suggest the Kings landed a steal up until this point.
The Blazers should consider trading back in the draft to land multiple first-round picks with someone like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, or Brooklyn Nets. Oklahoma City has all 15 players under contract for next season and could look to consolidate picks as one route to help solve that luxurious problem.
Could the Blazers acquire picks 15 and 24 from the Thunder, then flip one of those for Carter? It's at least worth exploring.