Trade Deadline Preview: Can the Sacramento Kings save the season with one trade?
The NBA trade deadline is just a few days away and the Sacramento Kings are expected to be active in discussions around the league. No one knows exactly what Sacramento hopes to accomplish by the Friday afternoon cutoff.
Dewayne Dedmon is an obvious trade candidate after requesting to be moved in late December. Nemanja Bjelica has recently picked up some momentum as a player that could help a playoff team. And there is still some uncertainty around Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is due for a big payday this summer.
But one option that can’t be ruled out is a last-ditch attempt by the Sacramento Kings to launch themselves back into the playoff race. A disastrous season for the Golden State Warriors and disappointing starts from the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs have left the Kings only six games out of the eight-seed.
It would take a serious infusion of talent to help the Kings leapfrog five teams ahead of them in the standings, but there are a handful of quality players out there that are rumored to be available.
Here are five trades the Sacramento Kings could try to make in a desperate dash to salvage the season.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
Sacramento gets: Kevin Love
Cleveland gets: Cory Joseph, Dewayne Dedmon, 2020 second-rounder, 2021 second-rounder
It’s crazy that it has to be said, but Kevin Love is still a very good player. He’s been mostly forgotten on a bottom-five team and injuries have kept him off the floor with nagging regularity. His contract is a bit of a beast as well, clocking in at $120 million across four years.
But Love is averaging 17.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 42 games this season. His shooting splits of 45.4% on field goals, 38.4% from 3-point range and 84.4% on free throws are all above his career averages. And while Love’s defense appears to be slipping, some of the blame for that belong to his inexperienced supporting cast in Cleveland.
The size of Love’s contract should make him easy to get for cheap. Cory Joseph and Dedmon would serve as matching salary and give Cleveland a couple of role players who will essentially become expiring contracts next season. If the Kings want to upgrade their roster without sacrificing their future, Love might be their best option.
2. Detroit Pistons
Sacramento gets: Andre Drummond
Detroit gets: Cory Joseph, Dewayne Dedmon, 2020 second-rounder, 2021 second-rounder
Sacramento’s biggest problem for years now has been rebounding. Andre Drummond would solve that immediately. He’s on pace to lead the entire league in boards for the third straight year. He’s also flirting with career-highs in blocks, steals and points per game.
Drummond has displayed his displeasure with his current team, and trade talks have begun. If the Kings want to get involved, it probably won’t cost them all that much. He has a pricey player option next season at $28.8 million, but the length of Drummond’s contract is not a concern.
This would end up being just a one- or two-season rental for Sacramento, but that is probably more attractive to the Kings than adding a long-term contract like Love’s. The financial commitment required to take on Drummond would be off the books by the time De’Aaron Fox gets a big raise on his second contract.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (Part One)
Sacramento gets: Steven Adams
Oklahoma City gets: Cory Joseph, Dewayne Dedmon, 2020 first-rounder (lottery protected)
Steven Adams is similar to Drummond in many ways and has a nearly identical contract situation. Adams’ production isn’t at the same level, but that’s partially because Oklahoma City has a lot of options ahead of him. Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari are high-usage players, while Drummond has very little talent around him in Detroit.
Those players around Adams also help when it comes to winning games. That’s the big difference here in terms of price. Oklahoma City has far more leverage than Detroit would in any deal for their starting center. If the Thunder don’t find the right deal, they will be perfectly happy to stick with what they’ve got and try to win a playoff series.
To get Adams, the Kings would have to offer a draft pick that at least has a chance to end up in the first round. Sacramento can’t risk giving up an elite prospect, but perhaps lottery protection would work for both sides. In other words, if Sacramento makes the playoffs, then their pick goes to Oklahoma City. If they miss the playoffs then the pick is deferred into two second-rounders.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (Part Two)
Sacramento gets: Danilo Gallinari
Oklahoma City gets: Kent Bazemore, 2020 first-rounder (lottery protected)
Danilo Gallinari is another trade target on the Oklahoma City Thunder that is reportedly available for the right price. The 31-year-old stretch forward has been an elite bomber this season, averaging 19.2 points per game on the strength of his 41.0% shooting from 3-point range.
Gallinari is also on the smallest contract of any player on this list. His deal expires after this season, so as long as a team has enough outgoing salary to make the deal work then finances don’t need to be considered further. Conveniently for Sacramento, the recently acquired Kent Bazemore fits perfectly.
The Kings will need to balance things out with draft assets. Again, Sacramento can’t afford to lose a first-rounder while also missing the playoffs, so lottery protection will be required no matter what. The price may seem steep for a player on an expiring contract, but Sacramento would probably pay a lot to break their playoff drought.
5. Philadelphia 76ers
Sacramento gets: Al Horford, Mike Scott
Philadelphia gets: Cory Joseph, Dewayne Dedmon, Nemanja Bjelica, 2020 second-rounder, 2021 second-rounder
Al Horford was supposed to be the piece that put the Philadelphia 76ers over the top as championship contenders this season. Things haven’t gone as smoothly as expected, and his fit alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid has been less than ideal. Those fit issues are a serious problem when paired with the size of the contract Horford received over the summer.
Horford, already 33 years old, is on a four-year contract worth $109 million. What’s worse is Philadelphia has more money committed to its roster for next season than any other team in the league. It’s likely the 76ers will come in above the luxury tax for several seasons if they don’t trade a major piece.
The Kings could save the 76ers from cap hell by offering several cheaper options. Joseph would fit nicely into the Philadelphia’s defense-first mentality while Nemanja Bjelica would give them some much-needed shooting. A lottery protected first-round pick may need to be included, but there’s a chance that the 76ers bite on less. If that chance is there, the Kings should take it.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 10:42 AM.