Kings mailbag: Will Monte McNair trade Nemanja Bjelica? Should he trade Buddy Hield?
The Kings have returned to the West Coast following a successful East Coast trip that featured wins over the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans. Their only setback was a one-point loss to the Miami Heat with Jimmy Butler back in the lineup.
The Kings missed a stop along the way after two games against the Memphis Grizzlies were postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The postponements delayed the start of the trip, spared Sacramento the misfortune of beginning a six-game road swing with a back-to-back set in Memphis and provided the Kings some much-needed practice time after playing 16 games in 31 days to start the season.
The Kings (9-11) won four of their last five going into Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics (10-8) at Golden 1 Center. They are playing better basketball following some strong performances from De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Tyrese Haliburton and Richaun Holmes.
The progress of Marvin Bagley III has been encouraging as well, despite his father’s social media antics, but fans still have questions about these Kings. Can they keep winning? Can coach Luke Walton keep his job? What will general manager Monte McNair do with players like Hield and Nemanja Bjelica as the trade deadline approaches? Let’s discuss in this week’s Kings mailbag.
Note: Some questions have been edited for length or clarity.
Latest news on Nemanja Bjelica
@sactowntalk asks: What’s up with Nemanja Bjelica? Are there any trade rumors surrounding him?
This has been the subject of some confusion and a little mystery, but the bottom line is Bjelica would welcome a trade and the Kings are quietly working on it. League sources tell The Sacramento Bee the Kings explored trade possibilities involving Bjelica around the time of the NBA Draft in November and will continue to work through their options leading up to the March 25 trade deadline.
Bjelica hasn’t appeared in a game since Jan. 9. His 10-game absence started as a coach’s decision, then was described as being due to personal reasons and then was attributed to back spasms. Sources with knowledge of the situation told The Bee there was no personal issue for Bjelica. Playing time, however, was an issue.
Bjelica started 137 games over the past two seasons, playing a key role for a team that was in contention for the playoffs before falling short both years. The 32-year-old power forward averaged career highs of 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting a career-best 41.9% from 3-point range last season.
This season was different from the start. Three of Bjelica’s countrymen departed when general manager Vlade Divac and assistant Peja Stojakovic resigned front office positions and Bogdan Bogdanovic went to the Atlanta Hawks as a restricted free agent. Then Bjelica was moved into a backup role so the Kings could fast-track the development of Bagley, who missed all but 13 games due to injuries last season.
Despite limited playing time, Bjelica shot 57.1% from 3-point range over the first five games as a reserve, but his minutes dwindled and then disappeared. Walton said he was experimenting with different groups in hopes of solving the team’s defensive problems, but he repeatedly said the coaching staff still had confidence in Bjelica and would work him back into the rotation.
Bjelica was not listed on the team’s injury report for Wednesday’s game against the Celtics, so apparently he is no longer suffering from back spasms. We will see if Bjelica continues to sit out or returns to the rotation — whether that’s to help the team or improve his trade value — but it’s probably only a matter of time before McNair makes a move.
Should Kings trade Buddy Hield?
@sgb916 asks: Some Kings fans want to trade Buddy Hield. He’s a top shooter, he’s gotten better on defense and, used correctly, has fewer turnovers. Yes, he’s making $20 million, but do you think a mid-to-late first-round draft pick and money will replace 20+ points per night and the spacing he provides?
This is a question that probably keeps McNair up at night with all kinds of math happening in his head. Few players in the league space the floor like Hield, who made more 3-pointers over his first four seasons than any player in NBA history, but that only tells part of the story.
Hield is clearly making an effort to communicate and compete at the defensive end, but the struggle continues. Opponents are shooting 54.6% against him this season, up from 50.3% last season. His defensive win shares have dropped from 1.5 to 0.0 and his defensive box plus/minus is down from minus 1.4 to minus 1.7.
The Kings are 29th in the NBA in opponent field-goal percentage at 48.3%. Opposing shooting guards are averaging 30.8 points per game against the Kings, the highest figure in the league, according to hoopsstats.com.
These numbers must improve if the Kings are going to become a winning team. Can they improve with Hield on the roster, making upwards of $86 million over the next four years? That’s a math problem McNair will have to solve.
Wins and losses
@DaveSaech asks: Will the Kings reach 15 wins before they reach 15 losses?
The Kings would have to win six of the next nine to get to 15-14. That would be awfully impressive for a team that was 5-10 a week ago, but it seems unlikely given the schedule.
The Kings will play their next four games against the Celtics (10-8), Denver Nuggets (12-8), Los Angeles Clippers (16-5) and Philadelphia 76ers (15-6), all topflight playoff contenders. Then the Kings will play the Magic (8-13), Grizzlies (9-6), Brooklyn Nets (13-9), Heat (7-13) and Chicago Bulls (8-11).
The Celtics, Magic, Heat and Bulls will be on the second night of a back-to-back when they face the Kings. The Kings will be on the second night of a back-to-back against the Clippers and Nets. There are some winnable games there, and maybe even a couple of surprises, but we probably won’t see the Kings get over .500 during such a difficult stretch.
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 6 vs. Denver Nuggets, 2 p.m.
Feb. 7 at Los Angeles Clippers, 12 p.m.
Feb. 9 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 12 vs. Orlando Magic, 7 p.m.
Feb. 14 vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 6 p.m.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
