The NBA trade deadline has passed, and the Sacramento Kings made no additional moves. The Kings acquired Kessler Edwards earlier in the week.
The Kings had been linked to multiple players, either through reports or fan pining. Many of those players did end up getting moved today. Mason Plumlee went to the Clippers, but it cost LA Reggie Jackson, and Matisse Thybulle ended up on the Portland Trail Blazers.
There were a flurry of other moves throughout the league, enough that I’m still trying to process and think about what every team actually looks like now. But despite all the moves, it can be difficult to say if the Kings’ competitors improved or not today. The Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, and Suns all made moves at the deadline. The Kings stood mostly pat, and it’s hard to know for sure what offers or demands the Kings were up against.
I wish the Kings had been able to make a move to improve the bench, but the Kings front office has earned a little trust from me at this point. We’ll see how it all works out.
If the other available courses fare poorly in comparison to the one you’re on, then staying the course is the only sensible move.
I agree. Personally, I see next year as the year for Brown to make his mark. This year has been amazing, and the playoffs would be phenomenal. No desperation to make a deal that would risk the future.
I’m definitely disappointed, but I also don’t think the Kings necessarily had the assets to do something crazy and there’s something to be said for not disrupting existing chemistry. Guys I wanted like Vanderbilt, Plumlee or Thybulle all went for more than the Kings likely were offering. The Kings are well ahead of my expectations. Sure the West got better, but we’re still the ones in control of our own destiny and sitting in 3rd place. Let’s keep it going as long as we can, then look to make any bigger changes this offseason when we’ll have more options.
It’s going to be tight. Every team fighting for a playoff spot in the West made moves to improve their teams, even if some were at the fringes. The Kings can’t waver at all.
Sure, the Kings currently sit at #3, but if they somehow fall to the play-in or worse, while today’s big movers pass them in the standings, then Monte took the wrong path. Time will tell, but the remaining schedule is brutal.
We also have to hope we don’t have any major injuries the rest of the season. If Fox or Sabonis goes out, well….I don’t even want to think about that.
It’s the same for teams involved in deals this week. If Durant takes a bad step, I don’t know if they’d be able to score 100 points in a game.
Injuries are kind of like earthquakes in Southern California: It’s no an “if.” It’s a “when.”
That would be a problem even if they’d made a trade.
Very good point.
While there were some players who were traded that I would’ve liked to get, I’d rather have Monte make no moves at the TDL than make a move that’d hurt the Kings.
What path is that? What option was out there realistically that we think Monte missed the boat on? Plumblee? Thybulle? I have difficulty seeing how those types of moves prevent the “big movers” from moving by them.
Other than swinging for the biggest of names Durant, Kyrie, OG etc, I’m not sure what Monte could have done to really change the direction or ceiling of this team the last 28 game and playoffs. And I don’t think most of us think what the Kings would have to give up to land those types of players was probably worth it. So I’m not sure what path Monte missed out on.
That said, schedule is indeed tougher than it looked a couple days ago and top 6 likelihood may have taken a slight hit. But I don’t think landing Plumblee or Thybulle changes that at all.
Who is Plumblee?
Oh my…I’m ashamed. You nailed it.
McGenius or McMoron – that’s why he gets paid.
It’s also why he was signed to an extension.
Just my butt pulled guess – everyone (MM, WW, Mike Brown) agrees the climb up is a couple rungs above expected. I think they are still figuring it out – and other than a back up big for Domas, why mess with your core (at least 6 maybe 8!) Domas, Fox, Barnes, Huerter, Murray, Monk- then Lyles and Mitchell.
Not all that glitters is gold, the saying goes.
Ride the wave! Make the playoffs. See where it goes from there
my $0.02
P.S. There is still the waiver wire after all this flurry
Every year trades at the deadline are supposed to make the team better. In reality, this strategy is successful about 51.43587% of the time. Kings will be just fine.
Saddiq Bey was the only guy who got moved where I thought the Kings could’ve matched the price. Other than that, yeah, let some other team spend their assets rearranging deck chairs.
I still don’t understand how that one went down. Wiseman for Bey, then Bey for 5 second rounders from ATL? Why the hell did Detroit take Wiseman from G.S. rather than 5 second rounders for Bey? What the hell is Detroit doing?
Maybe they are Kangzing
They want all the former #2 overall picks.
Maybe their version of buying and flipping distressed houses. I’m surprised they didn’t trade away bojan.
They want to team up Wiseman and Bagley. Duh.
Assembling a starting 5 of busted #2 picks. How old is Derrick Williams?
They prefer injured #2 picks – Lonzo is maybe available. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as well.
It’s a bit of a weird hex or something
If you think the Kings didn’t have any good options or assets to make a move now, wait until Harrison Barnes becomes a free agent. They’ll have less.
They may re-sign Barnes.
That’s not adding talent. And it’s also likely going to be a bad deal on the downside of a player’s career.
I would have sold high on HB, assuming there was interest.
HB will probably be a solid player through his mid-30s. Fox is the one I am worried about for his next contract.
Yeah athletes are aging better and better and Barnes takes care of his body like few others. He’ll be more than worth the 3-4 years you give him.
You mean a Kings team that just made the playoffs for the first time in forever?
Okay, I’ll take that and see if Barnes is willing to accept a 3yr/45M deal…if not, you move on from there. I’d much rather have Barnes for the rest of this year’s run than trade for draft capital. Worry about the rest later.
Really, the core of this team is Fox/Ox/Murray (and maybe Monk) so the remaining pieces added/removed in the off-season. It’s much easier to attract good role players when you are coming off of a playoff run (Sac will never be in the FA star market, but role players are gettable).
This is like shouting to light the beam towards the end of the third quarter.
We aren’t there yet.
Upgrading backup C spot or wing depth were both fairly gettable – even with some of the deals that happened.
Bit disappointed – I would gather we held out and then market went quicker and nobody wanted what we’d been offering after KD news lit a fire under others.
Gotta say, I’m pissed at what the Lakers were able to accomplish. They made some solid moves and are a better and younger team then they were a few weeks ago. Turning Westbrook into Vando, Beasley, and Russell is far more than I could have imagined them getting.
Even the Warriors were able to scrap some value out of Wiseman by basically turning him into GP3 while saving tens of millions in tax.
I don’t know how the Lakers keep most of the NBA under some kind of spell, but there has never been a shortage of teams that are willing to hand over valuable assets and eat the Lakers’ mistakes. It’s baffling.
Revenue sharing 😉
Totally agree. I’m baffled by the Westbrook trade. Russ is worth a better and younger fit at PG, a 3&D role player, AND an athletic defensive prospect? How much do these teams think that ’27 pick is worth? Or are we still telling ourselves Russ is an MVP caliber player?
Utah isn’t even going to play him. They gave up Conley, Vando and Beasley for a 2027 1st. That’s basically it.
I think they wanted to clear Beasley and Conley’s salaries for next season, as well.
Their salary adds up to $30M guaranteed next year. That’s probably the worth of another first round pick. But 2 firsts for those three players still seems light. Maybe Ainge gave Conley to the Timberwolves out of pity after the Golbert heist.
I’m not sure why the Jazz are clearing cap space. Utah might be the worst free agent destination in all of the NBA.
Free agency isn’t the only way to utilize cap space. They could package a few of their first rounders and the cap space to bring in a star player or push the rebuild by taking on bad contacts for more picks.
Not when it’s Malik Beasley and Mike Conley it’s not. I think they wanted to clear the decks and start rebuilding, as well.
I get it. I think the Jazz made a tough trade today to make a smart move tomorrow. You’re not getting much for Beasley or Conley at any point, you might as well get the best deal you can and move on from there.
Vando was a guy who wasn’t necessarily a permanent fixture there, either. It just is what it is.
That 2027 1st might be pretty valuable, its two years after LBJ’s current contract expires in 2025 (if James takes the PO) but I assume James signs at least another 2yr contract extension at a higher $/per yr instead of taking the PO. That might be the 1st post LBJ Lakers draft pick.
The trade itself is still confusing though, I thought the Jazz could’ve gotten a better return than this for each of Beasley and Vando if traded separately.
It’s crazy. Why do GM’s care about trading for first rounders 5 and 6 years down the road? Chances are they won’t even be working for their team.
Kings should have traded their 2028, 2030, 2032 and 2034 picks just for giggles.
That’s the whole point! They’re borrowing from the future, when they won’t be around to pay the debt if the gamble fails and if somehow the bet paid off and the GM is still around, no one cares ’cause it worked.
I’m totally fine with this. I really feel like Monte is playing the long game and wasn’t interested in mortgaging the future with a move that would only benefit the Kings this season.
There is a lot to process. I have to look at the changes in the rosters but all the teams in the West made moves:
Denver- got Bryant, lost Bones
Grizz- “lost Green” – got Kennard
Suns, got KD, Bazeley Lost Bridges, Cam, Saric, Crowder
LAL- lost Bryant, Beverely, + Westbrick . Got Vanderbilt, Beasly, DeLo, Bamba
LAC- lost Jackson, Kennard, got Gordon,and Bones
duds- “lost” Wiseman and money- got Payton back
Portland- lost Hart, payton, got Thybulle
Mavs- got flat earth but lost DFS, Dinwiddie
Minnesota- lost Dilo but got Conley
NOP- got Richardson
I know I am missing a ton of details.
Kings were the only ones who did do anything except Edwards. Was the pricve for the targets like Vando, Thybulle, Bazley, Richardson, and Plumless too high or the decision simply made by others? I am convinced Monte did not want to get into the complexity of giving up a pick just not worth it?
Another thing to consider with this list. Many teams are now getting or will be getting guys back from injuries, while the Kings have been incredibly healthy all year
Suns- will add Booker
Lakers- AD
LAC- PG/Kawhii minutes lifted
GS- Curry
Portland- Nurkic
Minny- Kat
NOP- Zion/Ingram
Kings are what they are unless they add in the buy out market and I’m not sure there are many if any upgrades that would choose to come here
I am not sure that the price was too high for someone like Vanderbilt, but that the Jazz wanted him in a bigger deal, etc. The other ones likely were too high and might not have done much to improve the roster, in Monte’s opinion. Something to be said about rolling with what has been working. Chemistry matters, and this teams seems to have that. Maybe Holmes will bust his ass now to figure out how to effectively play basketball again at a high level.
A lot of the moves were desperate. Honestly, we’ll look back at this deadline and laugh at a lot of the moves. Kings did just fine. This isn’t a year to cash in all the chips.
Monte already got his extension, probably figures this team has gone 20 years without a playoff trip, what’s another year. I don’t think the Kings could have added to the point of being a championship contender. I do however think the Kings are going to need to stay completely healthy and hope some of these teams that made improvements have chemistry issues or that 5 game lead on 12th place will disappear real quick and we will be right back on the edge of the lottery instead of the playoffs.
That’s gotta be it. Monte is fat and sassy with his new deal, and is now content to let all of his work in creating this team go down the tubes.
Obviously
Didn’t mean it like that, more so in the sense that he is comfortable in his extension so he is more worried about being a contender in 2-4 years than just being say the 5 seed and a first round loss this year. As a fan, not that I don’t want the first scenario, I really really want to just make the playoffs and have that playoff excitement
Kings are over-performing this year and he knows it. He did not, IMO, want to jeopardize significant progress to chase a dream that is somewhat illusionary. Getting any expiring contract guys will not significantly affect the final outcome this year. Would Thybulle, Richardson or Plumlee have led to a first round victory in 2023?
I love what they have done- exceeded all my hopes (and won me serious money in Vegas on the over/under) but LAC, Dallas and Suns are under-performing and are now ready to make a push- To get at least the 6th slot, Kings have to hold off all but 3 of – LAC.LAL, duds, NOP, Mavs, Suns. If any of those teams wins 4 more games than the Kings in the last 30, then Kings be play-in.
Never knew that at a handful of second rounders were so desirable.
what a weird day.
I’m having a big heaping bowl of them right now.
I’ve got a feeling Monte has his eye on someone soon to be bought out. No logical reason for thinking this… I’m just thinking trading 2nd rounder and picking up Ellis after the draft type of moves we’ve seen him make
I have a vague recollection from a year ago where a noisy contingent was screaming JUST DO SOMETHING at McNair. Then he traded Haliburton for Sabonis.
And the screaming only got louder.
There’s no way to be perfect in that line of work, but McNair has demonstrated over and over again that he knows what he’s doing.
(And don’t talk to me about Bobo, Atlanta has been trying to get rid of him for awhile, and no one bit. I’m grateful he isn’t our problem.)
Would Bobo be considered to have a toxic contract? Much like the one Richaun Holmes currently has? Or is this uniquely a Sacramento problem?
Also, I wonder if Holmes’ contract status qualifies him to work for the Springfield power plant.
I wonder strange things, sometimes, admittedly. Also, inquiring minds wish to know answers. I don’t know the answers to what, but I want answers AND I WANT ANSWERS NOW!
All I know is that Monk makes half the money, is younger, and a superior ballplayer.
When Monk is a key player in a long time playoff team let us know . He is younger and was available for a cheaper deal . I like him a lot but until he does what Bogi has done – he hasn’t !
Oh, that season that now looks like nothing more than a fluke?
Bobo has missed forty-five games since then, including a close-out game last season when they were booted from the playoffs.
You know who else deserves credit for the’20-’21 playoff run? Tony Snell and Kris Dunn.
Did you check the playoff stats ? LOL. I hope you are correct regarding Monk but he has never been a key player on a playoff winner . Bogi has and with or without Snell and Dunn . Hate away on a good , productive former King . I like giving credit where it’s been earned and not just what might be in the future .
To me, Monk is a better fit for this current Kings team, and that’s not even taking into account the contracts. Bobo’s got that experience, but I’m worried about the here and now–and to me Monk has the kind of dynamism coming off the bench that this team needs, plus the bonus of a strong relationship with Fox.
On top of that, Monk has actually had a superior season in terms of WS and PER. There’s still more upside to his game compared to more downside for Bogdanovic.
Bobo will be a valuable player on a team to make 3 straight playoff and one Eastern finals after winning 25 games prior to his arrival . Facts , keep your hate on !
Well for years we DID say all we want is a little stability.
funny photo for this article
This bums me out…The Clippers traded Reggie Jackson and a 2nd round pick (2028) to the Hornets for Plumlee. Now Jackson is being bought out. The Hornets actually took on money to get Jackson! The Kings couldn’t offer more than a 2nd and expirings for Plumlee?
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1623786969569406977
He’s an expiring, that’s why.
Len and TD are as well. It would also have saved the Hornets cash.
Could be a roster spot problem as well. There was noone the Hornets wanted to waive to make that deal happen.
Sometimes these things aren’t so dire, they are just a function of time and place.
It looks to me the Hornets have an extra roster spot open. They are at 14. They could have taken Len and TD, saved money and bought out either one of them.
Possible, it’s a great question Adam. I’m guessing a lot of it was Kupchak not wanting what the Kings are selling or something like that.
Could have been Plumlee, too. He might have preferred the Clippers to the Kings. That happens more than fans realize, IMO.
Play 10 minutes behind Sabonis or 20 minutes next to Zubac? Stuff like that matters to players
Yep. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what it ultimately was.
Smart comment Hobby
That’s a good point. Hornets might have just been doing Plumlee a solid.
Found myself driving and listening to Gary a little bit, he went off on a tangent about how difficult the Kings remaining schedule is, so a win vs the Rockets is critical. I didn’t think too much of it, and yet….
https://www.tankathon.com/remaining_schedule_strength
A week ago I think most King’s fans put the odds of us making the playoffs at 80ish percent…feels like post trade deadline and realizing the difficult strength of schedule remaining that percentage has reduced to 50 or 60 percent. The trauma of the last 16 years is real.
The buyout market is supposed to be robust, perhaps that’s where we attain some depth.
Russell Westbrick is a buy out candidate:
Today is exactly why I never expect trades. They happen, or they don’t. There’s no point in hoping for them to happen. I think today was a confluence of several things, though.
Dallas, Phoenix, LA Clippers, Golden State, LA Lakers all have tenuous spots and needed help. There was an arms race that the Kings could not simply afford to enter. The packages they had to offer were not as enticing as the one’s thrown around today. Durant is now in Phoenix, Irving in Dallas, Houston made a bunch of moves on the fringes that matter little, New Orleans swapped Devonte Graham for Josh Richardson which does….something. I’m just not sure what. Plumlee and Hyland is in LAC, Kennard is in Memphis, Reggie Jackson got sent to Charlotte. Some of what happened was activity for the sake of doing something. The Kings do not need to do that. Is Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland going to make the Clippers an automatic championship contender? I highly doubt it. There’s a world where the sneaky best move of the deadline…..is Mike Muscala to Boston. It’s happened before.
However, there are still some hard facts being lost in the hoopla.
The Clippers, Suns, Mavs aren’t just thinking they can catch the Kings, they are thinking they can catch the Grizzlies too.
Nuggets: 17 losses
Grizzlies: 21 losses
Kings: 23 losses
Mavs & Suns: 26 losses
Clippers, Pelicans & Warriors: 27 losses
Wolves, Blazers & Thunder: 28 losses
Jazz: 29 losses
Lakers: 30 losses
What this means, quite simply, is that for any of these teams to win 52 games, they’d have to do the following:
Denver: 14-13
Memphis: 19-9
Sac: 21-7
Dallas: 20-4
Phoenix: 20-4
LA Clippers: 21-3
New Orleans: 23-3
Minnesota: 22-2
Golden State: 24-3
Portland: 25-2
Oklahoma City: 26-2
LA Lakers: 27-0
Lower that threshold to 48 games. It doesn’t exactly look like perfect, does it? Is the West tight? Yes. But, all these teams have to play each other and someone has to win that game. That’s still the rules, right?
I know the TKH bylaws state that you freak and throw a Veruca Salt hissy fit when things don’t happen in the way you expect them to. But….a whole bunch of teams have banked on stars that aren’t playing games. A whole bunch of teams are clumped together who still have to play each other. A whole bunch of teams switched pieces on the periphery, and little else. A whole bunch of teams did something, but they didn’t change the needle much for them outside of Dallas and Phoenix. That’s debatable if Dallas and Phoenix did, too.
For the same people that thought this was at best a 40 win team are now claiming they aren’t built to win a championship in a season where by many accounts the Kings are ahead of expectations, perhaps the biggest win is that McNair didn’t waste his time getting caught up in the hoopla and arms race and will wait for the right deal. Sure, you might not like the deal he makes when he makes it. Well, tough shit. Demz da breakz of sports fandom.
Argue it all you want, be frustrated, whatever. Thats your right. But Monte McNair was never obligated to make a move that wasn’t the right move to make for the Sacramento Kings. Be thankful, and I’ll keep saying it, that the Kings have a GM that doesn’t kowtow to optics or public narratives. McNair, whether you like it or not, does things his way. You might want to accept that.
Monte has established that he’s not some rube who just fell off the turnip truck.
That’s right. He’s playing the long game and isn’t in “win now” mode, like say PHX, who imo gave up quite a bit to get KD. I believe he investigated any number of deals and didn’t pull the trigger because the deals didn’t make sense for him. Which fits with…
And as far as that remaining SOS goes, is there really that much difference between us at 52% (3) and Dallas at 49% (24)? We’re talking 3 percentage points between 3 and 24. Is that 3% really worth fretting about?
Well, since you responded to my comment and I’m going to assume you are in part asking me (even though I know it was more of a rhetorical question), I’m going to go ahead and answer this anyway.
Absolutely not worth fretting about whatsoever. The Clippers, whom everyone seems terrified of for some reason or another, actually have a higher SOS than the Kings do. Phoenix has a slightly lower SOS than the Kings do.
well said
Damn the one year where I want them to add depth but they don’t, every other year I wanted them to get rid of lots of people but they add depth instead…pure Kangz. Degree of difficulty in this fandom is insane, just one nice piece would’ve satisfied, could’ve traded our 1st round pick this year (we have one right?), gone win now,and I would not have been mad. IDK man it looks to me like most everyone got a little to a lot better except us. We have good chemistry but I’ll take talent over that usually. I see us slipping to 7 or 8 seed by end of year. Still stoked about this team though and loving this year.
We do have our 1st rd pick but we can’t trade it until draft day where we would have to technically select the player then trade him. We actually can’t trade any of our 1st rd picks besides the 2028 pick because of the Huerter trade and the Stepien rule.
If it’d been possible to trade this year’s 1st rounder (it wasn’t), I wouldn’t have traded it for what was reasonably available to the Kings.
You are killing it today, Richard.
Was hoping they could find help at the backup 5 or end up with someone like Richardson or Thybulle, but what can you do. Kings aren’t a true title contender yet, so I’m not upset that Monte didn’t feel pressured into making some trade just because the teams around them in the standings/in their division were all very active. It takes time to build a team into a legitimate powerhouse. Trying to rush that process will lead to only setting the franchise back years. They’re on the right track, if anything they are ahead of schedule since I don’t think even the most optimistic Kings fan would have envisioned them sitting in the 3rd spot midway through the year. My only hope is that they do enough to stick inside the top 6 so they can avoid the play-in.
To be honest. I think their record is an aberration. They really haven’t many quality wins against healthy playoff teams. I’m fact, I can only count 3-4 wins against playoff teams that had all their main horses that particular game. On the other hand the Kings have been relatively healthy all year.
Kings have beaten the teams they’re supposed to. Yes, they are improved. But they are not upper echelon by any means. We will see that in the upcoming 2 months. No more marshmallow opponents and hoping the other team is missing their key players.
All those wins against Denver, Grizz, Clips, etc.
Were at the expense of the opponent missing key stars. Due to injury or the team just sitting them Sure a win is a win. But,
can you beat those teams when they are healthy?. That we will see.
You are absolutely correct. In fact I can think of several games in which the Kings still lost to teams missing key players, and lost BAD!!! The recent New Orleans game and the Sixers game at home come to mind. Not to mention last nights game against the Rockets was an absolute gift from the Zebra’s.
I am extremely excited and grateful for the record the Kings have this season, but they are far from being an upper echelon team. I think we have some of the pieces of the puzzle to possibly get there, but still years away.
Lastly, why have the Kings played like 4 less games than most other teams? Been this way for months now. Did they have a rainout and have a bunch of doubleheaders to make up now or something?
Because the NBA scheduled it that way. The Clippers have played the most games of any team in the NBA, they will go into the ASB at 61 games played. The Kings conversely won’t hit the 61 game mark until Feb 28th in OKC. Both teams hit the 80 game mark on Apr 5th. Lakers hit the 80 game mark on Apr 5th (they play the Clippers in fact). Suns hit the 80 game mark on Apr 6th. Warriors hit the 80 game mark on Apr 4th. Blazers hit the 80 game mark on Apr 6th.
Everyone plays 82. That’s the way it works. They just don’t all play the same amount of games in the same timeframe.
So with Kyrie and Durant coming west, this may be the last opportunity for Fox, and maybe even Sabonis, to make the all-star team. 7 of the 10 all-star staters are now in the West.
maybe. curry and durant are 34. lebron 38. anthony davis is made of candy glass. JJJ didn’t even deserve to be an all star. dame is 32. a lot of these stars are going to age out soon, and fox and sabonis are only 25.
Only slight disappointment for me after seeing what Charlotte took for Plumlee..But my disappointment it’s about the same as when I step on the scale, I know I’m overweight so when I step on it I’m only disappointed for a second Then I proceed to eat my nice warm cinnamon roll…
I’m disappointed, the kings will win more games and I’ll be happy and forget about my disappointment. I will yell and scream at the TV or at games and continue to enjoy the fun ride
lets gooooooooo! Light the Beam
Just because Charlotte took relatively little from LA for Plumlee doesn’t mean they would have taken relatively little from Sac. That’s the problem with these types of trades.
Why Kupchak wouldn’t rather have Davis, Len or Holmes than a buyout of Jackson? I don’t know. I’m surprised more teams didn’t really go after Holmes harder, but apparently nobody wants to be the team that takes that plunge.
that is why I am only a little disappointed because I know the intricacies are so much more than we ever know..
Does this mean we all get cinnamon rolls out of today? Because if so, then this day definitely feels like a win to me.
Seriously. Trade whatline, now?
My scale feels like it’s a win when I step off
I didn’t think a cinnamon roll analogy could encapsulate the day so well, but hey you did it : )
And did it using an analogy we can all relate to. Minor masterpiece of communication. Without losing my mind and digging down way too far into something that doesn’t warrant it I think the simple beauty of your analogy is I’d wager that most readers instantly understood what you meant but while they were processing the words they were starring in their own little version of a memory when they experienced a very similar thing. Nicely done WizsSocks
We have a good team but it would be premature to make a Championship or bust move now when we haven’t even made the playoffs yet. We have to play the year out and see what we have and don’t have first. Ultimately to goal is to save our assets to push all in when we are ready to go for the chip. Plus any real impact player or 3rd star would require us to give up 1st rd picks which we can’t at the moment. However seeing what the Lakers gave up for Mo Bamba was definitely doable.
John Wall, Nerlens Noel, Will Barton, and Terrence Ross could be really interesting candidates to come off the bench for the kings. Assuming they’re bought out of course.
KOC:
The Lakers are big trade deadline winners:
IN
D’Angelo Russell
Malik Beasley
Jarred Vanderbilt
Mo Bamba
Rui Hachimura
Davon Reed
Three 2nds
OUT
Russell Westbrook
Patrick Beverley
Thomas Bryant
Kendrick Nunn
Damian Jones
Juan Toscano-Anderson
2027 Top 4 protected 1st
Four 2nds
So basically LA lost one 1st and one 2nd to go from Russ to DLo, Bev to Beasley, JTA to Hachimura, Jones to Vanderbilt, and Bryant to Bamba.
Upgrades across the board with better shooting, shot-creation, and defense. Outstanding fits next to LeBron and AD. All for just two picks. And they retain the ability to trade two firsts this summer.
This haul is much better than dumping everything for Kyrie Irving. An excellent deadline by the Lakers.
Bryant to Bamba isn’t an upgrade. However, they make up for it w/the other upgrades.
What they accomolished is impressive, as much as I may hate it.
I couldn’t give the 1st post above a Rec because its a positive Lakers comment but this one is acceptable.
I’m not buying it. Russell is a marginal upgrade at best. The rest are role players who just bring different skills. The biggest potential win would be if Bamba becomes something. It seems like he still has upside. And turning over 35% of your roster with 27 games remaining while sitting 2 games out of the play-in reeks of desperation. I hope they crash and burn.
Games left against Pacific Division opponents:
Kings: 6
Lakers: 7
Clippers: 8
Warriors: 8
Suns: 8
Yeah, we’re going to be in the bite pile, but not as much as the rest of our division. I reserve the right to have miscounted, and please correct if I’m wrong.
The flip is we have a lot of road games down the stretch. We have a good road record, but is it sustainable? The Suns are the biggest threat to us, followed by the Clippers. I think the Suns got better, but only in the short term. The Clippers I’m still trying to make sense of.
I don’t know if standing pat is the right move, but I’m guessing Monte wasn’t rocking the boat with guys who are playing well together. Perhaps he tried to shed the end of his bench for assets and couldn’t find a deal. Especially if they’re going to be on the road a lot in the latter part of the season.
Who knows? I’m going to enjoy watching the Pacific Division matchups from here on out.
Those teams also have health issues with their best players, and all but the Warriors made some decent changes that could take them time to figure things out.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1623804707230687234
According to Shams, Dewayne Dedmon and Serge Ibaka are getting waived too….so if we still need a backup center….
He’d probably be an interesting option.
I can see it either way. Barton is a bit bigger, but I’d rather give Ellis some run. He’s an excellent defender, and shoots the ass off the ball. As always, if the price is right, you consider it.
Barton was also in Denver with Jordy, so he might have some insight in whether or not he would fit with the roster and system
At least from a defensive standpoint.
Ahahahahaha.
The results aren’t good, but I’m guessing it’s the same defensive system that Denver uses.
I was laughing at the notion that Barton plays D. In that sense, he’d fit in quite well.
Anyhoo…Lol. Doesn’t matter.
I always wondered why those balls don’t have asses.
And now you know.
I follow the Wiz quite a bit and Barton was a ballstopper on O and a sieve on D.
I think that this front office has a valuation process, and they stick by it. It does not always match up with the market, but you can’t argue with the current team results.
This team is pacing towards a 15-16 game improvement over last year. If the can find another 6-8 wins this summer between their picks & cap space, they become a .600+, top 6 team. Show of hands of who would have taken that level of improvement a year ago (raises own hand).
Also, Kessler Edwards, people. KESSLER! F*CKING!! EDWARDS!!!
I found it, still finding it amusing even, amusing that there were teams hoping the Kings would buy out Richaun Holmes. There’s literally no incentive for McNair to do that.
Most people felt this was wildly optimistic 6 months ago. Now some are disappointed with that being the outcome.
It’s been a fun season overall, and that’s what really matters.
Disappointing
Kings were closely associated with moves for Thybulle and for Plumblee- Thybulle got the 76ers a (poor) shooter McDaniels and Plumblee got the Hornets Jackson who they waived.
So the trade partners got what they wanted and it is not what the Kings were giving.
This post is for murraytant. I am happy Monte stood pat otherwise you would be a Pacer and Heild a King. I like you as a person. Just so you know I had filled an entire booklet on all the trades I had proposed but today it went in the trash. I will probably start a new one this summer which will also not only include trades but possible draft selections. Probably will throw that in the trash at the end but for me it’s fun to speculate. Seriously I’m glad Monty stood pat. There wasn’t anything out there that I thought would move the needle. I like the chemistry we have and would’t what to have broken it apart. GO KINGS!
Good work Coach. Your proposed trades hurt nobody, entertained many and caused a lot of us to think about a bunch of players in different ways. You’re a nice addition to this site and when you write about hoops I always pay attention. Thanks.
I quit vesting myself into the Kings years ago, so perhaps I can provide a take from sidelines.
I saw all the aging Pacific Division teams push all their chips in. Yes, they got better today. Yes, the Kings may slip in the seedings.
But this Kings team isn’t winning a championship. Even the 3rd seed seems a little like fools gold. This team is too young and inexperienced to do any damage in this years playoffs. Getting there will be fun, but don’t expect anything more than maybe a trip to the 2nd round. Maybe.
That all said, the Kings are sitting nice with all starters but Barnes ages 26 and under. Our 12 and 5, 41% from three, 5th option is a 22 year old rookie.
Let Monte find those role players this offseason to fill this roster out. And let this team marinate while the contenders of years past age out.
It would been nice to use the 2nd rounders the Kings had since all these players were gotten with 2nd rounders, especially since this Kings FO refuses to use 2nd rounders on any possible talent like the Grizzlies and others. Just like this past draft, got Keegan (good) and punted the 2nd rounders to other teams (bad).
Meanwhile Detroit keeps collecting oft-injured recent #2s
With Wiseman now supposedly starting for the Pistons, they now have a logjam at center. If Nerlens Noel gets bought out, Kings might want to make him an offer. I think he was the 6th overall pick some years ago, so the Pistons will probably let him go now that they have a center who went 2nd. (That’s how they make these decisions, right?)
I just awoke from a dream with an absolutely brilliant scheme that involves seven (yes, 7) teams but only has them trading second round picks through 2024-2027. There are 24 picks involved (I’ve had tried some scenarios that involve 31 picks but that puts out the timeline out further and it becomes even more complicated with 9 teams involved)
Stay tuned…
Hah, go back to bed.
Assuming Monte had his eye on player(s) I do think that this comes down to these players not being interested in moving to Sacramento for non-basketball and/or money reasons. Our biggest trade chips will always be our success and the team we have in my opinion. Hard to sell quiet Sacramento to these folks given the stigma in the league as it being a cow town.
I also like the narrative I saw on other comments that McNair is not interested in deals that hamper our future development/flexibility. GO KINGS
Badge Legend