What does Kevin Huerter's arrival mean for Sacramento Kings?

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Take a swing.

After landing Malik Monk on a two-year, $19 million free agent contract on Thursday, Kings general manager Monte McNair added another shooter to his arsenal Friday via trade.

According to a league source, Sacramento acquired 6-foot-7 wing Kevin Huerter from the Atlanta Hawks for veterans Moe Harkless, Justin Holiday and a protected future first round pick.

The pick is lottery protected in 2024, top 12 protected in 2025 and top 10 protected in 2026. If it is not conveyed by 2026, the pick dissolves into two future second round selections.

This is a move that swaps out two fringe players for a player who will either start or be one of the first men off the bench. If the Kings walked into the offseason down three or four rotational pieces, that number has been cut to one or two after the draft, a free agent signing and a trade.

Huerter's name has been mentioned plenty of times in a potential swap to the Kings including Hawks teammate John Collins. But a solo trade seemed to come out of nowhere on Friday, surprising plenty of folks, including Huerter himself.

What does this signing mean?

McNair said the team would be looking for length and shooting during the offseason and Huerter provides both. The 23-year-old averaged 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 29.6 minutes per game last season for the Hawks. He played a total of 72 games, including 60 starts, mostly alongside a high-volume scorer in Trae Young.

On paper, Huerter is a perfect fit next to De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento. He’s an excellent shooter from the perimeter, knocking down 38.9 percent from 3-point range on 5.8 attempts per game. He’s one of the better spot up shooters you’ll find, earning an excellent grade from Synergy and finishing in the 87th percentile in the league.

In addition to his ability to knock down long range shots, Huerter is really strong in the mid-range as well. From 3-10 feet he shot 48.1 percent last season and from 10-16 feet, he hit 50.9 percent. There is a chance these numbers increase when he’s put into two-man situations with a passing big man like Domantas Sabonis.

Huerter is a solid creator for others, although he’s used to playing with high usage players on the perimeter. A low usage player (17.5 percent), Huerter has a career assist rate over 15 percent and he posted a 2.7-to-1.2 assist-to-turnover rate.

Whether he finds a home at the two or the three, Huerter is a likely starter next season for the Kings. He’s entering the first year of a four-year, $65 million contract that pays him $14.5 million this season and caps out at $18 million in 2025-26.

Sacramento increased their overall team salary for this season by $3.6 million and took on an additional $50.5 million in salary over the next three seasons with both Harkless and Holiday expiring.

What issues might this create?

The pros outweigh the cons when it comes to Huerter. At 6-foot-7, he has great size and versatility and his perimeter shooting makes him a perfect pairing with both Fox and Sabonis. Where the issues lie are on the defensive end.

In Atlanta, Huerter was asked to do a lot on this side of the ball playing alongside Trae Young. Known as a below average NBA defender, Young needed someone to pick up the slack and take on the tougher guard.

Huerter ranked in the 55th percentile amongst NBA defenders, allowing just .928 points per possession. He is listed as a very good defender against spot shooting and post ups. He’s also very good against jump shots.

Where Huerter struggles is in isolation and off of screens. He ranks in the 28th percentile in isolation opportunities and in the 22nd percentile in screen situations.

Like Monk, a lot of Huerter’s pluses and minuses could be situational. He could look better playing alongside Fox in the starting lineup than he did next to Young in Atlanta. He could also struggle even more when he trades out a shot blocker like Clint Capella for the Hawks with a positional defender like Sabonis in Sacramento.

What happens next?

There is plenty of time to add another back end of the rotation player with the team’s bi-annual exception. There is also a chance that McNair makes another major trade with Harrison Barnes entering the final year of his contract.

While the roster isn’t complete, it’s clearly better than it was a week ago and likely better than the one that began or finished last season. The Kings have lost Damian Jones (Lakers) and Donte DiVincenzo (Warriors) in free agency, but they’ve gained Huerter, Monk and rookie Keegan Murray, who are all rotational pieces.

So far, McNair has added length and shooting, which was the prerequisite for the summer. One more roster shake up could catapult the Kings deeper into the playoff conversation, but they are running low on assets.

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