Latest on Buddy Hield & Marvin Bagley
It’s evidently clear that Marvin Bagley wasn’t in the Kings’ rotation to start the season and most certainly clearly wants out of Sacramento.
“Sacramento has informed Marvin Bagley he is not in the opening night rotation, which is completely baffling,” Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports (Bagley’s agent) said in a statement.
“It’s clear they have no plans for him in the future, and yet, passed on potential deals at last year’s deadline and this summer based on ‘value.’ Instead, they chose to bring him back but not to play him, a move completely contradictory to their ‘value’ argument. This is a case study in mismanagement by the Kings organization.”
Meanwhile, Buddy Hield is another player of interest on the Kings roster.
“Buddy’s going to be gone,” one NBA executive told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “They already traded him and had a done deal.”
The sharpshooter was nearly traded to the Lakers in a blockbuster move until a similar package was sent out east to D.C. for Russell Westbrook instead, per Bill Oram, Shams Charania, and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“The decision left Sacramento management steaming,” The Athletic reported. In terms of a timeline, Hield is owed about $23 million this season and more than $40 million over the next two years, which could create an urgency to make a deal.
Exec Weighs In on Terrence Ross
An anonymous NBA exec confidently stated that Orlando will move Terrence Ross.
“They were trying to move him at the draft. They wanted to put him in a place where he could win. I think he’s worth a couple of second-round picks,” the exec told HoopsHype.
According to another executive who spoke with HoopsHype, Orlando previously hoped to acquire at least one first-round pick in trade discussions for Ross last season.
Latest on Nets-Kyrie Irving Trade Talks
Although Brooklyn isn’t actively trying to trade Kyrie Irving amid his indefinite absence because of New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday the Nets have “taken incoming calls” about Irving. The report doubled-down on Brooklyn not making any calls themselves to inform other teams he’s available. It’s worth noting that the 76ers and Nets have not had any discussions in regards to a potential Ben Simmons-Kyrie Irving swap.
ESPN’s Jordan Schultz added to the report stating that Brooklyn is “clearly sitting tight” right now, as one western conference executive said, “in other words” even if the Nets were to move Irving, it wouldn’t be anytime soon.
Quick Hits
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After Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard needed to be separated after exchanging words while the Lakers were getting blown out vs. Suns, veteran guard Rajon Rondo weighed in on a potential altercation between the two.
“It can happen. … But nevertheless, like I said, those two guys, I wouldn’t say they’re best friends, but they get along very well,” Rondo said, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
- The Thunder still have eyes for Collin Sexton. OKC is reportedly intrigued with the Sexton-SGA pairing.
- James Harden doesn’t plan on leaving the Nets despite not reaching an extension with the team before the deadline.
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Atlanta Hawks guard Cam Reddish could be a top trade target for NBA teams early in the 2021-22 season.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported “rival executives are monitoring his availability” after Reddish was on the trade block around the 2021 draft.
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Per Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, one NBA general manager said a DeAndre Ayton trade is “definitely not” on the table at this point.
“The Suns still have a lot of the leverage in this,” the GM added. “But if they really don’t think the situation is going to change, then, yeah, they’d have to consider maybe making a move sooner than later.”
