The Kings’ gifting of their star center to the Pelicans has been hailed as the worst trade in NBA history, but might there be a method to their madness?
The Sacramento Kings have completed a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad trade. A trade that, by large consensus, is being called one of the worst in NBA history. A trade so bad that the artificial intelligence in NBA 2K17 won’t allow it to go through. A trade so terrible that in his press conference discussing the deal, Kings general manager Vlade Divac took on the hopeless appearance of a man held against his will, saying he had a better offer two days ago.
For all of Divac’s many failings, a list of shortcomings which are dwarfed by those of team owner Vivek Ranadivé, we must assume he is telling the truth about a better offer because the one he accepted late Sunday night could not have been much worse: franchise centerpiece DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi shipped to New Orleans in exchange for rookie guard Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and the Pelicans’ first- and second-round picks in the 2017 draft. The Kings also released Matt Barnes in the wake of the deal to clear roster space, meaning they could be held liable for however he uses his newfound free time to terrorize Derek Fisher.
Related: GM admits Kings turned down a 'better deal' before trading DeMarcus Cousins
Source familiar w/ Kings’ thinking: "Vivek thinks Buddy [Hield] has Steph Curry potential.” Am told that fixation was a key driver in deal.
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