The Sacramento Kings were in a much different position a month ago. Now, they are trying to capitalize on their recent hot stretch with a long-awaited trade.

The Kings are expected to be active on the trade market. Brooklyn Nets wing Cameron Johnson has emerged as their primary target, although other teams, like the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder are all expected to be in the running for him.

Evan Sidery, who covers the NBA for Forbes, reported Thursday the Kings and Utah Jazz have had exploratory conversations centered on Jazz forward John Collins. A deal for Collins would likely include Kings guard Kevin Huerter and forward Trey Lyles.

The Sacramento Kings have long sought their place in the NBA spotlight. After ending a 16-year playoff drought last season, expectations in Northern California are higher than ever. Powered by the dynamic duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis,

The doom and gloom in Sacramento seems to have largely disappeared. There were points of the 2024-25 NBA season where the Sacramento Kings were included in all sorts of potential teardown rumors. Now, they are being positioned as aggressors in the pursuit of adding talent to the roster.

The Sacramento Kings have been rolling since replacing Mike Brown with Doug Christie, going 9-2 under their new head coach. However, given the amount of talent dispersed around the league, they can’t afford to rest on their laurels.