Kings' trade for Davis from Raptors comes with mixed bag

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After bringing in Delon Wright, Moe Harkless and Chris Silva, the Kings made one more move before the 2021 NBA trade deadline came and went. In an under-the-radar move, general manager Monte McNair sent a second round pick to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for second-year guard Terence Davis.

On paper, it’s a nice addition to the Kings’ program on a low-risk deal, but off the court issues -- he involved in a domestic violence situation last year -- have Davis coming to Sacramento under a dark cloud. 

The talent is there, but this trade will take time to digest. Here is a closer look at the deal. 

The Money 

Davis makes just $1.5 million this season and is a restricted free agent this summer with a modest $2.1 million qualifying offer. He is under team control and the cost was the Memphis Grizzlies' 2021 second-round pick that the Kings acquired in the Garrett Temple trade in July of 2018.

The Player

Undrafted out of Ole Miss, Davis made the Raptors roster after a strong summer league showing two years ago and made the opening day roster. In his rookie campaign, he averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 16.8 minutes per game for a 53-win Raptors squad.

His breakout first season earned him NBA All-Rookie second team honors. He hasn’t had the same success in year two, but the Raptors are struggling as a whole.

At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Davis is a powerful athlete that knows how to finish at the rim. He shot 68.1 percent in the circle last season and 60.5 percent this season. He loves to play above the rim and is fearless as a dunker. 

In addition to attacking the rim, Davis also shot .388 percent from 3-point range as a rookie and 36.1 percent this season. He plays well off the ball, moves in space and is a strong cutter. 

On the defensive end, Davis is physical and rangy. He boasts a 6-foot-9 wingspan and is versatile enough to defend either backcourt positions. 

He can handle the ball, create off the dribble and can really push in transition. 

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The Fit

The Kings need bench scoring in the worst way. They addressed some of that with the addition of Wright, but Davis has the potential to be a double-digit scorer and he fits the mindset of the Kings’ current roster.

While he’s in his second season, Davis is further along in his development than either Jahmi’us Ramsey or Justin James. He is a player that will step in and instantly play minutes behind the starting backcourt of De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.

Conclusion

Davis and Wright could make for an exciting second unit, which the Kings have been lacking. There is a lot of potential for this pairing to push the tempo and build off of what the second unit brings to the table.

The clear downside of this trade surrounds Davis' legal issues. To date, most of the charges have been dropped and the Raptors stood by him. But it's still something that he carries with him to Sacramento as the remaining legal issues persist.

Davis the player is intriguing. If it weren’t for his off-court issues, the Kings would earn a high grade for adding a talented young player on a league-minimum deal that comes with team control and an extremely low qualifying offer. 

Grade: D

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