The Sacramento Kings entered the NBA offseason with multiple players looking like they would be on the way out. Thus far, they made only one deal, a three-team with the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks.
That deal saw Delon Wright traded to the Hawks, with Tristan Thompson coming to Sacramento. Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando landed with the Celtics.
Somewhat surprisingly, that was the only deal Sacramento made during the offseason. Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III were both good bets to be on the move as well, according to sources throughout the summer.
While the trade rumors have been quiet around Bagley, as his market isn’t robust, Hield was drawing some interest around the NBA. This offseason, he was almost traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
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It got so late in the process that the players believed a trade had been made, but things changed at the last minute. The same Lakers package and Kentaivous Caldwell-Pope were sent to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
As a result, the Kings still have Hield on their roster. Given how many times he has been mentioned in trade rumors and how close he was to being traded in July, moving on from Hield would make sense.
One team that could have an interest in Hield is the New Orleans Pelicans. What would trade for Hield look like? Let’s take a look at this hypothetical trade between the Kings and Pelicans that lands Buddy Hield in the Big Easy.
