Indiana Pacers Receive: G/F Buddy Hield, G/F Kenrich Williams
OKC Thunder Receive: F Marvin Bagley III, C Tristan Thompson, C Goga Bitadze
Sacramento Kings Receive: F TJ Warren, G/F Jeremy Lamb, PHX 2022 1st Round Pick (via OKC, Protected Top-12)
Before we start talking about this trade as a whole, it is worth noting that this deal could not be completed until after October 6, 2021, due to Tristan Thompson recently being traded from the Boston Celtics to the Sacramento Kings. Now, let’s dive into the craziness that would be this trade, starting with the Kings.
Sacramento is going to open up the season with three really solid backcourt pieces in Fox, Haliburton, and Mitchell, but the rest of their roster is a big question mark. They have seemed to show their cards to Buddy Hield in the sense that they have interest in moving him, which is why he could very well be on the move sooner than later.
The same can be said with Marvin Bagley III, who is in the final year of his rookie contract and since he currently seems unhappy with his current role on the team.
Sacramento has moves to be made and needs more talent to try and become relevant again, which is why they could be interested in sacrificing both Hield and Bagley to try and get a guy like TJ Warren from the Indiana Pacers.
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Warren played in only four games last year before suffering a season-ending foot injury that required surgery, but in the NBA Bubble, he was the MVP of the resumption of play, averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 10 games in the NBA Bubble. Sacramento needs another contributor on the wing, which is why TJ Warren could make a lot of sense for them.
Bagley going to the OKC Thunder is another deal the Sacramento Kings could make that would definitely make sense for the young big man since he wants a fresh start and would be getting one with a team that has a ton of other young talents.
Marvin Bagley III would wind up being one of the more experienced players on the Thunder’s roster if he was to go there, which could be beneficial for him to get more playing time and be the player he was supposed to be with the No. 2 pick in 2018.
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The Pacers do not necessarily have an immediate need to trade a guy like TJ Warren, but they are looking to move Jeremy Lamb, who is in the final year of his contract and is owed $10.5M during the 2021-22 season. With Justin Holiday and rookie Chris Duarte on the wing, Indiana does not have room anymore for Lamb, which is why they are looking to move him fairly soon.
A lot would need to be sorted out for this trade to actually work for all sides, but this is not the craziest three-team deal to imagine happening at some point during the 2021-22 season. As a result, this trade could wind up working out for all three teams involved in different ways.
