Goran Dragic wants out of Phoenix in a bad way. The Sacramento Kings are looking to make a major splash. The rumor mill is on fire and the Kings are all over this one.
On paper, it sounds like a match made in heaven, but it’s not. Dragic is a trap and the Kings might just be desperate enough to fall into it.
Both Pete D’Alessandro and newly hired head coach George Karl spoke on the trade deadline at Tuesday’s introductory press conference. Sacramento is scanning the landscape and ready to strike.
“We’ve always been active, we’re always trying to get better,” D’Alessandro said. “But for me now, and this is one more advantage to having coach here with me now, there’s a direction. We kind of know, we’ve done this before, Bratzy and I, and we understand the things that he needs.”
Karl needs passers, he needs shooters and he needs players that love to run. That is where the infatuation with Dragic lies.
The Suns’ starting point guard is averaging 16.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds a game. His numbers are down across the board from his 2013-14 breakout season, but that has a lot to do with the addition of Isaiah Thomas.
“If we get better, we should make a trade and that’s where we are,” Karl said. “When you’re not a playoff team, getting better is extremely important not only to the organization, but it’s important that players understand that’s their job too.”
It’s tough to disagree with Karl. If the Kings find a deal to make the team better long-term, then they should pull the trigger. But Dragic has a player option for next season that he intends to opt out of. He will enter free agency unrestricted and go to the highest bidder.
The addition of Karl instantly took the glaring spotlight off of D’Alessandro – at least for today. Taking a swing at Dragic has the potential to turn the Kings around, but if he leaves the Kings empty handed, the transaction could set the franchise back.
Phoenix will want plenty in return, even though they have little leverage in the situation. Dragic has already informed the team that he has no interest in re-signing during the offseason, but that won’t stop them from shopping for the best deal.
For starters, the Suns will likely ask that Ben McLemore or rookie Nik Stauskas are included in the deal. They may take a flyer on Jason Thompson or Carl Landry to match salaries, but they would likely prefer the expiring contract of Derrick Williams. In addition, they may ask for a future pick and even this deal may not be enough to compete with the likes of the Boston Celtics or Houston Rockets.
Dragic is an outstanding player and perfect fit to work with DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, but he wants a max contract and the Kings are not on his short list of teams. He is a gamble and likely nothing more than a 30-game rental in a season that ended in early January.
D’Alessandro knocked it out of the park when he traded for Gay and convinced him to stick around in Sacramento last year. But Gay was in a different situation. He had a $19.3 million check waiting to be cash.
And Gay’s decision came before the team began swapping out coaches. Players are going to want to see stability out of this organization which is hard to establish in a third of a season.
There is a trade out there that makes sense. Maybe even two of them, but a Dragic deal has the potential to blow up in the Kings’ face. We’ve already been down that road this season.
Slow and steady wins the race. D’Alessandro took a big step to win the fans back over this week with the addition of Karl. There is no reason to put himself back in a bind by dealing for a player who will likely bolt at the end of the season.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
