Rationale for the Sacramento Kings

The relationship between the Kings and Buddy Hield has continued to be in a strange place. There doesn’t appear to be much of an outlook for it to improve in the near future, which is troubling considering his contract extension kicks in next season.

There is a clear need for the Kings to reset the team culture and to successfully pull that off, it’s important to have players that are truly onboard. Hield clearly is not onboard with head coach Luke Walton and vice versa.

Moving on from Hield while being able to replace him with a highly efficient spot-up threat is an intriguing option. That’s essentially what the Kings would be doing by moving him to the Mavericks with Tim Hardaway Jr. being a key component of the trade.

The fact that Hardaway Jr. would be on an expiring deal (assuming he opts-in) is all the more intriguing for the Kings. Sacramento would maximize their salary cap flexibility entering a loaded 2021 free agency class.