Kings still subject of trade rumors as NBA lifts moratorium days before draft, free agency
.JPG "Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) shakes hands with teammate Buddy Hield (24) during their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018.")
The Kings will be open for business under new general manager Monte McNair when the NBA lifts the trade moratorium at 9 a.m. Monday, a move that is expected to unleash an avalanche of activity around the league.
The Kings have already come up in trade rumors involving Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic. McNair also has plenty of draft assets that could be used as trade chips, including the No. 12 pick and three second-round selections in Wednesday’s NBA draft. McNair has already made it clear he sees value in those assets and the draft itself, signaling he would expect nothing less than equal value in return.
“Draft picks are an absolutely essential way of building a team in this league,” McNair said in his introductory news conference in September. “I’m excited to have the 12th pick this year. I think it’s a deep and talented draft class.”
The Kings have the NBA’s longest active playoff drought after 14 consecutive losing seasons. They are in danger of matching the longest postseason drought in league history next season, but McNair is more concerned with setting his team up for sustainable success.
“Going forward we’re going to maintain our flexibility,” McNair said. “Obviously we want to compete for the playoffs, but we know we have some work to do so my goal is to keep that flexibility and be aggressive whenever the time comes to improve the team.”
McNair could choose a number of different paths to reshape his roster, but he will have to do it quickly. In a normal offseason, key dates pertaining to the trade moratorium, the NBA draft and the start of free agency would play out over a period of months in the spring and summer. This year each of those dates will arrive one right after the other — all over the next five days — in a delayed and incredibly compressed offseason.
Trades can be consummated Monday, the draft will be held Wednesday and free agency will begin Friday. Training camp is set to begin Dec. 1 with season openers scheduled for Dec. 22.
Some teams were already wheeling and dealing before the moratorium ended. Sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday the Los Angeles Lakers were acquiring Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder in a deal that can be formally agreed to Monday and finalized after the draft. ESPN also reported the Brooklyn Nets were emerging as a preferred possible trade destination for former MVP James Harden if he parts ways with the Houston Rockets.
Bogdanovic linked to Bucks
Bogdanovic, 28, will become a restricted free agent after turning down a four-year, $51.4 million extension last October. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard averaged a career-high 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season, shooting 37.2% from 3-point range.
Former general manager Vlade Divac wouldn’t have hesitated to match an offer in the range of $15 million to $18 million, but now McNair will be the one making that decision. McNair has called Bogdanovic an “incredible talent” with offensive versatility and “winning qualities.”
The Kings will have the right to match any offer Bogdanovic receives. It’s unclear how high the bidding will go in a tight free-agent market, but Bogdanovic is a respected player who will certainly command attention.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania initially reported the Milwaukee Bucks were interested in bringing in Bogdanovic to add shooting and playmaking around two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and All-Star Khris Middleton. ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently reported the Bucks “love” Bogdanovic and have talked about the idea of acquiring him in a sign-and-trade agreement that could also include Kings forward Harrison Barnes.
Hield and the 76ers
What the Kings do with Bogdanovic may depend on what they plan to do with Hield.
Hield, who will turn 28 before the season begins, averaged 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season. He shot 42.9% from the field and 39.4% from 3-point range. No player in NBA history has made more 3-pointers (873) over his first four seasons in the league.
Hield made it clear he was unhappy after being moved into a backup role behind Bogdanovic last season. Trade rumors have swirled ever since. The most persistent rumors involve the Philadelphia 76ers, who are in search of shooting to space the floor for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Hield fanned the flames on social media, liking a number of posts linking him to the 76ers.
The Kings signed Hield to a four-year, $86 million deal in 2019 that could be worth up to $106 million with incentives. Ultimately McNair might decide to go a different direction in an effort to gain financial flexibility and make the team better defensively, but it certainly won’t be because he undervalues Hield’s shooting ability.
“I think we all know in this league spacing is of the utmost importance,” McNair said in September. “Buddy is one of the absolute elite shooters in this league and we’re going to be able to utilize that skill set as we implement our system.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
