Thoughts: Sacramento Kings Should Discuss Trade With Orlando Magic
By Rafe Wong
With the NBA trade deadline nearing, it gives the Sacramento Kings an opportunity to bolster their roster which could hopefully help them make a strong push in the second half of the season.
There are definitely some holes that the Kings could fill on their current roster. An establish two guard, a stretch four, and defensive minded players are all needs that the Kings could use on their depth chart.
With that being said, is there a possible trade that could happen where in return the Kings can help improve their deficiencies?
Recently I wrote an article playing with the idea of the Kings trading Ben McLemore and Caron Butler to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Tony Allen and Jarell Martin. With the hopes of improving the perimeter defense for Sacramento.
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This time around, I am going to go deeper into the South, southeast to be specific, and look towards the Orlando Magic. If I were the Kings I would propose to the Magic offering Rudy Gay and James Anderson (or Seth Curry) in return for Victor Oladipo and Channing Frye.
Oladipo is a player that every team needs. At just 23 years of age, he is has shown to be an asset though his tenacious effort and energy. Through 48 games this season he is averaging 14.3 points, 4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, showcasing his efficiency on both ends of the court. Most importantly about Oladipo is that he shows incredible effort when playing, which ultimately is what Kings fans want the most out of their players.
Channing Frye is also a player that fills a need for Sacramento. Right now the Kings are lacking a stretch four, and Frye’s style of play is the epitome of that. So far this season Frye is shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc and has a 3P% of 38.7% for his career. He would definitely fill a need as a stretch four to compliment Cousins in the frontcourt.
In my opinion, it’s strange to hear Oladipo being mentioned in trade talks. From an outside view, he seemed to be the guy that the Magic would build around. If the Kings were to trade Gay and Anderson or Curry in return for Oladipo and Frye, it would benefit the Kings greatly not just for this season but going forward.
With Oladipo, the Kings would have a young and high energetic player who is motivated to play perimeter defense and Channing Frye is a quick solution for the Kings in trying to find a stretch-four.
On Orlando’s side, if this were to happen it wouldn’t make much sense on their part. The Magic do have a young roster and are in need of an established veteran like Rudy Gay who could help lead the young guys on the team. But Gay also plays small forward which would create a logjam in the position since they already have Tobias Harris.
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The Magic could move Harris to the power forward position, but both players do have similar games from one another. But hey, Harris is also another player that has been mentioned in trade rumors as well, and if the Magic do relocate him then there is a hole at the small forward position for them to fill.
Overall, if this trade is agreed upon by both parties it would benefit Sacramento because personnel wise it fills up holes that the Kings currently have on their depth chart: defensive two-guard and stretch four. Honestly, the chances of this trade happening looks unlikely, but the Kings should try to find a way to bring Oladipo to Sacramento because he can help the Kings both this season and for the future of the franchsie.