Which of these players gets traded before the deadline?

[t-rex]

1. Tyreke
2. Jimmer
3. Isaiah Thomas
4. Aaron Brooks
5. Anyone else?

I noticed Bobby Jackson saying recently that one of the 3 Kings PGS might need to be moved because of the logjam at the position.

I think it's Isaiah along with another player(s). Also, a strong possibility Tyreke gets moved. Brooks is a Petrie favorite and now that he's in the fold I don't see him going anywhere. Jimmer stays not really because of his improved play but because this is a business. I noticed during the Kings telecasts they are trying to sell tons of Jimmer stuff. Having Jimmer on the team is "good business" if the Kings decide to relocate or sell the team. Also, I think his potential as a player is still a long way from being realized.

[bajaden]

Of those mentioned, I'd think IT is the likely choice, but who knows? All depends on what you want, and what the other team wants in return. Lets be honest, there simply isn't a great demand for 5'9" PG's. And I'm not trying to be critical of IT. I just don't think that good teams sit around and say to themselves, man, you know what, if we could just aquire I. Thomas from the Kings we'd be over the hump. I'm sure that IT is well recieved around the league, but he's more than likely thought of as a backup PG.

The bigger question is, how is Tyreke being percieved by Kings management now. Are they looking at him as a keeper as part of the foundation of the Kings, or as someone they can get a good return on in a trade. I hope its the former, but I really have no idea. I think Cousins is untouchable, and the only other player that might have significant trade value is Thornton. Unfortunately, I think we fans overvalue Thornton as compared to the rest of the league. Thornton is an undersized SG who is a streak shooter. His shooting percentage was lacking last year, and its lacking this year. His defense while respectable, is nothing to write home about. He probably has more value to us, then to another team.

[funkykingston]

The nice thing about being a fan of most other NBA teams is that you can answer a question like this by looking at the roster and seeing what holes need to be filled to improve the team and then looking at what player or players might be moved to make those improvements.

With the Kings, I'm not sure where "building a better team" even ranks on the list of priorities. Would they trade Tyreke because they don't foresee paying the money it will take to keep him? Is Grant's badmouthing of Cousins a precursor (as it has been in the past) that they are planning to ship him out? Will they refrain from using Garcia's ending contract (a big trade piece) as bait because they want to keep costs/salaries down as they attempt to move the team? Are the Maloofs purposely being passive about roster changes because alienating the Sacramento fan base plays into their plans to move? And then there are even more behind the scenes considerations such as: Are agents using any amount of clout to avoid their clients being dealt to Sacramento given the state of the franchise?

I don't actually have answers to any of those questions.

Given that Petrie has never been big on trade deadline deals (most of his big transactions have been during the offseason) and the uncertainty around the franchise I'm assuming none of them will be moved, but I've long since stopped trying to guess or make sense of what the Kings front office does.

[funkykingston]

Of those mentioned, I'd think IT is the likely choice, but who knows? All depends on what you want, and what the other team wants in return. Lets be honest, there simply isn't a great demand for 5'9" PG's. And I'm not trying to be critical of IT. I just don't think that good teams sit around and say to themselves, man, you know what, if we could just aquire I. Thomas from the Kings we'd be over the hump. I'm sure that IT is well recieved around the league, but he's more than likely thought of as a backup PG.

Yeah, pretty much. Add in his relatively small salary and he's not a guy I see getting dealt. If you threw in Garcia and his ending contract then perhaps a team is willing to offload a roleplayer on a lengthy deal but I don't see that happening.

[t-rex]

Given that Petrie has never been big on trade deadline deals (most of his big transactions have been during the offseason) and the uncertainty around the franchise I'm assuming none of them will be moved, but I've long since stopped trying to guess or make sense of what the Kings front office does.

I sure hope your wrong on that one. This roster needs a shakeup in the worst way. Blow the thing up and we may all end up Coach Smart fans because he has a roster he can work with and not a bunch of "shoot-first" clones. We need a leader on this team in the worst way. I like Salmons but I'm not sure the team follows and respects him like they would someone with a little more playoff experience and clout.

[UK_King]

As long as Tyreke and Cuz remain there's no one i would miss particularly though i do really like IT.

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I've been thinking about a Varajao trade for about 3 seasons now. I love him next to Cousins. His price is super high right now. With that being said ..

Thomas / Outlaw / Robinson for Varajao? Would just Robinson and Outlaw get it done?

I like Robinson. This isn't me giving up on him, I'm just not sure how high is ceiling is... or how he fits on this team, long term, while Cousins is here.

[t-rex]

I've been thinking about a Varajao trade for about 3 seasons now. I love him next to Cousins. His price is super high right now. With that being said ..

Thomas / Outlaw / Robinson for Varajao? Would just Robinson and Outlaw get it done?

I like Robinson. This isn't me giving up on him, I'm just not sure how high is ceiling is... or how he fits on this team, long term, while Cousins is here.

I like that trade a lot. I like the starters and I like that 2nd unit.

Brooks/Jimmer PG
Evans/Thorton SG
Salmons/Johnson SF
Cousins/Thompson PF
Varajao/Hayes C

[Bricklayer]

I've been thinking about a Varajao trade for about 3 seasons now. I love him next to Cousins. His price is super high right now. With that being said ..

Thomas / Outlaw / Robinson for Varajao? Would just Robinson and Outlaw get it done?

I like Robinson. This isn't me giving up on him, I'm just not sure how high is ceiling is... or how he fits on this team, long term, while Cousins is here.

The biggest problem with Varejao isn't our own interest in him, as he could be a very useful guy, its that the entire rest of the league has been trying to get him for the last couple of years, and not only are the Cavs very stubborn on the issue, but it puts us in a bidding war type situation if they change their mind.

[Prog]

I've been thinking about a Varajao trade for about 3 seasons now. I love him next to Cousins. His price is super high right now. With that being said ..

Thomas / Outlaw / Robinson for Varajao? Would just Robinson and Outlaw get it done?

No. Cleveland isn't going to trade Varejao for any combination of players the Kings can offer, let alone the ones you listed.

[Bricklayer]

No. Cleveland isn't going to trade Varejao for any combination of players the Kings can offer, let alone the ones you listed.

Well now that's a little silly. They overvalue him, but I doubt they are holding out for LeBron.

[t-rex]

Hopefully Petrie is on the phone with the CAVS and exploring whether feelings have changed regarding Varejao. If they change their mind so be it. Better than the status quo. Ask them what they want. Nobody on our roster should be untouchable. Those that say Cousins and Evans are untouchable, that's hilarious. They should be had for the right price. A lot of you act like they have been to the all-star game multiple times. Sure their young, but they both have flaws and it remains to be seen if they can be fixed.

[sdballer]

Hopefully Petrie is on the phone with the CAVS and exploring whether feelings have changed regarding Varejao. If they change their mind so be it. Better than the status quo. Ask them what they want. Nobody on our roster should be untouchable. Those that say Cousins and Evans are untouchable, that's hilarious. They should be had for the right price. A lot of you act like they have been to the all-star game multiple times. Sure their young, but they both have flaws and it remains to be seen if they can be fixed.

You dont trade young potential stars for guys like varejao unless he's the last piece that puts you over the top. He's maxed out his potential as a very good dirty work guy which is hugely important but only as a complimentary piece.

[t-rex]

You dont trade young potential stars for guys like varejao unless he's the last piece that puts you over the top. He's maxed out his potential as a very good dirty work guy which is hugely important but only as a complimentary piece.

I didn't mean trading Evans or Cousins for Varejao. I just think either one of those guys should be available for the right deal.

[Prog]

Well now that's a little silly. They overvalue him, but I doubt they are holding out for LeBron.

What trade do you think they would take? I don't see any. Maybe Varejao for Evans and Cousins, though even this trade is projected to make them worse by 3 losses (not that I think the Trade Machine projection means much).

[sdballer]

What trade do you think they would take? I don't see any. Maybe Varejao for Evans and Cousins, though even this trade is projected to make them worse by 3 losses (not that I think the Trade Machine projection means much).

Really, your two best young players for varejao? Awful

[funkykingston]

I sure hope your wrong on that one. This roster needs a shakeup in the worst way. Blow the thing up and we may all end up Coach Smart fans because he has a roster he can work with and not a bunch of "shoot-first" clones. We need a leader on this team in the worst way. I like Salmons but I'm not sure the team follows and respects him like they would someone with a little more playoff experience and clout.

I think we'd all agree that this roster is imbalanced and ill formed and could use veteran leadership.

The problem is that the Kings lack the chips to make any big deals.

Not only are Evans and Cousins presumably the core of this team but they are not guys that you could get equal trade value for. Cousins is full of red flags and lacks the length & athleticism to be a dominant post player or anchor defender and Tyreke is in a contract year while being incredibly inconsistent and not developing his shot since he entered the league. Teams would love to have them for pennies on the dollar but I can't see the Kings getting anything close to actual value.

Thornton has a defined role as a scorer and could be a piece that a playoff team targets to bolster their second unit and is possibly the best trade chip the Kings have. His contract is on the high side for a bench player though and I think we have a higher sense of his worth in Sacramento than the rest of the league does. I don't see him bringing back a stud player in return but he could net something. Of course it would thin out the bench as only Salmons and Garcia would be left as backup SGs.

I don't think anyone in the league would offer anything of value for Salmons, Outlaw or Hayes. Especially Outlaw who I think could only be traded if the Kings dealt Tyreke or Cousins and forced the other team to take him.

Thompson has value as a versatile and efficient big man but again, I don't think he'd net a lot in return and I like what he provides our team.

IT is an undersized backup PG playing with a relatively small contract. I could see a team asking for him as a throw in to a larger deal but he's not much of a trade piece himself.

Fredette seems to be on an upswing, has a useful skill in his outside shooting and probably still has some marketing appeal. But individually what's the most you think he could realistically bring back in a trade?

We got James Johnson for a 2nd round pick which says something about his trade value. Even if it increased slightly due to his minutes for us it still won't be very high.

Thomas Robinson has been a disappointment thus far but teams that liked him in the draft might still be intrigued. But again, not a lot of trade value and I doubt the team is ready to give up on him unless it was a pretty significant deal.

Brooks might have a bit of value. He's played at a high level in the past, has a very manageable contract and is signed just through this year with a player option for next.

I hope there are moves in the works (other than the Maloofs potentially filing for relocation) but it would be Petrie's best work ever to convert the pieces he has into something significantly better. I'd love to see it but I'm not holding my breath.

[Kingster]

If we have a trade I'd say Tyreke. You can get something for him. In particular, Petrie should talk to those GMs in the league who view him as the next Kobe or Wade, as they should be willing to give up something close to a Kobe or Wade in order to get him. Regarding the rest of the guys named, I don't see the point in moving players that don't have much value for other players that don't have much value.

[t-rex]

I think we'd all agree that this roster is imbalanced and ill formed and could use veteran leadership.

The problem is that the Kings lack the chips to make any big deals.

Not only are Evans and Cousins presumably the core of this team but they are not guys that you could get equal trade value for. Cousins is full of red flags and lacks the length & athleticism to be a dominant post player or anchor defender and Tyreke is in a contract year while being incredibly inconsistent and not developing his shot since he entered the league. Teams would love to have them for pennies on the dollar but I can't see the Kings getting anything close to actual value.

Thornton has a defined role as a scorer and could be a piece that a playoff team targets to bolster their second unit and is possibly the best trade chip the Kings have. His contract is on the high side for a bench player though and I think we have a higher sense of his worth in Sacramento than the rest of the league does. I don't see him bringing back a stud player in return but he could net something. Of course it would thin out the bench as only Salmons and Garcia would be left as backup SGs.

I don't think anyone in the league would offer anything of value for Salmons, Outlaw or Hayes. Especially Outlaw who I think could only be traded if the Kings dealt Tyreke or Cousins and forced the other team to take him.

Thompson has value as a versatile and efficient big man but again, I don't think he'd net a lot in return and I like what he provides our team.

IT is an undersized backup PG playing with a relatively small contract. I could see a team asking for him as a throw in to a larger deal but he's not much of a trade piece himself.

Fredette seems to be on an upswing, has a useful skill in his outside shooting and probably still has some marketing appeal. But individually what's the most you think he could realistically bring back in a trade?

We got James Johnson for a 2nd round pick which says something about his trade value. Even if it increased slightly due to his minutes for us it still won't be very high.

Thomas Robinson has been a disappointment thus far but teams that liked him in the draft might still be intrigued. But again, not a lot of trade value and I doubt the team is ready to give up on him unless it was a pretty significant deal.

Brooks might have a bit of value. He's played at a high level in the past, has a very manageable contract and is signed just through this year with a player option for next.

I hope there are moves in the works (other than the Maloofs potentially filing for relocation) but it would be Petrie's best work ever to convert the pieces he has into something significantly better. I'd love to see it but I'm not holding my breath.

Well said!!

[funkykingston]

As for Varajao, I love him as a roleplayer. He's exactly the kind of guy you want and need on a winning team. All out effort, tough as nails, a great individual and team defender, very strong rebounder, effective offensively without demanding the ball or needing plays run for him etc.

But the notion of trading away Evans or Cousins for a 30 year old Varajao is ridiculous. He's not a game changer. He's not a franchise guy. He's a fantastic complimentary player whose greatest value is to a veteran team looking to make noise in the postseason. Not to a moribund cellar dwellar lacking talent and direction.