I don't know why the Sacramento Kings are entertaining the idea of trading Devin Carter. But they legitimately seem to be, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line / Bleacher Report, and the Lakers should immediately pick up the phone and find out what it would take to pry Carter — who was a first-round pick last year — from the Kings.
Sacramento's reasoning for dangling Carter on the trade market is to make room to sign free agent Russell Westbrook. That would be one of the most irresponsible front office moves I've ever seen, but that's not the Lakers' problem! Carter could be a splendid fit off the bench for the Lakers, and pairing him with Luka Dončić could be a fun backcourt wrinkle for JJ Reddick. The asking price can't be too high for Carter either, considering the Kings have basically no leverage in the situation; the whole league knows they want Russ, and the only way they can get him is by making this trade.
I also think the Lakers should be willing to "overpay" for Carter, whatever that may entail. Giving up a future protected first-rounder should be considered if that's what it takes to ensure they acquire Carter. And if that sounds like too much, remember that getting Carter would be nearly equivalent to adding a first-round pick. He was a lottery pick (No. 13 overall) last year and there's no reason at all that teams around the league should be lower on him now than a year ago.
Carter didn't have a particularly auspicious start to his NBA career, through no fault of his own. He had surgery less than a month after he was drafted and was sidelined from July until January. Carter didn't have much of an offseason last summer, so his 36 career games come with a huge asterisk. He's basically entering 2025-26 as a rookie when you look at the whole of the situation — making any judgment on him right now would be silly.
Devin Carter would provide defensive depth in the Lakers backcourt
As a prospect, Carter isn't projected to be much of an on-ball threat (hence why he could be productive next to Luka) but has the tools to be an above-average on-ball defender in the NBA, plus he shot nearly 38 percent from 3-point range in his final college season at Providence.
Right now, the Lakers backcourt is ostensibly sound on defense with Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent both expected to play big minutes, but Smart has played just 54 games in the past two seasons combined, and Vincent was better last year than he was in 2023-24, but has never quite produced how the Lakers hoped he would.
So, why not take a chance on Carter? He could provide the perfect change of pace when Austin Reaves goes to the bench and the Lakers need to balance offensive firepower with point-of-attack defending. I said a future protected first should be on the table, but I doubt it actually would take that much to acquire his services.
NBA teams are often scared to make moves because they're afraid of how the public will perceive them. Be bold, Rob. Go get Devin Carter. I promise the Kings aren't trying to pull a fast one here. They just have no idea what's going on, ever.