A Royal Pain
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Three trades to get the Sacramento Kings a first round pick

By Jonathan Roberts

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 21: Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after his three point basket against the Utah Jazz in the second half of a NBA game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 21, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 21: Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after his three point basket against the Utah Jazz in the second half of a NBA game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 21, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /
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BROOKLYN, NY – JUNE 21: Donte DiVincenzo walks across the stage after being selected seventeenth by the Milwaukee Bucks on June 21, 2018 at Barclays Center during the 2018 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY – JUNE 21: Donte DiVincenzo walks across the stage after being selected seventeenth by the Milwaukee Bucks on June 21, 2018 at Barclays Center during the 2018 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Milwaukee Bucks will be picking 30th overall, so this trade to move up 10 spots won’t cost the Sacramento Kings much in terms of assets.

Is this deal likely? No, but it’s likely the Kings’ best chance to move into the first round. It’d also be quite comedic to own both the Bucks’ picks in the 2019 draft.

Why does either side do it? For the Bucks it’s fairly simple, they move back 10 slots and pick up two picks while saving about $400,000 in salary. That may not seem like much, but for a team that will need to keep its own free agents and avoid the luxury tax it could mean a savings of millions of dollars.

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For the Kings, the only reason to do it would be if somebody — say, Admiral Schofield (wink, wink) — is on the board, but unlikely to last another 10 picks. Otherwise, there’s little reason to trade into the first round just for the sake of trading into the first round.

Still, this is a deal that might work for both sides should the opportunity present itself, though it’s hard to predict who will be available when this far out from the draft. But, if a player like Tennessee’s Schofield, Washington’s Matisse Thybulle (unlikely) or UNC’s Cameron Johnson (even more unlikely) falls to #30, the Kings shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if this deal is on the table.

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