Trade Scenarios Pertaining Caron Butler That Could Help The Sacramento Kings
By Rafe Wong
It looks like the Caron Butler era with the Sacramento Kings is about to come to an end. According to ESPN, the Sacramento Kings have granted the 35 year old veteran’s request by looking to shop him to another team.
Based on the report, the main reason for Butler wanting out of Sacramento is due to wanting a bigger role on another team, as he was only averaging 10 minutes a game in the 8 games he has played with the Kings. Also on the report, it stated that the Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as the favorite to make a deal with Sacramento in exchange for Butler (per ESPN).
If this is the case, what would be a good deal for Sacramento to take if they do indeed want to deal Butler to the Bucks? To me, there are two deals where the Kings can benefit:
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Miles Plumlee: Based on the numbers, Miles Plumlee has been a disappointment during his tenure with the Bucks, averaging just 2.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 9.1 minutes a contest. It is surprising how Plumlee has had such a small role for Milwaukee, as he was the starting center for the Phoenix Suns in the 2013-2014 season averaging 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a contest.
If the Kings were to complete a deal giving up Butler for Plumlee straight up, it would be a good short-term solution pertaining with the Kings bigs. Right now the Kings have Eric Moreland and Willie Cauley-Stein on the injury list, leaving just DeMarcus Cousins and Kosta Koufos as the only legit big men on the depth chart.
If Plumlee were to be added to the roster, it would provide the Kings with much needed depth in the big man position for the time being, and maybe a change of scenery could cause Plumlee to be more like the player he was in Phoenix than he was in Milwaukee. The only negative would be that Plumlee’s contract last till the 2016-2017 season, where he is due just over 3 million dollars (per Spotrac).
2016 2nd Round Pick: Due to the trade the Kings made with the Philadelphia 76ers last offseason, the team now has a low inventory of draft picks in their upcoming future. It would be a safe choice if the Kings decided to trade Butler in exchange for a draft pick, most likely a 2nd rounder.
Not only would the Kings gain some credit in their future draft stock, but also the team can save some cap room for this season and in their future if they do decide not to take on another player’s contract in the trade.
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Final Thoughts: Both trades seem pretty solid, and the Kings should take either one if the Bucks offer them. If there was one deal that stood ahead of the other it would have to be receiving the 2nd round pick from Milwaukee.
Although the Kings have made some bold moves so far pertaining to this season (example: signing Rajon Rondo), playing it safe might be the better direction to take when dealing with this Butler situation.
Overall, there’s nothing negative to say about Caron Butler. His signing (in my opinion) was mainly due to bringing his veteran leadership to the locker room, and coming in occasionally for solid minutes. Whether the Kings can find a trade or not, most fans can agree that it was a pleasure to have a veteran like Butler be with the Kings for the time being.
It was a lot better compared to when the Kings acquired Jason Terry right?