Sacramento Kings Receive: G Eric Gordon, F Danuel House Jr., F Kenrich Williams, GSW 2024 2nd Round Pick (Top-55 Protected, via HOU), BKN 2024 2nd Round Pick (via HOU)
Houston Rockets Receive: F Marvin Bagley III, G Jahmi’us Ramsey, ATL 2022 2nd Round Pick (Top-55 Protected, via SAC)
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: F/C Tristan Thompson, POR 2024 2nd Round Pick (via SAC
The Sacramento Kings are currently dealing with some internal problems with Marvin Bagley III and it does not appear that the former No. 2 overall pick will be in Sacramento for much longer.
It is no secret that the Kings have tried to trade Bagley for over a year now, but they have been unwilling to part ways with him because they have not received the value they would like.
Sources have told NBA Analysis Network that the Kings are wanting “first-round value” in a trade for Marvin Bagley this season, something many teams are not willing to give up at the moment.
Bagley has only played in one game for 10 minutes this season and it does not seem he wants to be a member of the Kings any longer than he needs to be at this point. His agent Jeff Schwartz released a statement at the beginning of the season on the Kings mishandling his client’s role over the years.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Lakers-Rockets Trade Is Centered Around Eric Gordon To L.A.
Recently against the Suns on Monday, matters have not gotten any better as Marvin Bagley III appeared to refuse going in the game against Phoenix.
Sacramento is going to have to move Bagley at some point because the situation is just getting worse and worse. For a team trying to end a 15-season playoff drought, the Sacramento Kings are going to need to salvage whatever kind of value they can for Bagley, hence why they could be interested in moving Bagley for some key talent like Eric Gordon, Danuel House Jr., and Kenrich Williams.
As for Houston, adding Marvin Bagley III to their frontcourt with Christian Wood could present a lot of advantages, especially since Bagley himself is only 22-years-old and in the final year of his rookie contract. They would hold all the long-term leverage over negotiations with Bagley and if he fits in well with guys like Wood, Porter Jr. and Green, then they could extend him in the offseason.
If things do not work out, then they can simply let Bagley go in free agency, thus freeing up all the cap space that Eric Gordon had them tied down on through the 2023-24 season. This is a win-win scenario for the Houston Rockets with the Sacramento Kings.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Lakers-Rockets Trade Is Centered Around Eric Gordon To L.A.
So where do the Thunder fit into the picture here? If the Kings are to take on Eric Gordon;s contract, they will need to find ways to send out at least $18M in cap space. Bagley and Ramsey add up to about $12.8M in value, which is why moving on from Tristan Thompson, who does not really hold much of a role in a Sacramento Kings’ uniform right now, would be the easiest thing for Sacramento to do.
While most teams look to shed salary space, the Thunder actually needs to add about $20M more in total roster cap to their team in order to reach the salary cap floor of $102M for the 2021-22 season. Adding Thompson and his $9M contract for this year brings them closer to this threshold and with the Oklahoma City Thunder surprisingly 4-6 on the year, Thompson could provide them with some much-needed frontcourt depth to possibly be a shocking team in the Western Conference playoff picture this year.
There are a lot of moving pieces in this three-team deal, so let’s take a look at this trade from each team’s perspective.
