Kings mailbag: Will Vlade Divac move Dedmon? Is he asking too much for him?
The NBA trade deadline is only days away. If Kings general manager Vlade Divac is going to trade center Dewayne Dedmon or make any other moves, he will have to do so by noon Thursday.
Point guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Marvin Bagley III are viewed as cornerstone pieces in this latest iteration of the rebuild in Sacramento. Buddy Hield’s contract situation makes him very difficult to trade before the offseason. Those players aren’t going anywhere, but everybody else on the roster could be the subject of trade talks this week as the deadline approaches.
What will the Kings do? You have questions and we have answers in this week’s mailbag.
@Kcook700 asks: Likeliness of there being another trade before the 6th?
There is a high likelihood the Kings will make at least one more move before the deadline. Dedmon requested a trade more than a month ago after falling out of coach Luke Walton’s rotation. Dedmon has looked more active and engaged recently after returning to the rotation — and even the starting lineup — but he’s only playing because Richaun Holmes and Bagley are out due to injuries.
A league source told The Sacramento Bee the Kings would be open to the idea of reconciliation, but Dedmon’s camp has not indicated they feel the same way. The Kings have been in no rush to accommodate Dedmon’s trade request, but now they’re up against the clock.
Other names that will come up in trade conversations this week include Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica. Bogdanovic could become a restricted free agent this summer, but the Kings are confident they can match offers for him. They are unlikely to move him before the deadline, according to a league source, but they have to listen with reported interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets and possibly others. Bjelica will command interest as a quality stretch big on a team-friendly deal.
The Kings would happily hold on to both players, but they might get some intriguing offers this week.
@Jwick_89 asks: How can we get rid of Dedmon? Is Vlade asking for too much for him?
Perhaps, but time has been on Sacramento’s side. That will change as we move closer to the deadline. The Kings would do well to simply unload Dedmon’s salary after signing him to a three-year, $40 million deal over the summer, but you can’t fault them for trying to get something in return or avoid including draft pick compensation in the deal.
@Douglaslwhite asks: Why has Harry Giles received limited playing time? Is there an issue with the Kings training staff being transparent to fans and the NBA regarding player injuries?
Giles is healthy and has appeared in 16 of the past 17 games, including four starts. He had a season-high 16 points and matched his season high with eight rebounds in Saturday’s loss to the Lakers. Giles was hurt at the start of the season — and way behind on the depth chart by the time he returned — but to my knowledge he’s been healthy since early November.
There has been some discussion about a lack of specificity in the way the team has described injuries to certain players. The team believes it has followed NBA guidelines. It’s something we will continue to monitor.
@SacKingsBooster asks: What can be done to get Harrison Barnes back on track? Any idea what’s behind his slumping production?
The most glaring change in Barnes’ game is the decline in his 3-point shooting. He is shooting just 33.9 percent from beyond the arc this season. Last season, he shot 38.9 percent in 49 games for the Dallas Mavericks and 40.8 percent in 28 games for the Kings.
Barnes is also attempting fewer 3-pointers. According to basketballreference.com, only 32.4 percent of his field-goal attempts have come from 3-point range this season, down from 42.9 percent in 2018-19.
The Kings like to play Barnes at power forward in small-ball lineups, but they have had to play him there more this season given injuries to Bagley and Holmes. Last season, Barnes logged 62 percent of his minutes with the Kings at small forward, according to basketballreference.com. This season, 54 percent of his minutes have come at power forward.
The Kings have featured Barnes in a lot of isolation situations in the post this season. He might benefit from more spot-up opportunities from the perimeter.
@RanchoShay asks: Will Bagley ever play again this season … and will it be for more than a game?
I can’t answer that question, but I can tell you the Kings plan to reevaluate him following the All-Star break. Bagley has appeared in only 13 games this season. He missed 22 games with a broken thumb and then missed eight more with a sprained foot. Now he’s out again after aggravating the foot injury.
The lost time has been significant in terms of Bagley’s on-court development. The Kings would love to have him healthy and available for the last 25 games or so.
