One of the hot topics of the offseason for the Sacramento Kings will be Buddy Hield’s future. We found three potential trade ideas and responded to them.
While we’re not sure exactly when the actual offseason will happen in the NBA, we do know that the Sacramento Kings will be facing a handful of important decisions when the time comes. One of those decisions will be what to do with their guard/wing positions, namely Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
On paper, it looks as though Hield is the shooting guard of the future. He signed a four-year contract extension last offseason and was the opening night starter. Bogdanovic is a restricted free agent at the end of the year. Hield won the three-point contest and is still one of the most feared shooters in the league, averaging just shy of 20 points per game. Bogdanovic averages 14.5.
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But what the paper won’t tell you about it Hield’s late-game mistakes, inability to create his own shot, or public comments he makes regarding the state of the team. Those factors, and likely more, went into the decision by head coach Luke Walton to bench Hield in favor of Bogdanovic, which has been heavily credited as the driving force behind the Kings’ late-season resurgence.
Add in the report from Shams Charania that Hield was unhappy with his role and could potentially request a trade in the offseason, and we have ourselves quite the situation.
The notion and subject of trading Buddy Hield is a sore one for Kings fans. He quickly became adored in Sacramento last season during his breakout year, and he solidified his commitment to the team by signing the huge contract. Getting rid of one of the top snipers in the league seems like blasphemy for some, but there is an ugly truth behind the rumors. The Kings could very well shop Hield this summer, and at the very least will be open to entertaining some offers.
So what might some of those offers look like? We took a look around the internet at what other fan sites thought about their team acquiring Hield and what they think a trade package would look like. We’ll take a look at three of them and decide whether or not the Kings would/should take the offer.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Do you have an idea for a Hield trade?
TRADE #1
This trade idea comes from the folks over at Bleacher Report in a piece that highlights potential trades for the Brooklyn Nets to form a Big 3 with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for next season. The Nets have a solid crop of valuable and tradable pieces that were responsible for their resurgence last season.
They could theoretically trade a couple of their assets for a third star and still be left with a good-enough supporting cast to be able to make some noise next season. Hield would be a good fit between Irving and Durant. Imagine his sharpshooting being the third scoring option.
So do the Nets have anything that the Kings would want? Would Brooklyn be willing to provide enough value in return for the Kings to be interested? Here was BR’s idea:
We don’t hate it. Jarrett Allen would provide a much-needed interior presence, whether it be in the starting lineup or off of the bench. He would be a cheap commodity for at least a season before he is set to get paid. Much of the Kings’ desire to acquire Allen would be contingent on how they feel about Marvin Bagley and their future with him.
The inclusion of Taurean Prince certainly sweetens the pot for Sacramento. He did suffer a bit of a regression this last season as he switched teams and schemes, but he has proven to be a solid scoring option in his short NBA career. Prince would fill the need for backup small forward, which would free the Kings up to address a different need in the 2020 NBA Draft.
As for the pick, it is unknown whether or not it would even be included in a trade for Hield. He technically cannot be traded until July 1st, which would come after the draft in a normal year. With the NBA hiatus and summer schedule unknown, there is a chance that this trade could work with the pick given the special circumstances.
WOULD WE DO IT?
We’d certainly entertain the idea.
Trade #2
This one is a monster. The Chicago Bulls are in a tough spot with a slew of young talent on a team that has struggled to put it all together on the court. They are likely headed for a coaching change this offseason, and with that could come changes up and down the roster.
Would Hield fit in to the timeline of their rebuild? He is no longer a young commodity and is very likely in his prime as we speak. Would he bring the same kind of value to the team three years down the road when they are ready to compete?
Well, with this trade cooked up by our friends over at Pippen Ain’t Easy, that might not be an issue.
Brace yourselves.
GULP.
This one is a lot to take in. We are having enough trouble with the thought of getting rid of Hield. But to cut loose early on the Marvin Bagley project might be a little much. Throw in fan-favorite Harry Giles, and we’re pretty close to hanging up the phone.
But, the return is a nice one. Lauri Markkanen regressed last year but has high enough upside to be the floor stretching big man that the Kings badly need. Based on what we’ve seen from Bagley thus far, it could be that Markkanen would be the better fit in the Kings offense.
We’re unsure about the fit of Zach LaVine. Yes, the Kings did offer him a contract a few years back to play alongside De’Aaron Fox, but he never inked. Could he co-exist with today’s version of Fox? Would he make the Kings offense any better than Hield does? We’re not sure.
Giles would have to be a sign-and-trade given his contractual situation, and it would be Hield’s extension kicking in that would allow these salaries to come close to matching.
WOULD WE DO IT?
Frankly, we haven’t seen enough from Bagley to be able to pull the trigger on this one. It is too early to be giving up on a player who showed promise but struggled with injuries. Despite our desire to acquire Markannen, we’d probably have to hang up the phone on this one.
Trade #3
The New York Knicks are all over the place. They’ve missed out on big free agents and lottery balls have gone astray. They are in desperate need of some star power, someone to sell jerseys and become the face of the franchise.
Is Buddy Hield that? Probably not. But he would certainly be a solid second option should owner James Dolan find a way to bring in a bigger star.
But what do the Knicks have to give up? They’re not going to give up on RJ Barrett just yet, and I’m not sure that anyone wants Kevin Knox. That essentially leaves Julius Randle as the lone valuable asset on the roster. Let’s check out this trade from the guys at Daily Knicks:
Eh. This one doesn’t entice us enough.
Sure, Randle is a good player and second or third scoring option, but we are unsure about how he would be able to fit in the Kings current rotation. As we mentioned, Sacramento has some work to do on its front line this offseason, so fit and minutes are subject to change. But unless a trade for Hield is answering a definitive question or plugging an obvious hole, we’re going to be reluctant to pull the trigger.
Dennis Smith and the first-round pick would be nice throw-ins, but not enough to move the meter on a trade for a valuable asset like Hield. Smith might not fit in to the rotation either, and who knows what the value of a Mavericks first-round pick in a few years will be. This offer would likely be a desperation heave by the Knicks, a hail mary to get a proven commodity into Madison Square Garden.
WOULD WE DO IT?
Sorry. *Click*.