Does this trade make sense for the Sacramento Kings?
At this point, the Sacramento Kings should be happy to salvage as much value as they can for Marvin Bagley III because they have ruined this relationship.
The young big man does not want to be there anymore after they failed to trade him all of last season and did not offer him a contract extension prior to this season, so the only way the Kings can “win” in this situation is by trading him for a player who is somewhat valuable for them.
Luke Kennard would not just be “somewhat” valuable, but he would be extremely important to the Kings, a team that has struggled a lot from three-point range through the years. As a team, Sacramento shot just 36.4% from long-range last season, which ranked them in the middle-of-the-pack amongst other teams in the league.
Buddy Hield is their only realistic three-point shooting threat and he could wind up being moved before the trade deadline this year. For his career, Luke Kennard has shot 41.3% from three-point range and for roughly half the price of Buddy Hield’s massive contract, he could very well be a long-term replacement wing for the Sacramento Kings in due time.
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As for the other assets they would get back, picks in 2023 and 2024 are not too valuable right now since they cannot be utilized until down the road, but the Kings need to be willing to accept any draft assets they can get right now. This team has been rebuilding for over a decade now and they have yet to reach the playoffs since 2006.
In order to finally become a competitive team in the Western Conference, they will not only need three-point shooting, which Luke Kennard brings to them, but they will need to have assets that they can trade away in order to bring in another high-level talent to pair with De’Aaron Fox for the future success of this organization.
By adding a first-round pick in 2024 and other draft compensation, the Sacramento Kings would be able to package guys like Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes with a handful of draft compensation in order to acquire said All-Star-like player.
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Moving Marvin Bagley III is a move that needs to be done right now and while they do not get as much value as they would have initially imagined for him around the trade deadline last season, this is probably the best they are going to get for him at this moment.
