The Sacramento Kings' latest move, in which they traded their 2025 first-round pick, Nique Clifford, to the Oklahoma City Thunder for two second-round picks, raises some questions about the front office's trade logic in Sacramento. If the Washington Wizards find themselves buying at the trade deadline or before, Kings forward Precious Achiuwa makes a lot of sense as a trade target.
It's been well documented that the Kings aren't exactly the gold standard for NBA front offices or asset management. Despite this, they have a few talented players who will surely garner a lot of interest on the trade market, with Achiuwa near the top of the list.
The Wizards' bench has struggled to score the entire season, and the team as a whole hasn't been great when it comes to rebounding, ranking 26th in the league in that department, despite Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, and Deandre Ayton playing large minutes. Achiuwa is a low-cost, high-production player who could help in both of those areas, and the Wizards might be able to get away with lowballing the Kings.
Precious Achiuwa would be a big addition to the Wizards bench
It was sort of a shock when Achiuwa chose to re-sign with the Kings in the offseason, considering he ended last season playing some of the best basketball of his career and assuredly had numerous suitors. Through March and April of last season, Achiuwa averaged 15.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Even with those numbers being on a tanking Kings team, they're impressive nonetheless.
This year, he's gotten off to a solid start too, averaging 10.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on 53.5 percent shooting. The Wizards' bench, outside of Ayton, offers virtually no rebounding, and Achiuwa would help tremendously in that regard.
Achiuwa wouldn't really help the spacing on the team, since he's around a 30 percent 3-point shooter in his career, but he can put the ball in the hoop, another thing the Wizards' reserves have struggled with this season.
What would the Kings look for in return?
Currently, Achiuwa is on a one-year, $5.4 million contract. If they're to entertain offers for Achiuwa, they'll likely look for younger pieces to build alongside Darius Acuff Jr. One name that could be particularly intriguing for the Kings is Bilal Coulibaly.
It's been a tough season for Coulibaly, as his offense has continued to be a major work in progress. The Wizards are looking to take that jump into playoff contention, and with them already declining to give Coulibaly an extension and letting him test restricted free agency, it could signal that a split is coming. They could trade Coulibaly straight up for Achiuwa instead of potentially losing him for nothing in the offseason.
The Kings are a perfect team to give Coulibaly big developmental minutes, as well as get a nice young perimeter defender next to Acuff. The Wizards would get someone who can give their bench and their team's rebounding an immediate boost, and both teams could walk away happy if this hypothetical move is made.
Add us as a preferred source on Google