The NBA offseason has been quite long for the Sacramento Kings and the Oklahoma City Thunder, as both teams are preparing to enter a season in which player development will be key.
The Kings are definitely a better team than the Thunder entering the year and they are going to be looking to make a potential play-in tournament push in the Western Conference, but like Oklahoma City, they have a ton of young players who need to continue finding ways to improve.
At 23-years-old and set to turn 24 in December, De’Aaron Fox is the star of the Kings and he could very well make an All-Star push this season, but guys like Tyrese Haliburton, Terence Davis, Chimezie Metu and rookie Davion Mitchell will all need to show signs of improvement through the year if Sacramento is going to have a shot at finally ending their 15-year playoff drought.
As for Oklahoma City, GM Sam Presti has stockpiled draft picks and his main focus is on getting the most out of the young players on the Thunder’s roster. Only two players on their roster are over 26-years-old and the Thunder have 10 guys under contract for this season with three or fewer years of experience in the NBA.
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Continuing to find ways to build their young core for the future is the main goal of the Thunder right now, which is why they could show interest in Kings’ forward Marvin Bagley III.
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Bagley is eligible for a contract extension, but a new deal would have to be agreed upon before his October 18 deadline, otherwise, he will become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
There is a possibility that the Kings will not extend an offer to Bagley before the start of the season and gauge trade interest in him near the NBA trade deadline, but the future seems very uncertain for the former second overall pick right now.
Bagley’s struggles to stay healthy and inconsistency is something that has limited his upside in Sacramento and the young frontcourt player does not seem to be too happy with the Kings right now.
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Getting a fresh start with a young and dynamic team like the Oklahoma City Thunder could be the best thing for Marvin Bagley III and his career, but can a trade get done before his extension deadline date?
Let’s take a look at what the Thunder could possibly offer Sacramento and what they would be willing to give up.
