Trade talk: How Jamarra could decide Ben King's future

Footy is still more than four weeks away but trade talk and the whispers around potential player movement never sleeps.

Over 100 players are eligible for free agency this year and the list includes some of the biggest names in the game.

Lachie Neale has been linked to a move West, while his Brisbane teammate Zac Bailey is also top of the watch list along with Zak Butters, Sam Walsh and Ben King.

It’s highly unlikely a week will go by without the aforementioned names, and others, being discussed by coaches, but for Sam Edmund and Kane Cornes, the one of most interest is whether the Suns will keep King.

“The player movement space has already started,” Edmund told SEN’s Fireball. “Zak Butters, Sam Walsh, TDK we were already discussing the Saints offer.

“Neale is almost certainly in his last year and for Fagan to have already given him his blessing to leave I thought was significant.

“Can Ben King be tempted out of Gold Coast? Many clubs have tried and failed. Can they re-sign him? That will be a huge story throughout the year.”

What decides King’s fate could lay in the hands of whether troubled star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan can pull together a strong maiden season at the club.

The ex-Bulldog, whose personal issues were well documented throughout 2025, has been given a lifeline with the Queensland club.

“If Jamarra can have a big season it enables the Suns to lose Ben King and scoop the pool, you’d get three first round picks for him," Edmund said.

“If Jamarra goes big, the flow on effect for the Suns is huge.”

Cornes was inclined to agree but felt the Suns had perhaps not shown King the love he deserved.

“King is a restricted free agent so they could match the deal and trade. They could get a King’s ransom for him,” he said.

“He is a player I don’t think they have loved with all due respect. His BnF finishes don’t reflect the influence he has had. I don’t feel like they’re in love with him.

“He is one-dimensional, I’m suggesting to you they’re not in love with him and he could be surplus to their needs.”