It’s now becoming abundantly clear that former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III does not fit into the Sacramento Kings’ plans.
One day ahead of their season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, it’s being reported that the forward will not be in the Kings’ opening day rotation.
That information actually comes to us via Bagley’s representatives over at Excel Sports, who took time out of their day to absolutely blast Sacramento’s organization on Tuesday.
“Sacramento has informed Marvin Bagley he is not in the opening night rotation, which is completely baffling. 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 play him, a move completely contradictory to their ‘value’ argument,” the statement from Jeff Schwartz read. “This is a case study in mismanagement by the Kings’ organization.”
There’s a whole bunch of shade being thrown here. Set to become a restricted free agent next summer, the 22-year-old Marvin Bagley has not panned out in Sacramento. He’s averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds on 50% shooting in three seasons. Last year saw the former Duke standout average a career low 14.1 points while struggling to find consistent minutes.
With that said, there’s still been a market for him on the trade block over the past several months. Here’s a look at some realistic trade scenarios involving the high-upside big man.
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This is a deal that could potentially work out for both sides. Sacramento adds another wing to team up with core perimeter players in De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. It also picks up a still young center to team up with Richaun Holmes in the frontcourt. It’s certainly an area of need for the Kings.
Meanwhile, Orlando brings in a high-upside player in Bagley who might fit into its long-term future in the low-post with the recently extended Wendell Carter Jr. Remember, the two starred together in college at Duke.
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There were rumors this past summer that Utah might look to move off Ingles as it attempts to find a better supporting cast behind the big two of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. From a roster construct, this seems to make sense. In fact, Bagley would be a much better fit as a natural power forward next to both Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovic in the frontcourt.
For Sacramento, this scenario is rather simple. It would be all about adding a proven three-point shooter in an attempt to end the longest playoff drought in the NBA. Ingles has shot 41% from distance throughout his career and plays surprisingly tough defense. He’d be a great fit with Harrison Barnes, De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton.
We know that this is similar to the deal Sacramento offered several weeks ago. However, that came when Simmons’ trade value was much higher. It also included multiple first-round picks. This is no longer a possibility. Instead, Philadelphia has to bite the bullet and move Simmons for a package surrounding the sharpshooting Hield and a player in Bagley who still has untapped potential. In particular, Hield would actually be a solid on-court fit to go with fellow outside shooting options in that of Seth Curry, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey.
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From Sacramento’s perspective, attempting to return to relevance after last earning a playoff spot back in 2005-06 has been a long journey. Simmons could help in that regard. He’d immediately be the Kings’ starting four next to an underrated Harrison Barnes in the frontcourt. The presences of Tyrese Haliburton and franchise cornerstone De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt could potentially turn this squad into a playoff team.