Uncertainty continues to swirl around the future of star Gold Coast Suns forward Ben King, with Suns head coach Damien Hardwick confirming the club is prepared to explore trade options if the restricted free agent confirms his intention to depart in the coming weeks. King’s emotional post-match celebration following the Suns’ 16-point victory over St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night has fueled widespread speculation that his seven-season tenure on the Gold Coast is drawing to a close. After kicking the match-winning goal and finishing the game with three total majors, the 24-year-old spearhead was visibly tearful as the team sang their club song, a moment widely interpreted as a farewell to the club that drafted him in 2018. Over his seven seasons with the Suns, King has scored 315 career goals, establishing himself as one of the league’s most reliable young key forwards. But the Victorian native has long been tipped to request a move back to his home state, and recent reporting indicates Hawthorn has emerged as the leading suitor, after early speculation linked him to Collingwood. Under AFL free agency rules, the Suns hold the right of first refusal on any contract King signs with a rival club: if the Suns choose to match the competing offer, King will be forced to move via trade, rather than leaving as an unrestricted free agent. Hardwick acknowledged the situation in his post-match press conference, framing the impending decision as a standard part of the league’s current free agency system. “Look, it is what it is, that’s free agency, that is what our game is, we have the last right of refusal, so that’s obviously something we will consider,” Hardwick told reporters. “He was obviously quite emotional post game, so it might possibly be his last game, we’re not quite exactly sure. Once I know, you guys will know – he will make his thoughts clear.” While the club waits for King to formalize his decision, Hardwick said the Suns’ list management team has already begun preparing for a potential departure, pointing to the club’s existing pipeline of young attacking talent as a solid foundation to build on. “But obviously we’ve got some younger players, we’re really excited about Ethan Read, we’re really excited about Jed Walter. We’ve got Jamarra Ugle-Hagan who’s had a pivot year, he’ll be better when he comes back,” Hardwick said. The coach also openly acknowledged that a King exit would leave the Suns needing to add experienced attacking depth, even issuing a public call for available veteran forwards. “We probably need another experienced player, so if there’s any experienced forward out there that wants to come to our footy club, give me a call,” he said. When asked specifically about the possibility of targeting out-of-favour GWS Giants goalkicker Jesse Hogan as a replacement for King, Hardwick declined to comment on any specific targets, noting the club’s priority remains on the current 2025 season. “Oh, look, we’ll make list management decisions throughout the year sort of thing. We’ll work our way through that process, once again, head is firmly in this year. We know what we need moving forward, so we’ll discuss that,” he said.