NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Teams That Should Trade For Goran Dragic
2. Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings were mentioned as the team Miami discussed a Dragic trade with, and they still make sense as a potential trade partner since this franchise badly needs talent to keep DeMarcus Cousins in purple and silver for the long-term.
Like the Magic, the Kings’ cringeworthy 12-17 record still somehow has them in the playoff hunt, trailing the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth seed in the East by mere percentage points in the win column. Adding Dragic to a roster that severely needs help at the 1 might actually make Sacramento a legitimate playoff team.
Right now, the Kings are getting by with a point guard pu-pu platter of Darren Collison and Ty Lawson. Dragic would be an obvious upgrade over both, since the Kings currently rank 20th in the league in assists per game and 18th in three-point percentage.
The Heat would have options on what they want in return. Miami was previously rebuked when Riley asked for both Rudy Gay and Collison as a replacement for Dragic, but that might have changed by now. If not, perhaps Ben McLemore would work alongside Gay:
McLemore is widely believed to be a bust by now, but he’s still only 23 years old. Perhaps a change of scenery would help him tap into his potential, or at least put up better numbers than the 6.2 points in 16.9 minutes per game he’s averaging this year.
Don’t forget, McLemore shot a career-high 36.2 percent from downtown just last season. If he’s not the piece Miami wants, perhaps trading for a veteran three-point threat like Omri Casspi would get the job done:
Casspi is averaging just 7.1 points in 20.2 minutes per game, but he’s still shooting 37.2 percent from downtown and he’s been all but phased out of head coach Dave Joerger’s rotation.
Only a few weeks back, reports surfaced that the seven-year vet was unhappy with his role and wanted a trade, and though he denied it, Casspi could still be a trade candidate if the right deal comes along.
The Kings have plenty of expendable pieces that could be included to make a deal work, but the centerpiece would likely be Gay or Arron Afflalo. Gay can opt out of the final year of his contract this summer to become a free agent, or pick up his $14.3 million player option. Afflalo has a $12.5 million non-guaranteed contract for 2017-18.
In either case, the Heat probably wouldn’t care to keep them around, and guys like Collison and Casspi both come of the books this summer too. Miami would probably need to push for a pick if a younger player isn’t included, but that might be enough to blow up a potential Dragic-to-Sacramento trade before it begins.