As the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline approaches, speculation is circling as to which players the Sacramento Kings might move before Feb. 7.
The Sacramento Kings are in the midst of a playoff push and they are rumored to be active on the trade market.
Earlier this month, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the team had discussed acquiring Enes Kanter of the New York Knicks. More recently, Marc Stein of The New York Times said the Kings were one of the teams interested in Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeremy Lin.
If these rumors are true, the Kings will more than likely be bringing in more talent in anticipation of the postseason, but at what cost? Stars like De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein will definitely stay on the roster, along with key role players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica, and rookie Marvin Bagley III.
These guys have been instrumental in helping the Kings reach heights not seen by the franchise for the past decade, and it is safe to assume general manager Vlade Divac won’t mess up a core that has been successful for the first half of the season. Aside from those core players, the rest of the roster should be available.
The Kings have been active on the trade deadline in recent years. In 2017, they sent superstar center DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans in return for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and New Orleans’ first and second round picks in 2017. In 2018, the Kings sent a package headlined by George Hill in a three-team trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a bundle containing Joe Johnson and Iman Shumpert.
Here are the three most likely players to be the next victim of the Kings’ deadline deals.