Even in the NBA, the possibility exists for enemies to become friends on certain occasions.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings once captured the attention of the broader sports world as the league's most entertaining rivalry in the early 2000s.
Circling back to present-day, the contending Luka Dončić and LeBron James-led Lakers could soon attempt to play nice with their in-division foe, as the storied franchise would stand to gain an underrated, seldom-used difference-maker from the lowly Kings through a savvy transaction.
According to Forbes' Evan Sidery, the Kings' skilled two-way guard and elite three-point shooter Keon Ellis has been eyed by rival executives and other prospective trade suitors, potentially giving the Lakers a shot at acquiring one of the NBA's most efficient up-and-coming three-and-D talents.
In fact, if the Kings are prepared to initiate a fire-sale towards the deadline, the Lakers' former No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Dalton Knecht could be dealt in an effort to acquire the gritty guard.
Following the 21-time All-Star James' long-awaited season debut in a 140-126 win against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, the Lakers' general manager Rob Pelinka has surely began to scour the trade market for ways to surround the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer and the 26-year-old phenom Dončić with complementary pieces for a reduced price.
In essence, a trade for the 25-year-old Ellis would check all of those boxes if a deal for Knecht were to cross the finish line.
Through his first 15 appearances for the Kings in 2025-26 with limited opportunities to shine, Ellis still figured out a way to increase his trade stock.
Ellis has contributed 6.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals while connecting on a blistering 42.9% of his attempts from three-point range, a figure that matches his outstanding career shooting clip from distance.
While his wonderful catch-and-shoot skillset already makes Ellis the perfect match for Dončić as a hypothetical backcourt partner, his defensive intangibles are what makes him a notable candidate to wind up with the Lakers to help solidify their status as true contenders in the Western Conference.
With a defensive box plus-minus figure of 1.7 to this point in the season, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard has shown time and time again that he can handle virtually any matchup on the perimeter. As a result, he'd be able to cover for the slower-footed Dončić on the defensive end night in and night out, allowing the incredible offensive initiator to conserve more energy.
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