Kings Pulse: Evaluating Sacramento’s trade assets with James Ham

The Sacramento Kings are often mentioned in the ridiculous amount of reports that have been coming out this season with the looming trade deadline just over two weeks away.

I’ve been focusing most of the recent Kings Pulse podcasts on the deadline and potential acquisitions or departures come February 10th and today’s is no different!

James Ham, Kings Insider for The Kings Beat and ESPN 1320, joined me to talk about the tool chest that Monte McNair has at his disposal. James, as most of you probably know, has his finger on the pulse and behind-the-scenes thought process in Sacramento maybe more than any other media member.

I know we all feel like there HAS to be a significant change made. It feels painfully obvious. But, I start the conversation by asking James if that is 100% clear and how much does the impact it was have on this very season play a factor? Can McNair comfortably makes moves with a focus on the future, even if it means he’s not prioritizing the postseason this year?

The meat and potatoes of this episode revolve around Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes, Buddy Hield, and Marvin Bagley. Of course, we also touch on De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton’s value and how they are viewed by the franchise decision-makers, potential incoming names (if not Ben Simmons or Domantas Sabonis, then who?), and more.

“I think that most deals that we’re gonna be talking about with the Kings, if they’re swinging for the fences and they’re going nuts, there are gonna include multiple first round picks. I think you have two types of deals that we’re looking at right now…

Starting with Harrison, James shares his insight on what the leaguewide value of the veteran forward is, including what the Boston Celtics were willing to offer the last deadline and I throw in two deals made recently for what I view as similar players that may work as a starting point for expected returns.

Also, Barnes may be the most commonly floated around name right now, but is there a chance the Kings would rather keep him around for the long run? He is somehow just 29 years old and Sacramento’s desperate lack of wings is obvious.

As for Richaun Holmes, we have a mini-rant about his underperformance and the way the fanbase has reacted. Understanding the context of his injuries, unavailability, and season as a whole is crucial. The endpoint is that he’s still kinda really damn good at basketball…

???? NEW EPISODE ????

????Special Guest: @James_HamNBA
????Who has greater value: Holmes or Barnes?
????Could Buddy & Bagley remain post-deadline? Would they match a Bagley offer in RFA?
????SAC's draft picks are VERY valuable
????If not Simmons or Sabonis, then who?https://t.co/3Pks18JCDY pic.twitter.com/Zq815Ic1lr

— Kings Pulse (@Kings_Pulse) January 23, 2022

I asked James: Is there a chance Richaun Holmes holds even more value around the league than Harrison Barnes does?

“I think if you were the put the two (Barnes and Holmes) side-by-side at this point they’re equal value at this point, and maybe even a little leaning towards Holmes.”

We then shift to Buddy and Bagley. Is the reported Los Angeles Lakers package (Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell) an example of Buddy’s potential value or an outlier from a desperate front office?

For Bagley, it’s apparent that there are teams around the league who still believe there is potential there — given he is just 22 and has shown notable improvement as of late. We touch on the important question with MB35: Is there actually a chance that the Kings would offer him the qualifying this offseason and match an offer sheet? If not, then McNair would just be letting another “asset” walk for nothing…

Also included:

• An explanation as to why draft picks are probably the most valuable thing Sacramento can put on the table, including Fox and Haliburton
• A fun story from James about talking with Kevin Durant during the NBA Finals and realizing KD wanted out of Oklahoma City
• AGAIN, STOP HATING ON RICHAUN HOLMES!! OF ALL PEOPLE!
• The potential of multiple separate deals being made
• There’s a good chance Tristan Thompson has played his last game with the Sacramento Kings
• And more I’m surely forgetting!

James was great to have on the show and spend about 90 minutes talking about what seems very likely to be a trajectory-altering next couple of weeks for Monte McNair and the Sacramento Kings franchise.

The Kings Pulse podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. There is also a video version of each episode now being uploaded to YouTube!

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