Sacramento Kings acquire Chris Duarte from Indiana Pacers

UPDATE

July 6, 2023 – 1:00 PM PST

Following a week of uncertainty regarding the Indiana Pacers’ return in a trade that would send guard Chris Duarte to the Sacramento Kings, the details of the deal are now coming into focus.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings will send two second-round picks (2028 from Dallas and 2030 from Sacramento) in return for Duarte, the 13th overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft.

The Kings are acquiring Pacers G Chris Duarte for two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Pacers will receive a 2028 second (via Dallas) and the Kings' 2030 second-round pick. Trade will be finalized today.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2023

Now that the July 6th, 9:01 AM PST deadline has passed, players are allowed to sign with their new teams officially and trades can be processed through the league office, meaning that Duarte will likely become a member of the Kings by the end of the day, Thursday.

With Duarte in the fold, Sacramento now has 14 players under contract as the offseason rolls on.

Original story from June 30th

On the morning of the start date for the NBA’s free agent period, Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair is already cooking up moves.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings are nearing a trade agreement with the Indiana Pacers to send guard-forward Chris Duarte to Sacramento.

The Indiana Pacers are nearing a trade sending guard Chris Duarte to the Sacramento Kings for draft compensation, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2023

Over two NBA seasons, Duarte holds career averages of 10.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 41 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range over 101 appearances (51 starts).

Duarte, 26, is owed $4.1 million this season with a $5.9 million team option for the 2024-25 season.

After thriving during his rookie season in 2021-22, Duarte struggled to find his footing during 2022-23. The former Oregon Duck suffered an ankle injury early in the season that lingered throughout the year, resulting in low shooting percentages and 36 missed games.

Duarte and Kings center Domantas Sabonis connected often on the offensive end during the 2021-22 season, with the big man using his slick passing skills to find his teammate on the perimeter.

McNair’s move to acquire Duarte comes just over 12 hours following the news that Sacramento has reached an agreement on a three-year, $54 million extension with longtime forward Harrison Barnes.

With Barnes’ $18 million and Duarte’s $4.1 million taken into account, here’s what the Kings’ current cap situation looks like as we move closer to the 3:00 PM PST start of NBA free agency:

Assuming Chris Duarte is traded into cap space with the Kings, here are the updated cap space projections for both Indiana and Sacramento:

Pacers – $34.5M
Kings – $13.5M

SAC could choose to stay over the cap, create a TPE for Holmes & use that bring in Duarte. All TBD!

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 30, 2023

Duarte’s role on the Kings could be similar to that of impending free agent Terence Davis, as Sacramento will be bringing in a player that can be slotted into the backup shooting guard or small forward positions.

The three-point potential in Duarte’s game is there, as the sophomore shot 37 percent from deep (255 attempts) during the 2021-22 season, with many of those baskets assisted by Sabonis.

For this deal, the Duarte-Sabonis partnership is my main takeaway. As rumors swirl regarding a potential Sabonis extension, McNair is surrounding the All-Star with players that he is fond of–first Barnes, now the former Pacer in Duarte.

My favorite Sabonis-Duarte connection. Point Sabonis reads the help and throws the cross-court dart to Duarte in his preferred left corner.

Duarte from the left corner: 39.2%
Duarte from the right corner: 28.3%

He almost exclusively moves to his left to evade closeouts. pic.twitter.com/xEzDmvQTry

— Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) June 30, 2023

Sacramento Kings Offseason Schedule

• Friday, June 30– Free Agent negotiating period begins
• Monday, July 3rd & Wednesday, July 5th – California Classic Summer League at Golden 1 Center
• Thursday, July 6– Free Agents can begin signing deals
• Friday, July 7–Monday, July 17– NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
• August TBD– 2023-24 NBA regular season schedule release
• September TBD– Sacramento Kings training camp begins

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