Kings: Bjelica To Boston?

Nemanja Bjelica could be one of the players that the Kings trade within the next two weeks, so what kind of return could he bring?

The NBA trade deadline is just over two weeks away, and the Sacramento Kings’ front office is likely to be active in the coming days. They already made a swap last week with the Ariza/Bazemore trade that opened up a roster spot, which is presumably a precursor to future deal.

There are a few Sacramento players whose names have been in the rumor mill, especially Dewayne Dedmon and Bogdan Bogdanovic. But as we wrote last week, Nemanja Bjelica might be one of the most valuable trade chips for the Kings.

So what kind of package can Bjelica command? How high are other teams on the 31-year old sharpshooter who is on a team-friendly contract?

One interesting idea that was brought forth by our friends Brenden Nunes and Richard Ivanowski on Episode 114 of their Kings Pulse Podcast was to trade Bjelica to the Boston Celtics.

Tim Maxwell of Sactown Royalty was a guest that particular episode and suggested that the Kings should hold on to Bjelica and his manageable contract unless they are blown away by an offer. One thing that might intrigue Sacramento would be the chance to gather more ammunition for the first round of the 2020 Draft.

In order to match salaries, the Celtics would have to throw in Semi Ojeleye and Vincent Poireir. The latter is on a veteran minimum deal while Ojeleye’s 2020-21 season is under a team option.

Nunes knows the Celtics well and mentioned that Boston was looking to improve more on the defensive side of the ball rather than offense, to which Bjelica certainly doesn’t fit the mold. But most contending teams could find a way to make things work between them and an elite shooter on a cheap contract.

The Kings would then hold their own pick (which could very likely be in the top ten) as well as a pick in the late 20s. While early predictions of the 2020 Draft have it pegged as a weak one, Sacramento could use that late pick in a package to trade up for a player that they truly covet. The, say, 29th pick could be enough value to help the Kings in a move up the draft board.

Each passing loss for Sacramento increases the likelihood that they will be sellers around this season’s deadline, so keep a close eye on rumblings out of the California capital over the next couple of weeks.