How the Sacramento Kings benefitted from the trade deadline

Dedmon Off The Books

When the Sacramento Kings signed Dewayne Dedmon last July, many in the team’s community were ecstatic. Although Sacramento had to overpay for the veteran big man, his past showed he was an ideal complement to Marvin Bagley III due to his ability to space the floor offensively and protect the rim on the defensive end.

That was the reputation Dedmon gained, but I guess he left his talent in Atlanta. The big reason for Dedmon requesting a trade this season was because of his role being minimized as the season progressed. Well, that demotion was deserved.

For being considered a stretch-five, Dedmon was the complete opposite of that as his ability to make perimeter shots disappeared, making just 19.7 percent from long range with Sacramento. Dedmon also was a turnover machine as his average in that category vastly increased compared to previous years.

The logic behind signing Dedmon made sense for Sacramento at the time. It was risky but necessary for the development of Bagley. Unfortunately, it just did not pan out for Sacramento. One can say they gave up on Dedmon too early, but the six-year veteran wanted to be traded. Now that he is, Sacramento now takes his lucrative contract off the books as well as a player who was a liability for them.

It would not surprise me if Dedmon became more productive with the Hawks as he has shown in the past. But it seemed more unlikely he was going to be that asset with Sacramento the more he played.