Kings: How Hield Became Final Piece Of Cousins Trade

The Sacramento Kings declined to pick up the option on Harry Giles’ contract this week, likely making Buddy Hield the last remaining piece of the DeMarcus Cousins trade.

Analyzing the Sacramento Kings trade of DeMarcus Cousins in 2016 has been quite the roller coaster. The front office was questioned and chastised in the media, as the return value initially seemed far too low for an All-NBA talent like Cousins:

• Buddy Hield
• Tyreke Evans
• Langston Galloway
• 2016 1st Round Pick
• 2016 2nd Round Pick

Where Are They Now?

Evans and Galloway were gone after a half-season in Sacramento. The second-round pick was used on Frank Mason III, who played 90 games in a Kings uniform and averaged 6.8 points in nearly 16 minutes per game. He is now on a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The first-round pick that the Kings acquired ended up being the 10th overall selection. In what seemed like a savvy move on draft night, Sacramento GM Vlade Divac traded down, giving that 10th pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the 15th and 20th overall pick.

The Blazers took Zach Collins at 10. The big man from Gonzaga has been passable for Portland, having played in 20 career playoff games and has averaged 17 minutes per in those contests.

The Kings chose Justin Jackson with the 15th pick. He was underwhelming in Sacramento, averaging less than 7 points in over 21 minutes per game. He then became a part of the trade package that Sacramento used to acquire Harrison Barnes from the Dallas Mavericks in early 2019.

So why isn’t Barnes considered an asset from the Cousins trade? Because the deal was a salary dump for the Mavs. They also accepted the bloated, expiring contract of Zach Randolph, who never played a game in Dallas and retired after the season. Jackson was initially thought to be somewhat of a throw-in, but has been a serviceable part of the rotation for Rick Carlisle.

Then, with the 20th pick, the Kings selected Harry Giles and his long history of injuries. Giles sat out his entire rookie season and played in just 58 games the next. He has yet to play a single minute of the 2019-’20 campaign, suffering from a somewhat-mysterious knee ailment. Earlier this week, Sacramento declined to pick up Giles’ option on his contract, effectively making him a free agent after this season. He likely won’t play another game in a Kings uniform.

Final Thoughts

That leaves Buddy Hield as the lone piece of the Cousins’ trade that still remains on the Kings roster. Could Sacramento have gotten a better haul? Absolutely. As Divac infamously admitted a day after the trade, “I had a better deal two days ago.”

But given how the last three injury-plagued years have gone for Cousins, the Kings are winners of the trade no matter which way you look at it.