Does this trade make sense for the Sacramento Kings?
The fact of the matter with Buddy Hield right now from the Sacramento Kings’ perspective is that the Lakers trade was probably the best deal they were going to get for the 28-year-old sharpshooter. Sacramento was really high on Kyle Kuzma and who knows who they would have drafted with the No. 22 pick, but we are never going to get an answer to how this would have played out.
Buddy Hield is still on the Kings roster and if they want to move him, they should not expect to get a lot of value in return for him. Maybe they can salvage a first-round draft pick, like they do in this deal with Memphis, but they will likely not be able to get a player as highly rated as Kyle Kuzma in a trade anymore.
Patrick Beverley may not be a guy the Kings would want to add right now, especially given that they just drafted Davion Mitchell and have a crowded backcourt, but this is the exact reason why they should want to add him. Beverley has been one of the better perimeter defenders at the guard position in the league over the years and not only Mitchell, but Haliburton and Fox as well, can learn a lot from the veteran guard defensively.
The addition of De’Anthony Melton also gives the Kings another rotational scorer to count on in the second-unit. Melton averaged 9.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and shot 41.2% from three-point range last season, so he could definitely help replace Buddy Hield as a combo-guard who thrives out on the perimeter.
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Two second-round picks does not bring too much value to the Kings compared to Utah’s first-round pick in next year’s draft, but these two second-round picks allow them to add onto their draft capital that they could potentially use to target a guy like Ben Simmons, who they are really high on.
Please do not shun me, this is just wishful thinking, but the Kings need to do something in terms of adding more assets if they want to pursue Ben Simmons anytime soon, especially since the 76ers have stated numerous times that they are not interested in either Marvin Bagley III or Buddy Hield in a trade with the Kings revolving around Simmons.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Lillard, Hield, Ingles, Siakam
There is just not much the Kings can do in terms of moves to help them make the playoffs right now and they are going to have to try and continue building their team through the draft. No big name free agents are going to want to go to Sacramento right now and they do not have that valuable of trade assets to get a big return, so making this trade with the Grizzlies could be beneficial for them to free up cap space and add more future assets.
