The Sacramento Kings are trading Cory Joseph to the Detroit Pistons for Delon Wright, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Kings are also sending Detroit two second round picks, the Lakers 2021 second rounder and the Kings own second rounder in 2024.
Kings are sending a 2021 via second-round pick via Lakers and their own 2024 second-rounder to Pistons in the deal, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/yXGXXwbsL6
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Wright is on the books for $9 million this season and $8.5 million next season, and is a combo guard. This year with the Pistons Wright has averaged 10.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
The Pistons seem to be making this move to clear future salary, as Joseph’s deal was minimally guaranteed for next season.
It remains to be seen if this deal is a predecessor for the Kings next move, or if the Kings envision Wright as part of the team’s future for this season and beyond.
We at The Kings Herald have been very critical of Cory Joseph’s on-court play this season, but it’s worth noting that CoJo has a reputation as being a tremendous person and a great teammate. He reportedly served as Tyrese Haliburton’s veteran mentor this season, and his off-court presence will surely be missed by the Kings.
Coach Luke Walton spoke about Cory Joseph in his post game comments tonight. Although the trade has not been made official, limited what Walton can and can’t say, he shared the following:
Luke Walton says: "All I’ll say is that I really, really enjoy coaching Cory (Joseph), and his spirit, his professionalism has been great to coach and great for this group. He is a pleasure to coach and I’ll leave it at that.”
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) March 25, 2021
We will continue to update as we learn more, but this marks the first major trade for the Kings leading up to Thursday’s deadline. The Kings previously made a minor trade with the Clippers to acquire Mfiondu Kabengele, but this is the first trade where Monte McNair impacted the Kings rotation.
*waits*
“McNair, you idiot! You were supposed to trade Buddy for Kawhi! BRING BACK VLADE.”
One thing we can all agree on: McNair is a better negotiator than the ol RORDOG:
Hah, no shit!
From a pure value standpoint, Wright>>>>>>>Cojo so on the surface it’s a pretty solid deal.
And the Kings saved $7 million. (Edited: I’m wrong. Sorry!)
I believe this move was closer to revenue neutral once you take into account Joseph’s partial guarantee next season.
Kings gained about 6 million for next season in salary by acquiring Wright. FWIW.
http://www.basketballinsiders.com/detroit-pistons-team-salary/
http://www.basketballinsiders.com/sacramento-kings-team-salary/
but Wright’s salary this season is like $3.6 less than CoJo’s, so there’s some offsetting cash.
We are over half the way through the season so maybe $1.5 this year. The more significant point however is the $6 million it costs us next year.
You had to fill the 3rd PG/SG guard position with something. Assuming we’re moving Buddy, a net $6m seems like a reasonable price to pay for Wright’s numbers.
We have some young guys who rarely play.
you only need Wright if you are pushing for the play-in.
Those young guys don’t play the point.
FIFY: Those young guys don’t play
the point.It never stopped Walton from using Buddy as the initiator. And if we would be aiming at the best draft position, who cares?
I’ll be honest, there’s still a part of me that wonders just how much of that was Walton vs how much was just Buddy going “I got this”. That said, I don’t see wither Woodard or Ramsey as being more than bench players at their specific positions, and Guy and James are likely destined for G-League at absolute best, or out of country at the worst next season.
I get giving young guys some burn. We also have to take a step back and realize if they were that good we wouldn’t be debating if they should get minutes in the first place because they would already be playing. The fact they couldn’t outshine CoJo, who is almost out of the league, speaks volumes to me. Haliburton is proof of what I am saying. Within a few weeks he was a key contributor on our closing lineup.
I guess we are officially chasing the play in though. With Curry and James out and Fox’s all star level play lately, Vivek thinks he’s smelling blood in the water. This year is full of steals for us as far as wins go. We were one of the healthiest teams the first couple months when we were .500.
So you’re admitting he’s better than Mike Bratz?
Bratz was always more of a talent evaluator than a negotiator.
This is why GMs shouldn’t overrated like fans do. The way people talk about Bagley, we should just give him up for peanuts.
well to be honest I’d also trade Bagley for two seconds at this point. I’m not what you’d call a “fan” of Bagley’s continued presence on this roster.
I hope our GM isn’t that dumb.
I was smart enough to know Wright was a viable trade target before you though. Keep that in mind.
I don’t always agree with you (or disagree with you), however I respect the swag. You earned the right to gloat a little!
We like to have a little fun in the comments section don’t we folks?
I’d trade Bagley for a forward in his mid 20s who can give you at least 10/6 for 65 games a season. Wouldn’t even hesitate.
Rordog is the man!!
I just posted in the game thread, early in the game, that I’d love to see a game without Cojo! Thank you Monte!
Did you all see Kayte and Koz act sad after the game regarding the Cojo trade? ðððð
Cojo is a very likable guy. I am sure they are all very sad to see him go.
For sure, but Cojo’s gone! ðððððððððððððððððððððð
In all honesty, since his contract wasnt guaranteed next year I was hoping he stayed since hes Halis mentor, cut back his minutes then cut him before the moneys guaranteed. But beggers cant be choosers. the talent went up
At this point, I don’t know if Hali is so raw that he still needs a mentor.
NBA Finals here we come!!!
So, I actually really like Delon Wright but in a vacuum I don’t really get it. We’ll see what else Monte does. I think Rordog has been saying this but I wonder if Monte is trying to accumulate assets for a Rockets style rebuild? Or, of course it’s possible that Vivek is meddling and wants to push for the play in game. I guess we’ll know tomorrow.
Kings saved $7 million over two years by swapping Wright for Cojo. And Wright is also BETTER.
How did they save 7 million? Cojo could be cut for like 2.4 million next year while Wright makes 8.5. The Kings are taking on 6 million in salary next year which is all that really matters.
Oops. I do recall hearing that about Cojo’s contract next year but forgot. My bad!
No worries the fact that I knew that proves I might be spending too much time reading about this trade lol.
Can you show your work on that one? With Wright making about $8.6 mil next year, and Joseph likely off the books for $2.4 mil, my simple ass reads it as an additional six million on Sacramento’s books for the moment.
I like the trade, Wright is the better player at this point.
Yes, it means more salary over the duration of the contract if Cojo were cut (likely), but Wright may still be a net asset at that salary (Cojo likely not).
you better checks your facts.
Facts are so pre-2001.
OMG. I made a mistake. I know none of you know what that’s like. I apologize!
Kings took on more guaranteed next season by about 6 million !
Haliburton is essentially a starter now. You need a PG off the bench. Wright gives you that, and cheaper than a Joseph would have cost. So really, we’re spending $6M to fill that role for next season.
I heard the broadcast say we’ve won 4 of 5 and that was all I needed to hear to figure out what we’re gonna do.
This, along with with fluke 7 of 8 wins killed the tank and now we say goodbye to Barnes or Kuminga.
Screw it. Let’s just win all our games. Fox and Haliburton are our stars. Get used to it!
I think the Kings focused on trades that will make them a playoff contender next season. SPTSJUNKIE has been promoting the idea that we should view McNair’s strategy as Rockets-esque.
One might also point out this could be considered threading the needle.
That too. Wright actually does check a lot of boxes for what this team needs.
That’s right it was SPTSJUNKIE. I mean we’ll see but maybe he was on to something. I do think that the flattened lottery odds have changed the way front office’s are thinking about tanking. I’ve heard a number of different basketball writers mention that on a few podcasts the last couple weeks and it does sort of make sense. I’d rather have the best odds possible at a top pick personally but my job isn’t on the line.
Neither is Monte’s. If he can have a gap year and Walton has to stay around for money reasons, you know that he’s part of a dysfunctional organization where he can dick around for a year and if things get messy, hide behind the excuse of a meddlesome, broke ownership.
You feel confident saying anyone’s job is safe with Vivek running things? I certainly don’t.
I feel very confident saying that Vivek can’t afford to fire Monte for the coming season and half, yes. Neither from a money perspective nor a perception perspective.
I think the money thing is definitely possible but if Vivek was concerned about perception, what’s he been doing for the last 8 years? Everything he does is perceived by most keen basketball observers as the dumbest thing possible.
Most things can be blamed on the GM. Firing the GM is on the owner.
How will the Kings ever replace his 6.7 point and 2.4 assists per game?
And his elite D. ð
Thumbs down for you, thumbs down for you, and thumbs for everyone!
that’s how the r/kings crowd says hello
Gross….
Looks like we’re going for it.
Kevin Love here we come!
Very good defender on a reasonable deal for another year, and you can literally swap him into the minutes that CoJo was getting. Pretty slick.
The Kings basically are taking on some salary next year for two second round picks. IDK
Ugh. I hope this doesn’t come back to bite them in the backside.
If we can move Barnes and Buddy, getting a comparatively cheaper & objectively better version of CoJo for a season isn’t a bad deal.
Just buddy if they really want to shoot for the playoffs next season
We won’t know if we’re shooting for the playoffs until Luke is actually fired. My guess is he’s still here for one more year.
That would be the most disappointing thing going into next year if Luke is still the coach…no way right? Like, that cannot happen..
Move Bagley and Buddy, and draft where you may and see who else can contribute. Team’s too mediocre to tank. The harsh reality of what the team will do is too obvious.
I don’t see this team as too mediocre to tank. This is a bad team that has had the “luck” of catching a few good teams missing multiple players or just resting them. All while Luke is running a 7-8 man rotation. If we gave the 2nd year and rookie players more run for evaluation purposes, we’d be a tremendous tanking team.
This makes it impossible to retain Holmes without dealing Buddy or Barnes. Not complaining. Just observing.
That makes it impossible to overpay Holmes without dealing them. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
I’d rather pay Holmes 12/13 p year than the amounts we are throwing at Buddy.
YMMV.
Could you also make a wish for me?
Only if you request it via parody song lyrics.
And now a little something that everyone can enjoy: To the tune of “I’m Proud to Be an American,” here’s my country/rap hybrid of WAP, sung by Pee Wee Herman.
Given the choice, so would I. Though, I’d still think that was above his worth.
We are GIVING 2 2ND ROUNDERS NOT GETTING TWO!!!!!
I don’t have a huge problem with this deal. Especially since this summer you can move on from players a tad easier. That much cap space means something will fill it. Some teams will very much choose existing salary over signing a player.
McNair is working on something significant!
COJO is a class act. Sure he was overpaid and not a fit for the Kings at this point but the guy work his ass off, had a great attitude and was a positive influence on the team. A real pro.
This was unexpected.
I figured they’d try to move CoJo. I wasn’t sure there would be much of a market. I certainly didn’t think they’d get a solid role player back.
If Wright spells Fox, that’s very long defensive duo for your back court. And Tyrese just makes everyone better, so could be fun.
McNair, of course, is free to roll Wright into some upcoming larger deal. An asset is an asset all year round.
Wait you mean we might see some defense now? I think I just had a stroke.
This is where I’m at. I didn’t think they’d get value like this.
That’s the thing. Monte turned what we all assumed to be a buyout or a cut into a real asset. Dare we hope again?
Yeah, if five days ago, someone suggested that Cojo would turn into Wright, we would have laughed at that person.
And not to put too fine a point on it, but Wright has played over a 1000 minutes so far for Detroit and puts him 3rd on that roster. Which trails only…..Sacramento’s current starting 5.
I have Wright and Bey on my fantasy team, so I have watched a lot of Pistons basketball, and while that is rough on its own, Wright is a pretty solid player. He should be very useful to the team.
Me too! He’s like budget Haliburton.
Wright’s salary is more than twice Haliburton’s. But I’m glad he’s here, whether for a year, or another twelve hours.
I think he meant a poor man’s Haliburton stats wise
That seems fair.
Correct.
But at the cost of 2 2nd rounders and taking on 6 million salary next year! Lets hope its the 1st of a number of steps which will make this make more sense.
But not as unexpected as the yeti.
Nothing ever is
Indeed, but I’m definitely grateful for it.
Thank you for your professionalism CoJo. Good luck with the rest of your career.
Two wins in one night? Not bad.
Cojo might be too much of a pro to request a buyout because the Pistons already got the 2nd rounders.
But he should. He looks better on playoff teams anyway.
Cojo just screams Milwaukee Bucks to me and they just traded Augustin away. You heard it here first!
Good trade, but I’m worried about the cap room needed to retain Holmes
If this deal means we have less ability to give a big overpay to Holmes, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
I believe the problem is that we can only offer 10.5 million (the figure I read somewhere) while other teams can offer more.
Salary cap aside, if Holmes isn’t RFA, why would there be a limit on what his current team can offer?
the limiting factor is available cap space. The Kings will either have to use open cap space, or an exception to sign him. At this point, the Kings cap space < the early bird exception.
Gotcha, thanks.
For what it’s worth, I’d be hesitant to offer more. Holmes is a great guy, and I like him as a player….but, I don’t “love” him as a player. Besides, I don’t think the issue here is really Wright. The issue is we’re paying ridiculous amounts for Buddy and Barnes. Hopefully that’s no longer an issue by this time tomorrow.
It’s Barnes, I can’t believe Buddy is an option after his year this year unless we are parting with draft capital
edit: misread your post.
I personally don’t understand the trade. Delon is going to be 29 in a couple weeks. You picked up another year, as well on his contract. He’s actually not a good defender according to the Pistons Blog. He seems a little better. But, he’s a terrible 3 pt shooter. Instead of moving CUjo for a young player or prospect, you’re banking on Delon adding some depth.
This smells of Vivek desperate for a play in. Doesn’t sound like a team that should be acquiring assets and looking at the big picture. Which, means typical Kings.
I don’t like taking on $6 million more on next years payroll. Let’s see if they can move those seconds for something else. Probably premature to judge.
Gotta be rough going through life when everything smells all the time, even when nothing is actually there.
I get the feeling like you value Joseph quite a bit more than he’s worth, with that talk about a young player or a prospect. Joseph had to be replaced as a third guard. So we basically replaced him with a one-year $6M player (removing the $2m we were eating by waiving Joseph), and got a guy who seems to be better on both ends of the court.
Joseph is undersized. Delon Wright isn’t.
44% on catch and shoot threes. He’s not a terrible three point shooter if used correctly.
This is good
When it comes to this team, good is definitely good.
Tell em Greg, it is a great trade. Trash for a realtive gem we can add to our core.
Let me break it down for the critics in the simplest terms, career 16 PER v 12 PER player.
This was also help out Buddy because Wright can be more of a threat to create and dish, unlike the nonsense Joseph attempted.
I had Delon Wright pretty much on the waiver wire for my fantasy team a few years ago when he was with the Mavs. Based on stats and some games that I have watched, he’s pretty decent with occasional break out games but not a good shooter though.
I think also the trade saves us money to retain Holmes? Or not?
It may also be a precursor for a bigger move. Maybe an insurance for another guard if Buddy gets traded tomorrow.
I don’t understand. He’s 46%/35.5%, and his 10-16 shot is rather solid statistically at 54.5%. How is he not a good shooter?
Off Topic. But I would be doing backflips if Bagley is traded tomorrow.
May as well throw world peace in there, as long as we’re dreaming or high. No judgment.
And no Ron-Ron jokes.
That’s metta!
I’m praying for a massive roster turnover. Because this one is utterly dreadful to watch on a bi-nightly basis.
I generally agree but I could get used to watching Fox and Haliburton for the next few years. They’ve been great the last two games.
The only reason I’m still watching games is because of those two. Haliburton has me at a level of excitement about a Kings draft pick that I haven’t felt since Lionel Simmons rookie year.
They are 19-25 and 4 of 5 since starting line up change. Our definitions of “utterly dreadful” are far apart.
Conversely, their 19-25 record includes two stints which combine for a 11-2 record. Leaving them at 8-23 for the rest of those games. That’s still…not very good. So maybe our definitions of “average” or “good” are far apart, as well.
I’d argue those two winning stints are more like a Tony Delk’s 50+ game, than they are a Michael Jordan 50+ game.
Quite the comparison and quite the reach overall…So 30% of their season doesn’t count because it doesn’t fit your narrative of them being utterly dreadful? Not saying they are average or good either, never did. Utterly dreadful conjures images of teams playing .200 ball or something.
I would contend they are what they are. Nothing more, nothing less. Basketball is streaky especially for below average teams. Almost all the teams in the middle have stretches of good and bad.
30% of the season they have been “hot” to your standards. If Tony Delk scored 50+ in 30% of his games, he probably doesn’t play for 7-8 teams. Just a hunch
I love him as our third guard, mm really needs to work hard at trading buddy by tomorrow or during the off-season. His contract is brutal for the kings.
Good add if you are gearing up for the playoffs.
strange add for the tank.
We can put the tank in the garage. All in on the play-in, baby!
Woohoo!
Fiction.
Reality:
We’ll miss it by a game. The season will be a rousing success. We get the 16th pick and Walton is extended for 2 more years.
“And that’s all I have to say about that.” – spoken in Forrest Gump’s voice
One would assume the Pistons are just going to waive and stretch Joseph. I can’t see why they would’ve allowed him to play tonight and risk an injury otherwise.
My memory is shit, but I don’t think CoJo played in the second half.
I’m just going to go ahead and concede that I’m wrong in advance.
well there was a tweet right around game time that indicated Joseph was already saying his goodbyes. The all of a sudden he was checking into the game.
A fresh new point guard! Will he be better than CoJo? Or even as good as George Hill?
Welcome to BBall hell, mr Wright.
The only part of this deal I don’t like is they sent out two #60 draft picks.
I’ve barely seen Wright, but this is a head scratcher unless it’s a prelude to something – which is very doubtful. He’s 28 and a mild upgrade, but basically it seems like a GM trying to prove he’s doing something when he really isn’t
Better on both sides of the ball, net cost of $6m to play the Joseph role next season. That’s a bit above a mild upgrade. Best of all, he’s an asset, not an albatross.
Why is it a prelude to something “very doubtful”? Got lots of seasons of data and Monte trade deadline records to show those receipts?
I have no idea if it is or not a prelude to something larger…but I’m also not pretending I do.
The trade would have been condemned if Vlade was still here.
Players that we’re once good(EvenJoseph) come to Sac and Flounder.
Unless Walton is gone after the season this trade doesn’t really change anything.
I hope I am wrong. But, Wright won’t be much better than Cujo.
And I didn’t like Cujo’s play in Sac
the Kings found an affordable upgrade at backup guard. Wright improves their defense, can space the floor, and attacks the basket. It’s really simple as that.
And he isn’t undersized. We have had too many undersized guards coming off the bench the last few years (CoJo, Mason III, Ferrell). McNair was with the Rockets and outside of CP3 they didn’t use undersized guards from what I can recall.
Just nit picking but Cory Joseph really isn’t undersized, more average for point guard height. He’s listed at 6’2-6’3 which puts him on par with Westbrook, fox, and curry, and ahead of guys like Paul, Bledsoe, and Lowry. Your overall point stands.
I kind of get what he’s saying though – Joseph was supposed to improve the defense. It’s kind of like doing the same thing hoping for a different result.
But, Wright’s a decent player, maybe it isn’t deja vu all over again.
Defensive stats are always a little questionable, but Wright is top 10 among SGs in DRPM this season. So he’s shown he can been a good defender on a bad team. Offensively, his game theoretically also fits in better than Joseph’s did. No bet is guaranteed to work out, but this one seems like a safe bet to make based on fit/cost.
You seem fun.
We added talent. I like it. Stand-alone trade won’t do much for us as is. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.
wow the game thread really blew up…
hey hey hey would you look at that. Monte did something.
I like the trade. It does’t do that much to move the needle but I like getting an upgrade to the roster
It feels like a very distinct trade with a plan behind it which I like. We’ll se though
On paper, points for Monte. I’m surprised Wright was available for CoJo and two seconds. Next, it’s time to screw this up somehow.
It would appear that Detroit fans are very happy with the trade. It includes comments that they feel sorry for Kings fans.
NBA Trade Deadline: Delon Wright sent to Kings for Corey Joseph, two second-round picks – Detroit Bad Boys
Oh, well, if commenters on a public discussion board have weighed in, I guess we need to reevaluate everything.
Good luck to you, Cory!
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