NBA Trade Grades: Sacramento Kings get Kent Bazemore for veteran, 2 young bigs

NBA Trade Grades: Sacramento gets older, acquires 2020-21 cap room

For the Sacramento Kings in this deal, they will pick up a lot of extra cap space, going from the combined $5.28 million for Trevor Ariza (if his option had been declined), Caleb Swanigan and Wenyen Gabriel to $20.89 million in cap space for next season. The Kings still project to be $44.2 million over the cap next season, but are trying to move Dewayne Dedmon.

Bazemore came to the Portland Trail Blazers over the summer for Evan Turner and neither veteran impressed in their new city. He started 21 times in 43 appearances for Portland and averaged 25.8 minutes per game, an increase over the 24.5 he averaged with the Atlanta Hawks last season.

But, wow, has Bazemore done less with more. He’s averaging 7.9 points (down from 11.6), 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals, shooting only 34.7 percent overall and 32.7 percent on 4.0 3-point attempts per game.

Bazemore was originally an undrafted free agent signed by the Golden State Warriors in July 2012 and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2014. That fall, he signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Hawks and when that expired, he remained in Atlanta on a four-year, $70 million contract that felt like an overpay at the time and hasn’t gotten better.

The 34-year-old Tolliver is in his 12th season and will be returning to Sacramento after having spent the 2016-17 season there. A combo forward at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, the Trail Blazers had been so shorthanded up front they gave Tolliver nine starts … at center. Portland was not surprisingly just 2-7 in those games (not blaming Tolliver, who was put into a bad situation).

But he’s still got some scoring spark.

He’s averaging 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game, shooting 36.8 percent overall and 33.7 percent on 2.7 3-point attempts a game. A career 37.4 percent shooter from deep, Tolliver’s scoring is at its lowest levels since he averaged 2.7 points as an undrafted free agent rookie with the San Antonio Spurs in 2008-09.

As far as what Bazemore and Tolliver will give the Kings on the court, it could be limited. With Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes and Bogdan Bogdanovic manning the wings, there’s not a lot of minutes left for Bazemore. Tolliver will be stacked behind Marvin Bagley III, Richaun Holmes, Nemanja Bjelica, Dedmon and Harry Giles in the frontcourt.

This trade was not about the basketball on the court as much as it was about Sacramento giving itself more flexibility to attempt to retain Bogdanovic, who can become a restricted free agent next summer and — because of the nature of his contract — was only eligible for a four-year, $51.4 million extension. He is likely worth much more than that on the open market.

So if the Kings win their gambit and keep Bogdanovic, this trade could be a significant reason why. If he walks anyway …

Grade: B+ (if Bogdanovic stays), D- (if Bogdanovic goes)