NBA Rumors: Vivek Ranadivé still looking for All-Star status as signings of DeRozan and McDermott fall short of Kings’ ambitions

The Kings go all in! Earlier this summer, they made one of the biggest trades of this offseason by signing superstar DeMar DeRozan. But it looks like the hunt for team owner Vivek Ranadive is not over yet. In a surprising move earlier this week, they traded Jalen McDaniels and cleared millions in cap space, giving them the flexibility to add another star. And the Kings used some of that money to sign sharpshooter Doug McDermott. But with Ranadive having more money to spare, he might have his eyes on a bigger fish.

According to veteran insider Mat Issa, the Kings are likely to make further moves following the recent signing of McDermott. Your primary goals? Zach LaVine and Brandon Ingram. Yes, although the Kings’ roster already consists of several All-Stars, Ranadive is looking for another superstar to boost their title ambitions. Additionally, LaVine and Ingram have been the subject of trade rumors throughout the summer, making them perfect targets.

Well, BI is in the final year of his contract and is expected to make $36 million this season. While the Pelicans claim they want Ingram to stay with the team, they were hesitant to offer him the extension he wanted. Meanwhile, the Kings have expressed interest in trading the star forward since the start of the offseason. But even if they are $5.8 million under the luxury tax threshold, it will be very difficult to add Ingram as he is reportedly seeking an annual salary of around $50 million on his next contract.

Unfortunately, trading LaVine presents a similar dilemma. While the Bulls are actively looking for deals for him, the high flyer still has over $138 million left on his current contract over the next three years. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons teams are hesitant to add him. Yes, he scored 20.5 points in his career. However, he missed most of last season due to injury and there are concerns about his ability to play in the playoffs.

Obviously, adding either star would mean the Kings would have to give up a lot of assets. Therefore, Ranadive needs to be very careful about his move from this point forward as he currently has a solid squad.

The signings of DeMar DeRozan and Doug McDermott are a huge improvement for the Kings

Yes, Vivek is still busy pursuing other stars. But he’s done a good job so far. With the DeRozan trade, he brought an experienced, multiple All-Star onto the team who is also one of the league’s best performing players. He averaged 24 points last season and finished second for the Clutch Player of the Year award. Additionally, DeMar has been dominant in a Kings uniform so far, as he impressed in his preseason debut by scoring 15 points on a perfect shooting night. And he continued that form, scoring a total of 41 points in his next three appearances.

Doug is now a great addition to the squad. Yes, he’s not a star player like the Kings would have liked, but he’s still a solid backup player who can excel on both ends of the court. And he even impressed Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle with his performance last season. “Another guy who runs, runs the floor and plays well in the defensive system.” Additionally, he is also a 41 percent shooter from distance in his career, making him a major offensive threat. And if he contributes the same way in Sac Town as he did last season with the Pacers, the Kings have a legitimate chance to get out of the West. Do you agree?