Kings Rumors: Mason Plumlee Targeted in Trade; Richaun Holmes, Alex Len Being Shopped

The Sacramento Kings are in great position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006, and they are being mentioned frequently in trade rumors with Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline approaching.

Another one dropped Saturday, as the Kings have Charlotte Hornets center Mason Plumlee on their radar, per longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein, who also noted that the team is looking to deal big men Richaun Holmes and Alex Len:

"Sacramento has inquired about the availability of Charlotte's Mason Plumlee. The Kings are known to be shopping both Richaun Holmes and Alex Len while likewise hoping to make a defensive-minded upgrade or two in advance of the club's first playoff appearance in (no misprint) 17 seasons."

Plumlee is arguably having the best season of his 10-year NBA career, averaging career highs across the board of 12.3 points on 67.2 percent shooting with 9.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 28.4 minutes per game.

He would presumably slide in behind All-Star center Domantas Sabonis to provide frontcourt depth for Sacramento (29-22), which stands third in the Western Conference.

The Hornets would be best served jettisoning their veterans for whatever they can get since the team is second-to-last in the Eastern Conference with a 15-39 record. Plumlee will also become a free agent after this season, so his $8.5 million contract could be enticing to a team looking for a late-season rental en route to a playoff push.

As for the Kings' backup bigs, Holmes averaged 10.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game in 2021-22, but he has played just 9.1 minutes per game in 32 games in 2022-23.

Len has played just 43 minutes over 12 games this season. Like Holmes, Len got more playing time last year, and he averaged 6.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game.