A Kings vs Warriors game is on the horizon, scheduled for Thursday, January 25. Usually, I feel pumped for these games. It might not be fair to call it a rivalry, but the matchups between these two NorCal teams are often some of the most exciting contests of the season. The Round 1 series in the 2022-23 NBA Playoffs definitely made this clear to a broader audience of fans. But this time is different. The Golden State Warriors seem to be falling apart, heralding the end of their dynastic era. The big question is how close the Warriors are to cleaning house and trading away everyone not named Stephen Curry. So, as a Kings fan with soft spot for the Warriors, I’m going to take a stab at making some (soft) Kings Warriors trade predictions here.

The Sacramento Kings can clearly use a bit of a makeover as well. They suffered a mortifying late-game collapse against the Phoenix Suns on January 16 as part of their first 4-game losing streak since the start of the 2022-23 regular season. They don’t look like the same team that finished 3rd in the West just a season ago. A number of players on the team have suffered from shooting slumps at various points this year. And with a notoriously weak defense, this is a team that cannot afford to shoot poorly. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the Kings’ problems are this year, but they just seem to lack grit. So let’s talk Kings Warriors trade predictions.

Kings-Warriors Trade Potential
Let me be clear at the outset that I’m not a basketball trade architect. I don’t pretedn to know all the ins and outs of matching player contracts to come up with detailed realistic trade predictions. But I do want to make the case for why the Sacramento Kings might be able to benefit from some combination of 3 key Warriors players: Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins.

One key connection between the two teams is Kings head Coach Mike Brown. Brown was a major component of Steve Kerr’s coaching staff for 3 of the Warriors’ championship seasons. That includes the one that Andrew Wiggins was present for in 2022. It’s reasonable to think that there could be a mutual benefit for both Mike Brown and each of the players in this trio, given their familiarity with one another. But there are more specific boons that I think each player could provide for the Kings.

Draymond Green
Yes, Draymond Green is shambling around with leper-like levels of untouchability right now. After returning from a lengthy suspension, it is still unclear if he’s truly committed to controlling his level of physicality (and jackassery) on the court. For that reason, there are a lot of questions about him. Is it worth taking a chance on him? Will he be able to finish the season, or will he just relapse and be forced into an early offseason? How good would he really be on a team without Stephen Curry? These are all very legitimate concerns. But, on the flip side, there are some major positives he could bring to the Kings in a Kings Warriors trade.

Defense
As I mentioned (as if anybody needed me to), the Sacramento Kings’ Achilles heel is defense. And if there’s one thing Draymond Green has been known for in his career, it’s defense. More specifically, it is his defensive IQ that is well-known and unmatched across the league. He has always had a keen sense of where he needs to be on the court, where his teammates need to be, and how to bark out the right commands to get the chess pieces moving effectively. Beyond all of that, he often coaches his guys in between plays.

If the Kings did acquire Draymond, the worst case would be him acting out and getting suspended for the rest of the season. But even that worst-case scenario might be worth it for the Kings, whose defense is in dire need of a vocal captain to steer the ship, on or off the court.

Fiery Energy
Draymond’s other calling card, is, of course, his fiery personality. Even when he’s not choking out opponents, he’s been known to get ejected for his loud mouth. But this, too, is something the Kings really could benefit from. When things are going well, you can see the energy and enthusiasm in everyone on the team. But in rockier times, they just seem deflated. There’s nobody on the roster who gets angry when losing, nobody to scream and shout and wake everyone up. It has, in fact, been a long time since the Kings had anyone who fits that profile. Draymond is the basketball king of fiery emotion.

Klay Thompson
Shooting
Klay Thompson comes with his own set of question marks. Despite playing a big role in the Warriors’ 2022 title run, he hasn’t looked the same—offensively or defensively—since his ACL and Achilles injuries a few years back. On top of that, he’s looking like he’s way in his own head this season. Steve Kerr had to call him out, sit him down, and get real with him about how much his attitude seems to be weighing the team down. Still, the guy’s track record as a long-range shooter is about as elite as it gets, short of his splash bro Steph Curry. And he seems to have been especially fond of Mike Brown. So, who knows, maybe a change of scenery can bring out some of the old Klay.

Mentorship
As with Draymond, even if Klay’s on-court game is in an irreversible downward slide, his value as a potential mentor shouldn’t be overlooked, especially for Keegan Murray. In some ways, Klay Thompson and Keegan Murray are very different players. But Keegan’s two biggest growing edges are the two things that Klay excels at: on-ball defense and fearlessness. Murray has taken a big step as a defender this season, regularly taking on some of the team’s toughest defensive assignments. But there is still room for improvement. And while he’s still shooting the ball pretty well this season, he hasn’t looked quite as sharp as last season, when he broke Donovan Mitchell’s record for most 3-pointers scored by a rookie.

Part of the problem seems to be a real hesitancy to shoot. Mike Brown has yanked him out of the game on more than one occasion for passing up an open shot. You know who never passes up an open shot? Klay mothaf***ing Thompson. Both guys have similar soft-spoken introverted temperaments. But Klay uses this to his advantage: he never hesitates because he has honed an unparalleled ability to tune out the rest of the world. I could see Klay being a truly effective mentor for young Keegan Murray, helping him turn his quiet personality into a strength rather than a weakness.

Andrew Wiggins
Team Canada
Andrew Wiggins is perhaps this biggest wildcard of all. The former #1 overall pick has often been criticized for his seeming lack of effort on the court. Critics say he’s failed to live up to his potential, even labeled a bust by some. His important role in the Warriors’ 2022 championship run made it seem like he had finally found a home where he could flourish. But this season, he’s back to disappointing folks.

It’s tough to imagine him drawing much interest from around the league. However, he’s still relatively young and has performed well at times. Plus, in addition to his Mike Brown connection, he’s got a fellow countryman in Brown’s right hand man, Jordie Fernandez, who was recently named as the Head Coach for Team Canada. Wiggins expressed interest in playing for Jordie Fernandez on the international stage, so it might be a good fit at the NBA level as well.

A New Home
At this point, I know it’s naive to say that all Andrew Wiggins needs is a change of scenery. But I wouldn’t completely discount that possibility. Personality-wise, Wiggins definitely seems to fit in better with the Sacramento Kings’ roster of more mild-mannered players like Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes. Maybe the championship-or-bust mentality of the Warriors’ fans and organization, the effusive celebrations from Curry, and the explosive emotions of Draymond Green were just not a good fit for Wiggins after all.

Kings Bargaining Chips
I assume Fox, Sabonis, and Murray will remain off the table. I’m also going to exclude Malik Monk because of how critical he’s been for the success of the bench unit. Perhaps equally significant is his companionship and chemistry with De’Aaron Fox, with the two playing together in college for Kentucky. But the following players could be enticing reasons for the Warriors to open up trade talks.

Kevin Huerter
Nicknamed Red Velvet, Kevin Huerter has probably struggled more than anyone else on the team with his shooting this season compared to last. Still, he was an incredible sniper for most of last season, even drawing praise from Kevin Durant for the quickness and smoothness of his release. And earlier this month he notched a new career high of 31 points in a game. He’s still young and there’s real room for optimism that he can regain his shooting form. He could work especially well for a team like the Warriors that has long been a dreamlike destination for shooters.

Keon Ellis
Another shooting guard who may be somewhat alluring for the Warriors is Keon Ellis. He hasn’t had a ton of playing time in his career as a King, but he’s seen more action this season, with Davion Mitchell periodically falling out of the rotation. And he’s shown some real potential. He’s young, he’s long, he can defend, and he can shoot. He’s not a fully proven player, but it’s possible he just needs a bit more runway on a rebuilding team.

Sasha Vezenkov
If the warriors ditch Klay and Wiggins, they might be in the market for a stretch forward like Sasha Vezenkov, the Euro League MVP that the Kings brought in this season from overseas. Vezenkov has been inconsistent this year, with plenty of hot stretches, but plenty of cold snaps as well. It’s a bit of a gamble. But right now, he’s flying under the radar and could be snagged for a far less-than-premium offer in a potential Kings Warriors trade.