Kings pondering lineup and roster changes with Bagley out as trade deadline approaches
Kings coach Luke Walton and general manager Monte McNair will have a number of lineup and roster decisions to make over the next nine days as the NBA trade deadline approaches.
Walton has to make an immediate change in the starting lineup after Marvin Bagley III suffered a broken hand in Monday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets, a devastating blow that came a day after his 22nd birthday. Walton’s first inclination might be to start Nemanja Bjelica, but league sources told The Sacramento Bee that Bjelica is likely to be traded before the deadline. In addition to finding a new home for Bjelica, McNair will have to make some big-picture decisions regarding veteran players such as Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes.
These are critical days in Kings Land. The injury to Bagley complicates the situation and cripples what little depth the team had. Bagley broke his hand in a 122-116 loss to the Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where rookie teammates sang happy birthday to him after practice a day earlier. Bagley left the game shortly before halftime and did not return.
An X-ray taken at the arena revealed Bagley suffered a fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his left hand. The injury represents another big setback for a player who has appeared in only 111 games in three seasons since coming out of Duke as the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
“I really feel for him,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “He’s put in so much hard work this year. I’ve said all year long he’s continued to make really big strides and he was putting together a heck of a game tonight. We’re going to miss him out there on the floor with us. … I told him it’s a really tough break and it’s another bump in the road, and the journey is never easy. It’s never easy for individuals and it’s never easy for teams. If it was, everyone would do it.”
The long-term prognosis for Bagley is unknown. In the meantime, Walton will have to fill out a new starting lineup when the Kings (15-24) visit the Washington Wizards (14-24) on Wednesday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The Kings said an update regarding Bagley’s course of treatment will be provided in the coming days. The injury will likely sideline him at least three to six weeks, with eight weeks remaining in the season. In some cases, with more complex fractures, recovery time can take several months. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry missed more than four months last season after fracturing the second metacarpal in his left hand.
Bagley’s latest injury setback further clouds his future and the situation in Sacramento as the March 25 trade deadline draws near. The Kings have already picked up Bagley’s $11.3 million fourth-year option for next season. They can sign him to an extension before the 2021-22 season begins or let him become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2022.
The Kings prioritized the development and evaluation of Bagley this season as part of McNair’s “gap-year” plan to build a winning team around guards De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. Bagley struggled early but has shown significant progress at both ends of the floor, averaging 13.9 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 36.2% from 3-point range in 36 games. In recent weeks, Bagley showed nice timing, rhythm and touch around the basket while demonstrating improved chemistry with Fox, giving the Kings a glimpse of what the future might look like with a young core of Fox, Haliburton and Bagley.
“It sucks because he’s been healthy all year,” Haliburton said. “I know he’s battled with injuries since high school, so it sucks. He’s been playing really well. He’s been getting a lot better throughout the year.”
Trade rumors
The first two players Walton will turn to at the power forward position are Barnes and Bjelica, but they are the players most often mentioned in trade rumors in recent weeks. There has also been some speculation about trading Holmes, Hassan Whiteside and Cory Joseph.
The Kings are not overly eager to trade Barnes, who is in the second year of a four-year, $85 million contract. Some viewed the deal as an albatross contract when Barnes re-signed with the Kings in 2019, but that doesn’t appear to be the case now given his veteran presence, production, efficiency and declining salary structure. The Boston Celtics have been pegged as a potential suitor for Barnes, but The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported the combination of first-round picks and young players the Celtics could offer would probably not be enough for the Kings.
Bjelica is in the final year of the three-year, $20.5 million deal he signed in 2018. Bjelica started 137 games over the past two seasons and enjoyed a career year in 2019-20, but his role was reduced this season as the organization prioritized the development of Bagley. Bjelica has returned to the rotation in recent weeks, but sources continue to tell The Sacramento Bee he will be traded before the deadline.
Holmes is in the final year of a two-year, $9.8 million deal. He came to Sacramento to compete for backup minutes at center, but he immediately established himself as the starter. Holmes posted career highs across the board last season and has improved on those numbers this season, averaging 13.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocked shots while shooting 65.3% from the field.
Holmes has positioned himself for a much bigger payday this summer as an unrestricted free agent. If the Kings are willing to pay that price, Holmes could be a long-term fit in Sacramento. If not, McNair has to at least consider trading Holmes for future assets before he walks away in free agency without compensation.
Whiteside came to the Kings this season on a one-year, minimum deal for $2.3 million. He has provided much-needed size and rim protection at times, but he has appeared in only 23 games, averaging 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game. The Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored as a potential landing spot for Whiteside if the Kings part ways with him.
Whiteside has been out since Feb. 21 due to health and safety protocols, but he could return any day to provide some frontcourt depth. He was listed as questionable going into Wednesday’s game against the Wizards.
New starting lineup
With Bagley out for the foreseeable future, Walton will have to decide on a new starting lineup. He could simply start Bjelica in place of Bagley or he could choose to start Haliburton in a three-guard lineup with Barnes at power forward and Holmes at center.
Walton tends to prefer more size in the starting lineup to avoid matchup problems, but starting Bjelica would only be a temporary solution if he is about to be traded. The popular choice would be Haliburton, who appears to have a very bright future as a starter in Sacramento, but Walton must decide if this is the right time to thrust him into that role.
Haliburton, the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Iowa State, has been far better than the Kings could have dreamed. He is averaging 12.5 points, 5.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 42.3% from 3-point range. He is the two-time reigning Western Conference Rookie of the Month and a leading Rookie of the Year candidate behind LaMelo Ball, but he has struggled since returning from a calf injury and is still under a minutes restriction.
“I’ve been awful,” Haliburton said. “I’m just trying to figure it out right now, get my rhythm back, because I thought I was playing pretty well before I got hurt. I’m just playing really bad right now. Just got to be better.”
For the first time this season, Haliburton’s confidence appears to be a bit shaken.
“Whether I start or don’t, right now I’m struggling pretty bad,” he said. “I just want to win. If I had four points and we won the game, I wouldn’t be like this, but I know what I can do to help us win basketball games. I’m not doing that right now. I’m frustrated with myself and with the injury, but it is what it is. I’ve got to be better. However many minutes I play, I’ve just got to be better.”
Walton wouldn’t say what he intended to do with the lineup in the immediate aftermath of Bagley’s injury on Monday, but he didn’t rule out of the possibility of starting Haliburton.
“His minute restriction was at 28 tonight,” Walton said. “At 28, you can make that work in the starting lineup. … As the minutes get higher, it gets easier to (start Haliburton) if that’s the route we go.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
