Doable Commerce Locations For Kings Middle Richaun Holmes

For 16 consecutive seasons now, the Sacramento Kings have missed the playoffs.

At this point, there really is nothing that disappoints Kings fans given that their franchise has hit “rock-bottom” in the NBA and has been there for quite some time. Going out and trading for Domantas Sabonis at the trade deadline was a big move that opened many eyes across the league, but in the process, Sacramento forfeited a young, potential future All-Star guard in Tyrese Haliburton.

Heading into this offseason, the Kings continue to search for ways to improve their overall outlook moving forward and while they have some solid core pieces in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, this team is still many pieces away from being anything special.

Kings GM Monte McNair knows this and as a result, Sacramento is heading into the offseason with the mindset of being aggressive.

Having the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft has allowed them to explore possible trades in attempts to land another key weapon and should they look to make a deal ahead of or during the 2022 NBA Draft, the Kings could be inclined to move big man Richaun Holmes.

He did just sign a four-year, $46.5 million deal with the team last offseason, but the 2021-22 season was not kind to Holmes. Playing in just 45 games due to various injuries, Richaun Holmes’ overall effectiveness on the offensive end of the floor was down compared to the 2020-21 season and his overall minutes dropped by close to 20%!

Now, Holmes finds himself as a tradeable asset on the Kings’ entering the offseason, especially given that other younger options such as Damian Jones, Chimezie Metu and now Domantas Sabonis have begun filling the holes in this team’s frontcourt.

There is a very real possibility that Holmes will be on the move in the offseason and one of the following teams could look to add his services.

New York Knicks

Looking for their franchise point guard, the New York Knicks are a team that is very much looking to move up in this year’s draft, potentially into the Top-5, to end up with Purdue’s Jaden Ivey.

Heavily regarded to be the best combo-guard in this year’s draft class, Ivey could fill a lot of needs the Knicks have in their backcourt, hence why they have interest in potentially striking a deal with the Kings for their fourth overall selection.

In the process of doing so, the Knicks could also show a level of interest in someone like Richaun Holmes as both an asset and a “salary matcher” since Mitchell Robinson is going to be a free agent for them this summer.

Holmes plays a style similar to that of Robinson and being under contract for the next three seasons at an annual average value of $12 million per year, the Kings’ center offers a solid blend of interior scoring and rim-protection defensively.

Should they not want to open up their checkbooks for Mitchell Robinson, Richaun Holmes could be viewed by many within the Knicks’ front office as an affordable, short-term building block for them to have as they look to develop younger frontcourt options like Jericho Sims, Obi Toppin and whoever else they may bring in via the draft over the next few seasons.

New York just simply needs as much talent as they can get their hands on right now and should they look to make a move for the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft from Sacramento, it is not hard to imagine Richaun Holmes being an extension in a potential trade package there.

Toronto Raptors

Ever since they won the NBA Finals in 2019 and both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka left the franchise, the Toronto Raptors have been looking to add a new center.

Khem Birch, Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher played their roles in the Raptors’ frontcourt well this season and even Pascal Siakam saw some time at center, but one of the biggest needs of this franchise still lies in their frontcourt.

Adding an avid rim-protector and someone that can create second-chance scoring opportunities for their team is essential right now for Toronto, hence why Richaun Holmes could be of interest to them.

There was some talk ahead of the trade deadline during the 2020-21 season that the Raptors were interested in adding Holmes and while his contract may be a little shaky for a franchise like Toronto that is already tied down to some long-term contracts, Richaun Holmes can still play above his value if he can stay healthy.

Not having to be a focal point like he was asked to be in Sacramento, Holmes can play off of an All-Star big man in Pascal Siakam next to him in the frontcourt and he can also find a lot of success in pick-and- roll situations with All-Star Fred VanVleet being the Raptors’ primary ball-handler.

With there being rumors about the Raptors possibly being interested in moving OG Anunoby this offseason, it is not crazy to believe the Kings will view Anunoby as a possible trade target they could utilize to help them possibly end their playoff drought.

In doing so, the Kings could look to give up Holmes and possibly their No. 4 jumpsuit pick. The Raptors and executive Masai Ujiri are always looking for ways to get younger and build for the future, hence why Richaun Holmes could end up in their hands should Toronto look to go after Sacramento’s draft pick.

Charlotte Hornets

Showing interest in Richaun Holmes ahead of free agency last summer, the Charlotte Hornets could once again be in play for him this summer should the Kings look to move the 28-year-old big man.

If there is one team that desperately needs to evaluate their frontcourt and add an effective big man in the offseason, it is the Hornets. Cody Zeller was not the answer last season and this season, Mason Plumlee was not the best fit for them either.

Getting out of the Play-In Tournament region of the Eastern Conference is not going to be easy for Charlotte to do, but with a new head coach coming in and their young stars only going to get better, now is the time for this front- office to really bring in solid secondary talents.

Richaun Holmes is one of those types of talent and while he is not a focal point of an offense, he would thrive in a system that is predicated around LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier playing downhill towards the basket in pick-and-roll sets.

Charlotte was one of the quickest teams during the 2021-22 season in terms of pace, which is also advantageous to Holmes given that he is an above-average athlete for his position.

With the possibility of PJ Washington, Kelly Oubre Jr. and/or Mason Plumlee being on the move this summer in trade packages, it is not hard to believe that the Hornets could look to get a low-risk, potential high-reward deal done for a player like Richaun Holmes.

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