A Royal Pain
Fansided

The Sacramento Kings should practice patience at this years trade deadline

By Rafe Wong

facebooktwitterreddit

In addition to the hectic changes at the head coaching position, a huge reason the Sacramento Kings have struggled this season is due to the lack of talent on their roster. The All-Star Break may be over, but excitement is still surrounding the NBA, as the trade deadline will pass tomorrow afternoon. The trade deadline could theoretically serve as an opportunity for the Kings to bolster their roster by adding talent.

However, sometimes the best move is the one you don’t make.

More from Kings News

A lot of trade rumors are floating around, and the Kings have been mentioned in a number of potential deals that may occur. Specifically, it is rumored that the Kings have high interest in acquiring Suns guard Goran Dragic, and are also looking at Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo.

Although adding another talented player to the roster could make the Kings better this season, waiting until the offseason to start making changes may better serve the Kings in the long run.

So why wait?

1) Lack of asset(s): With DeMarcus Cousins solidifying his position as the top dog of the franchise, along with Rudy Gay and Darren Collison under long-term deals, the only valuable asset that the Kings have to trade is Ben McLemore. Other than that, the Kings don’t have much to offer, especially for players like Goran Dragic or Arron Afflalo. Acquiring players of that caliber would require giving up pieces that the Kings are either unwilling to part with, or players of higher value than they are willing to trade. Players that have expiring contracts this season include Derrick Williams, Reggie Evans, Ryan Hollins, and Omri Casspi. With those contracts coming off the book this offseason, it gives the Kings a solid amount of cap space to work with when free agency comes along in the summer.

2) Give Karl Some Time: The Kings just formally announced the hiring of George Karl on Monday. He doesn’t even have one game under his belt with his new team. With all that being said, Karl hasn’t had the chance to analyze this team up close. I think it would be smart for the Kings to stay patient for the rest of the season, and see how Coach Karl works with the current roster that he has been given. This way, it gives Karl a better idea of which players he believes can succeed in his system, and which players cannot.

3) Risky Business: Even if the Kings are able to acquire a high-marquee player like a Dragic or Afflalo, would they be willing to resign with the Kings after the season ends? Looking at all the trade rumors involving the Kings, it should be noted that Dragic and Afflalo both have expiring contracts. If the Kings were to make a trade for one of these players, there is a strong possibility that they would only have them for the remaining 30 games of the season. It has been reported that Dragic’s preferred destinations include the Lakers, Knicks and Heat. With a player who is that vocal about expressing which teams he wants to play for, (highly unlikely Sacramento is on his list) do the Kings really think they can persuade Dragic to stay? Making a move for Dragic or Afflalo is just too big of a risk for the Kings to take when you consider both the uncertainty of their long-term status, and the assets it would require to obtain those players.

While roster changes are an inevitable part of the Kings future, it would be wise for the Kings to be patient for now and see what players will mesh well in Coach Karl’s system. This will give the Kings a clearer perspective on exactly what assets they need for their future. Kings management is now notorious for making bold decisions in an attempt to be aggressive. They are not content with staying the course.

The best course of action, however, may be to do just that.

More from A Royal Pain

Home/Kings News