Official Trade Thread Part XLVI

[payitforward]

I am going to disagree with you on Mitchell... I think he will be signed to a vet minimum contract....

Oh sure, that's perfectly possible. Above all b/c he was a lottery pick he'll get more chances than he'd get if he'd been undrafted & performed as badly as he has.

Interesting contrast with, e.g. Keon Ellis -- one of my favorite recent success stories in the league!

...And yes, "I think"/IMO that Huerter is going to bounce back....

I don't like to see anyone fail, so I hope you are right!

[dckingsfan]

I am going to disagree with you on Mitchell... I think he will be signed to a vet minimum contract....

Oh sure, that's perfectly possible. Above all b/c he was a lottery pick he'll get more chances than he'd get if he'd been undrafted & performed as badly as he has.

Interesting contrast with, e.g. Keon Ellis -- one of my favorite recent success stories in the league!

...And yes, "I think"/IMO that Huerter is going to bounce back....

I don't like to see anyone fail, so I hope you are right!

Which brings us full circle back to the trade. It is Kuzma for Huerter + 13 + Mitchell (expiring).

If Huerter returns back to his form, I think it is a steal of a trade. It makes Kispert available to trade (if we want) and Huerter later.

The question really is will we get a better return on Kuzma next year or the year after?

[payitforward]

...If Huerter returns back to his form, I think it is a steal of a trade....

What if he doesn't return to form?

[dckingsfan]

...If Huerter returns back to his form, I think it is a steal of a trade....

What if he doesn't return to form?

Then the trade is an epic bust.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

...If Huerter returns back to his form, I think it is a steal of a trade....

What if he doesn't return to form?

Then the trade is an epic bust.

To me Huerter is inconsequential. If he can give you some minutes off the bench at the 3 its gravy.

But I want a swap of 51 for 45. We can throw in Johnny Davis too.

Kuzma, Davis, 51 to Kings for Huerter, Mitchell, 13, 45.

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/8781625


I'm drafting Risacher at 2. I'm building this team on Deni, Bilal, and Risacher.

At 13 I'm taking 19 yr old 6-11 PF Tyler Smith. We need some above the rim athleticism and upside, and he's got it, plus a sweet lefty shooting stroke.

At 26 give me the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year : Center Adem Bona.

And at 45 Ill take 18 yr old SG Cam Christie


Roster:

C - Vukcevic, Bagley, Bona
PF- Avdija, T.Smith, Baldwin
SF- Coulibaly, Kispert, Huerter
SG- Risacher, Christie, Champagnie
PG- Poole, Butler, Mitchell

[dckingsfan]

What if he doesn't return to form?

Then the trade is an epic bust.

To me Huerter is inconsequential. If he can give you some minutes off the bench at the 3 its gravy.

But I want a swap of 51 for 45. We can throw in Johnny Davis too.

Kuzma, Davis, 51 to Kings for Huerter, Mitchell, 13, 45.

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/8781625

I'm drafting Risacher at 2. I'm building this team on Deni, Bilal, and Risacher.

At 13 I'm taking 19 yr old 6-11 PF Tyler Smith. We need some above the rim athleticism and upside, and he's got it, plus a sweet lefty shooting stroke.

At 26 give me the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year : Center Adem Bona.

And at 45 Ill take 18 yr old SG Cam Christie

Roster:

C - Vukcevic, Bagley, Bona
PF- Avdija, T. Smith, Baldwin
SF- Coulibaly, Kispert, Huerter
SG- Risacher, Christie, Champagnie
PG- Poole, Butler, Mitchell

Only nitpicks... Huerter is definitely a SG and I think Risacher is going to be a SF. But I get where you are going with this... we would definitely be young. And it still has the tank driver Poole. So, unless he blows up, we should be good for '25.

I do think that Huerter getting back to his form makes him a good trade candidate. We will have expiring contracts rolling into the trade deadline to go along with Huerter (not sure why but it keeps trying to autocorrect to Huerta).

[payitforward]

Now you're talking! Only... why include 51?

Kuzma & Davis for Huerter, Mitchell, 13 & 45.

2 -- Sarr or Risacher
13 -- Devin Carter (if Carter is gone, & we got Risacher, I might take Missi here)
26 -- If we got Risacher & Carter (i.e. not Missi), I take Edey if he is still on the board, Durisic if he's not.
45 -- Cam Christie if we got Carter; KJ Simpson if we didn't.
51 -- Jonathan Mogbo.

[payitforward]

...If Huerter returns back to his form, I think it is a steal of a trade....

What if he doesn't return to form?

Then the trade is an epic bust.

IOW, if Huerter plays at the level of his most recent season, the trade is a bust. I can't see a rebuilding team accepting an overwhelming risk like that.

Make it Keon Ellis instead of Huerter.

You gotta give to get, right?

[dckingsfan]

What if he doesn't return to form?

Then the trade is an epic bust.

IOW, if Huerter plays at the level of his most recent season, the trade is a bust. I can't see a rebuilding team accepting an overwhelming risk like that.

Make it Keon Ellis instead of Huerter.

You gotta give to get, right?

Zero chance that they trade Ellis (who I also like and I think will become their starting SG). Take Huerter's previous seasons into account (and you have to assume his shoulder is going to be right).

But I also respect the notion that it isn't worth the risk. SUPERBALLMAN also has a good notion of why it is worth the risk.

Thanks for the response though - it is an interesting exercise in what to do with Kuz. And since the trade was with a Sac fan - something "like this" "could" happen.

[payitforward]

Now now -- don't act insulted! I know Sac'to will not trade Keon Ellis in this deal. Signing him is an excellent example of what makes the Kings a well-managed franchise!

OTOH, it's hard to see why the Wizards would want Huerter, given where the franchise is in its rebuilding process. Even if he returned to the productivity level of previous seasons, he wouldn't make sense.

We need a 3d team in the deal -- to take Huerter & give the Wizards some draft capital.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Then the trade is an epic bust.

To me Huerter is inconsequential. If he can give you some minutes off the bench at the 3 its gravy.

But I want a swap of 51 for 45. We can throw in Johnny Davis too.

Kuzma, Davis, 51 to Kings for Huerter, Mitchell, 13, 45.

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/8781625

I'm drafting Risacher at 2. I'm building this team on Deni, Bilal, and Risacher.

At 13 I'm taking 19 yr old 6-11 PF Tyler Smith. We need some above the rim athleticism and upside, and he's got it, plus a sweet lefty shooting stroke.

At 26 give me the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year : Center Adem Bona.

And at 45 Ill take 18 yr old SG Cam Christie

Roster:

C - Vukcevic, Bagley, Bona
PF- Avdija, T. Smith, Baldwin
SF- Coulibaly, Kispert, Huerter
SG- Risacher, Christie, Champagnie
PG- Poole, Butler, Mitchell

Only nitpicks... Huerter is definitely a SG and I think Risacher is going to be a SF. But I get where you are going with this... we would definitely be young. And it still has the tank driver Poole. So, unless he blows up, we should be good for '25.

I do think that Huerter getting back to his form makes him a good trade candidate. We will have expiring contracts rolling into the trade deadline to go along with Huerter (not sure why but it keeps trying to autocorrect to Huerta).

Ok, yeah I see that. Sorry, I'm pretty sure Huerter played SF for MD.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/sacramento-kings-guard-kevin-huerter-120000388.html


But this whole trade to me comes down to the draft and adding that 13 pick. Tidjan Salaun is getting a ton of hype, but I think Tyler Smith is getting overlooked as a similar prospect, and will definitely be available at 13.

That opens 26 to focus on addressing Center. We can possibly look at Ware. But I am a fan of Bona, and confident he'll be on the board here. He's 6-10 with a 7-4 wingspan and plays hard, and takes pride in defense. He was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2023., and was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.

The pick at 45 is pure gravy. Possibilities include Christie, Dadiet, Flowers, Djurisic, McCullar, Ryan Dunn, Ajay Mitchell, Hunter Sallis, Melvin Ajinca, Jalen Bridges, Jamir Watkins, Dillon Jones, Tristen Newton, Juan Nunez, AJ Johnson. I like pretty much all these guys. Dunn would be high on my list but I expect him to be gone before 45, same with Ajay, and AJ, and Dadiet. And Christie is a favorite, but he could very well be gone also. But I like the move up from 51 to 45. It doesn't seem like much, but it increases our odds of landing a player that inextricably drops lower than expected, like a Dunn or Dadiet, and coming away with a steal.

At 45, another guy worth looking at as an upside swing, and I'm pretty positive will still be on the board is Justin Edwards.

Watch on YouTube

5 Star recruit McDonald's All-American out of high school, had a disappointing season at Kentucky.

Bleacher Report:

Athletic at-rim finisher with a quick first step and impressive body control. He’s at his best slingshotting off handoffs and screens toward the rim. When he has space to take off, he can throw down powerful dunks.

Selfless passer who is always looking to reward active teammates, although he’s more of a connective offensive piece than a leader.

Active off-ball player always looking for opportunities to cut to the rim within the flow of the offense. In high school, his team would even design actions for him to get to the basket, especially on out-of-bounds plays. Or it would have him slip screens then flare out for 3s, or he’d occasionally roll.

Active rebounder, especially for a wing. He loves to crash the glass on offense.

High-effort defender who loves to jump passing lanes. With his length, frame, and approach, he could develop into an elite on-ball defender who thrives in a switching scheme.


Roster:

C - Vukcevic, Bona, Bagley
PF- Avdija, T.Smith, Baldwin
SF- Risacher, Kispert, Edwards
SG- Coulibaly, Huerter, Champagnie
PG- Poole, Butler, Mitchell

[dckingsfan]

:)
Now now -- don't act insulted! I know Sac'to will not trade Keon Ellis in this deal. Signing him is an excellent example of what makes the Kings a well-managed franchise!

OTOH, it's hard to see why the Wizards would want Huerter, given where the franchise is in its rebuilding process. Even if he returned to the productivity level of previous seasons, he wouldn't make sense.

We need a 3d team in the deal -- to take Huerter & give the Wizards some draft capital.

Not insulted at all. You have made solid points all the way along.

And yes, Sac has some things going for it in Fox, Ellis, Murray & Sabonis. They very well could be the team that waits for Huerter to recover and keep 13 & 45.

And yes, that would be even better if you could trade Huerter right up front for additional draft capital. My thought on the matter was that we would have to "take a gamble" that Huerter would return to form, then trade him at the deadline or next year - weighed against a disaster if the shoulder doesn't recover.

I like SUPERBALLMAN's additional caveat of swapping the 2nd round picks. If that trade was offered I would jump on it.

[FAH1223]

Count me all in for this trade for the Wizards. They get a young PG, Huerter who I think returns back to last years' form and #13. It allows the Wizards to play Bilal major minutes at PF along with Vukcevic to see what we have.

Having 2, 13 & 26 is about all the rookies they can handle. If they can package 26 + 51 to move up a bit all the better.

For Sac this is puzzling. I guess a forward rotation of Kuzma, Murray and Barnes is rock solid. But the guard rotation will be thin with Fox, Ellis and Duarte? And I think that the Sabonis/Len rotation is sub-optimal.

Guard rotation most likely Fox, Ellis, and MLE hopeful Melton this is assuming Monk leave. What we need is to get bigger and that’s what Kuzma does at what would be a small price for us considering.

Hopefully you guys would land Flagg for helping us

Yeah, you guys still owe us for Webber.

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/8781161

But yes I'd do that trade. Huerter (former Terp), Mitchell (reunites with Butler) + 13 for Kuzma. Swap 45 for 51 and call it a day.

Draft Risacher (2), Tyler Smith (13), Cam Christie (26), Adem Bona (45)

Roster:
PG- Poole, Mitchell, Butler
SG- Coulibaly, Davis, Christie
SF- Risacher, Kispert, Huerter
PF- Avdija, T.Smith, Baldwin
C - Vukcevic, Bagley, Bona



4 players 19 and younger, no one older than 25. That's a nice kick start to the rebuild.

Watch on YouTube

[9 and 20]

Guard rotation most likely Fox, Ellis, and MLE hopeful Melton this is assuming Monk leave. What we need is to get bigger and that’s what Kuzma does at what would be a small price for us considering.

Hopefully you guys would land Flagg for helping us

Yeah, you guys still owe us for Webber.

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/8781161

But yes I'd do that trade. Huerter (former Terp), Mitchell (reunites with Butler) + 13 for Kuzma. Swap 45 for 51 and call it a day.

Draft Risacher (2), Tyler Smith (13), Cam Christie (26), Adem Bona (45)

Roster:
PG- Poole, Mitchell, Butler
SG- Coulibaly, Davis, Christie
SF- Risacher, Kispert, Huerter
PF- Avdija, T.Smith, Baldwin
C - Vukcevic, Bagley, Bona



4 players 19 and younger, no one older than 25. That's a nice kick start to the rebuild.

Watch on YouTube

I couldn't put myself through the pain of watching that video. What's wrong with you, man????

Trade idea - if the Spurs want Risacher, is there a trade to be had with them involving Vassell or Keldon Johnson, their picks, and Kuzma? If they get Risacher, one of those young guys is going to lose minutes.

[J-Ves]

What do you think an acceptable amount of value would be if the Spurs come knocking and ask for a 2 for 4 swap? Its clearly not worth the 8th pick but I don't know if I'd do it for a pupu plater of 3 2nds either

[Frichuela]

I hope this Monumental propaganda is aiming to drive Kuz value up…

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=GWeuz7j_sc5cBYZzdD92Tw

[TGW]

Value check...if the Spurs offered Keldon Johnson and #8 for Deni and filler, would you do it?

[nate33]

Value check...if the Spurs offered Keldon Johnson and #8 for Deni and filler, would you do it?

Keldon Johnson is "just a guy". Kinda inefficient. Kinda bad on D. Consistently negative on/off differential. If you give him the minutes, he'll put up respectable counting stats, but not in a way that really helps a team much. And he hasn't gotten any better in the last 3 years so I think WYSIWYG. He is basically a shorter version of Kuzma with a lower usage rate. (At least Kuzma's inefficiency can be partially explained by his overly high usage rate.)

I think, on his $18M a year contract, he has fairly neutral value. So this is like trading Deni for the #8 and an expiring contract or a TPE. I'd much rather have Deni.

[Rafael122]

What do you think an acceptable amount of value would be if the Spurs come knocking and ask for a 2 for 4 swap? Its clearly not worth the 8th pick but I don't know if I'd do it for a pupu plater of 3 2nds either

I wouldn't do the Deni for Johnson trade, and it depends on how desperate San Antonio is to move up 2 spots.

[mhd]

What do you think an acceptable amount of value would be if the Spurs come knocking and ask for a 2 for 4 swap? Its clearly not worth the 8th pick but I don't know if I'd do it for a pupu plater of 3 2nds either

It is a future first to swap from 4 to 2. That is what Philly & Dallas paid to move up in the top 5. SAS has a ton of those. I'd ask for either the 2027 Atlanta first or swap rights with Boston in 2028.