Day 114

Fresh Start_114: 101.9 Sacramento Kings Hotline

Not every team has the opportunity that the Sacramento Kings have this season. Sitting 4 games out of the 8^th seed in the West through only 24 games, the Kings have some decision making to do. Sacramento’s star player DeMarcus Cousins averaging 28/10/3 while also being 36.9% from 3-point land, and just dominating the league at the center position—the team needs to pick a direction to go. The Kings could either roll over and trade Cousins to a team like Boston, Toronto, or any other team that is in desperate need of a big man; or they could go all in and trade for a point guard like John Wall.

Wall is an ideal target for Sacramento because of his connection with DeMarcus Cousins. If you forget, Wall and Cousins played their college ball at Kentucky together under the great John Calipari. Wall and Cousins seem to get along which is something of great value to Sacramento due to the fact that Cousins lack of feelings for the city of Sacramento. Cousins is under contract until 2018, which is just one year before Wall hits the market, which is good for the Kings. As an organization the Kings have operated the same way Cleveland did the first time they had Lebron James. Meaning they haven’t gotten DeMarcus Cousins that much help to try and win a championship. It is also well documented how disappointed Cousins has been with the past few draft selections that the Kings have made… just go on Cousins Twitter account. This could be an ideal scenario for the Kings moving forward with the assets that they currently have on the team. Players like Ty Lawson, Ben McLamore, Ormi Casspi, and Skal Labiassiere are all players Washington could use on their team in a Wall trade.

For Sacramento, you would have to throw in at least 2 guards (one to fill in for Wall, and one to potentially fill in for Beal because of injury concerns). It would also be a good idea to throw in at least one Center, and probably a first round pick. What you would get back in return is Wall, and most likely Otto Porter and a second rounder (maybe). Washington’s disliking of Porter is no secret and throwing him into this trade could be good for both parties. Porter gets a fresh start and Washington gets rid of one of their self-made problems. The reason you would have to throw in two guards if you are Sacramento is because of the confidence Washington has in Trey Burke. The center addition is to combat the play of Marcin Gortat this season (plus you never know if he will leave to go into politics). The most likely trade I could see happening for Wall is: Lawson, McLamore, Labiassiere, and a 2018 first rounder for Wall, Porter, and a 2017 second rounder.

Now if you are Washington, why would you do this trade? Well honestly why not? Your bench is one of the worst, if not the worst in the league—with your record at 9-14. Unlike Sacramento, the Wizards are 4 games out with 4 teams in front. Bradley Beal is an unknown with his injury history, while Trey Burke has already shown he can be a competent point guard in the league. You would be gaining a nice complement guard in Lawson to pair with Burke, while also getting another shooter in McLamore, a rim protector in Labiassiere, and a first round pick. All of these assets for a player in Wall that is wasting a season where he is averaging 23/4/9 going 35% from the 3-point line and 82.7% from the charity stripe in 36.2-minutes per. Wall clearly can’t win you games on his own and if you think he can, well Washington you will continue to loss until his contract is up. This trade might not seem to appealing to you from a fans perspective if you are a Wizards fan, but it will be a good move as an organization—to move forward from Wall.

This move won’t make Washington a contender right away, but for coach Scott Brooks and company, it will make the team better overall, and could land you a potential big name free agent some time very soon. For Sacramento, this makes the Kings a scary team come late May-early June with the explosiveness that the Kings could create with Wall and Cousins on the floor together.

If Sacramento decides to trade Cousins, Boston is likely the number one destination for Cousins. While the C’s have no immediate solution to give back to Sacramento for Cousins, they have a pair of Brooklyn picks that deem high value. The most likely trade I see if the Kings sell is: Amir Johnson, Marcus Smart, first round 2017 pick (via Brooklyn), and the first round 2019 pick (via L.A. Clippers). This would allow Willie Cauley-Stein to move to the starting Center role and give Sacramento the ability to have a stretch 4 in Johnson. They would also be gaining a spark plug guard in Smart, with the rebuild pieces in place with the two first round picks from Boston. Meanwhile, for Boston, they would challenge Cleveland and Toronto for the best team in the East. This move could put the Celtics in a position to win a championship this season, if not very soon.

This trade could go many ways for Sacramento, but they have to make up their mind soon and dictate the market, ultimately controlling the direction they want to go with the organization. The Kings hold a valuable chess piece in their hands that can shape the way the rest of the league plays out, possibly affecting the Champion of the league this season.

Sources:(nba.com, rotowire.com, spotrac.com, realgm.com)

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