Opinion: Trading For Paul Millsap May Not Be The Best Idea
By Rafe Wong
There is a chance that the Atlanta Hawks will trade Paul Millsap before the season ends. Should the Sacramento Kings try to trade for the three-time All-Star? This article will explain why taking this approach may be too risky for the purple and white.
Before writing this article, I was a fan of the Kings trying to pursue Millsap. If the Kings’ front office have the mentality of winning now and making the playoffs, acquiring Millsap would help increase the chances of achieving that goal.
The Benefits
There’s a lot to like in Millsap’s game. Originally a player that relied on his scoring in the paint, Millsap has developed a reliable outside shot throughout his career, making him now a versatile scorer offensively.
Millsap has also proven to be a solid defender as well, including this season. For the year, Millsap is ranked tenth out of all the players in the NBA in defensive rating with a 101. Last season, he was ranked fourth with a 96.2 rating.
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If Sacramento were to acquire Millsap, they would be getting an all-around power forward that would compliment DeMarcus Cousins well. It would also let Kosta Koufos come off the bench which would create more balance within Dave Joerger’s rotations.
Although Millsap would be a huge plus for the Kings, my stance on whether Sacramento should trade for him is less aggressive than before. After doing research, I think it would be a huge risk if the Kings did indeed bring Millsap to join their team.
Why?
Like I mentioned above, Millsap has shown to be an efficient player throughout his career, meaning he will be expensive to trade for.
A realistic offer that I can see Atlanta accepting from Sacramento would be if the Kings were to send Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore, and either Willie Cauley-Stein, Malachi Richardson, or Skal Labissiere to the Hawks for just Millsap. That is a ton to give up for just one player.
It’s expensive because although Millsap currently has two more years left on his contract (including this season), his final year is a player option which means he has the liberty to opt out of his contract this summer if he wants to pursue free agency. Who knows if he will stay. In my opinion: highly unlikely.
Trading away Rudy Gay and Ben McLemore is not that big of a deal, but when you consider giving away some of your young talents for a player that most likely will only be playing with your team for a couple months, then that’s a little too risky for my blood.
I would definitely do a trade where the Kings just send Gay and McLemore to the Hawks in exchange for Millsap, but I doubt Atlanta would accept that deal. They will probably receive more intriguing offers from others teams.
Final Thoughts
So overall, even though the idea of Millsap becoming a King is tempting, I do not foresee him rocking the purple and white this season due to the level and risk and cost it will be for the Kings to bring him over.
It will be interesting to see how the Kings will approach the trade deadline this season. Based on their future actions, it will tell a lot on what direction the Sacramento franchise will take going forward.