The trade deadline has passed and the Sacramento Kings made just one small move. It was reported yesterday by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Kings have traded for second-year forward Kessler Edwards.
This move was made by Brooklyn to save more money, as they’ve remained quite active since the Kyrie Irving trade. Wojnarowski also reports that Sacramento plans to use Edwards for their G-League affiliate, the Stockton Kings. Here’s the full breakdown.
Nets are finalizing trade to send forward Kessler Edwards and cash to the Kings, sources tell ESPN. The Nets save a total of $8M in salary and luxury tax and open up a roster spot. Edwards still has to approve trade because he has a "one-year Bird Rights restriction" in his deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2023
Involved in the deal are the draft rights to David Michineau, as the Nets will receive his draft rights. The Kings also received “cash considerations” in the deal, as this seemed to be a financial move for Brooklyn. The Kings also waived Deonte Burton.
Edwards, 22, is a 6-foot-8 forward that was selected by Brooklyn in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft out of Pepperdine. He’s a long, lengthy forward that specializes in his defensive ability as that was his hype coming out of the draft.
Most fans want a true rim protector to backup Domantas Sabonis and help the massive interior defense issue, but this will help the other issue they have which is size at the wing position.
Everything you need to know about Kings addition Kessler Edwards
Kessler Edwards is your typical three-and-d wing, or at least has the potential to be one. He hasn’t made much of an impact at all this season, only appearing in 14 games for the Nets. He’s spent most of his time in the G-League where he’s averaged 16.9 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. He’s also averaged a block and a steal per game during his G-League stint this year, as defending seems to be his main strength on the court.
Last year he made a much more significant impact for Brookyln, appearing in 48 games and starting 23 of them. He looked like he had some potential early on as he has quite a smooth shot. He only averaged around 20 minutes per game last year but made the most of his time. Take a look at the tweet below to see some of Edwards legit defensive potential.
a little sample of what Kessler Edwards can do.
— J r u e (@thatl0calguy) February 8, 2023
at 6'8, he brings some much-needed size to a roster that's lacking in that department at the 3/4 spot. there are some nice moments in these clips where he showcases some decent screen navigation on defense. pic.twitter.com/0xnEMtrCks
This is a Kings team that truly needs a guy like this. There were rumors about the team potentially targeting wing defenders, such as Matisse Thybulle, but after this acquisition, it took the Kings out of those discussions.
When you look at the rotation that coach Mike Brown runs, it clearly lacks size outside of Sabonis. It also lacks wing defenders.
Terence Davis and Malik Monk have been good offensively, but Davis is 6’4 and Monk is 6’3. Pretty small for your backup wings especially when you consider the amount of long, three-and-d players that fill the Western Conference.
Watching Nets tape and man—Kessler Edwards really jumps out.
— NBA University (@NBA_University) August 17, 2022
The rook displayed beautiful shot blocking instincts and an impressive streak of physicality (watch him hang w Giannis) at 6’8 200lbs. Put up 3 3PA/gm in 20min and hit a decent clip w a pretty release. Exciting year 2! pic.twitter.com/c4qNRBTP0Z
Even though he’ll likely be in the G-League for a few weeks, Edwards could get a real shot to earn minutes with this Kings team. He could fit in nicely with some of the lineups they run and immediately helps the wing defense gap. That’s the main theme of this article and his game, defense! We all know the Kings need more of it.
This could be a sneaky good move by GM Monte McNair. While many fans rightfully wanted a little bit more in terms of deadline action, we should be trusting the process of McNair until proven otherwise.