The Sacramento Kings may have failed to end their playoff drought in the 2018-19 NBA season, but the improvements shown by De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield gave them something to look forward to in the coming years. As of now, there is no doubt that Fox and Hield are both taking the right path to stardom. However, with the emergence of numerous superteams, the Kings must be aware that they need to continue surrounding their young core with quality players to have a strong chance of contending for the NBA championship.
Aside from 2019 NBA free agency, the Kings could also look for major roster upgrades on the trade market. According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report , one of the NBA superstars that the Kings could target via trade next summer is Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Kings may not have a better collection of trade assets than the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics, but they should still consider engaging in trade talks with the Pelicans in the 2019 NBA offseason.
Even without the inclusion of De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, the Kings could still build an interesting trade package that can catch the attention of the Pelicans. In the proposed trade deal by Bleacher Report , the Kings would trade Marvin Bagley III, Harrison Barnes, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and two future second-round picks to New Orleans in exchange for Anthony Davis.
“The lack of a first-rounder might kill this offer’s appeal to some, but Sacramento’s counter is that few packages will have a prospect of Bagley’s caliber. Even if history hates the fact he went ahead of Luka Doncic, that has plenty more to do with the latter than the former. When Bagley steps out of his shell, his potential looks almost limitless. His per-36-minute marks are an impressive 20.6 points and 10.5 rebounds.”
The Knicks might actually be out of the Anthony Davis Sweepstakes if they win the draft lottery https://t.co/iyIKOZ61mO
— Intl. Business Times (@IBTimes) March 27, 2019
As Bleacher Report noted, the “primary function” of Harrison Barnes in the deal is to match the Pelicans’ outgoing salary. However, Barnes could still be a great addition to New Orleans, especially if they still want to remain competitive in the Western Conference in the post-Anthony Davis era. The same thing goes with Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is currently averaging 14.0 points on 41.2 percent shooting from the field, and 34.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Pairing Anthony Davis with De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield will undeniably make the Kings an exciting team to watch in the 2019-20 NBA season. However, trading for Davis comes with a huge risk since he could become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020. If they fail to convince Davis to stay long-term in Sacramento, the Kings could end up throwing away their precious trade assets for a one-year rental.
