The next player most likely to be traded after Keon Ellis is Dennis Schroder going to the Cavs
The first big trade of the NBA Trade Deadline season has happened! The Cleveland Cavaliers were the first team to make a significant move as the Feb. 5 deadline approached. The Cavs traded DeAndre Hunter to Sacramento Kings for fan favorite Keon Ellis and callu Dennis Schroder.
With the Kings on the verge of a trade, expect another trade in the coming days. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reports on that great quarterback Malik Monk is the next player on the trading block for Sacramento as they look to recoup draft funds for a lost season.
“As for the Kings, they’re not doing either before the trade deadline,” Siegel reports. “Sacramento has called about Domantas Sabonis, as well as DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk over the last few weeks. Of the three, Monk is the player the Kings are shopping the most.”
It’s worth noting that Monk is listed as questionable for today’s game against the Washington Wizards. This could indicate that the Kings are indeed preparing to trade the guard and protect him from injury.
Ellis was asked a few days before he was traded about the rumors. The The former Kraljevo guard put a positive spin on trade rumors.
“It’s always great to be wanted because that’s not always the case,” Ellis said when asked by HoopsHipe how he feels about seeing his name linked to so many teams interested in him. “It’s definitely good that other teams see the value in you.”
At 12-38 this season, the Kings are in last place in the Western Conference. In a year where the West field seems incredibly competitive, Sacramento is far from even sniffing the play-in tournament. That’s the primary reason the team trades its stars to teams looking to compete in the postseason.
That being said, the Kings aren’t doing a good job of rebuilding their starting cap, if that’s their plan at all. The return for Ellis and Schroeder was Hunter, a perfectly serviceable wing, but he doesn’t necessarily move the needle in either direction. It’s an underwhelming comeback for a situation that was already less than ideal for the team.
2026-02-01 16:25:00
