SACRAMENTO -- The Kings walked into the summer of 2019 with a list of wants and needs. Vlade Divac and his team attacked their roster deficiencies from the opening moments of free agency and came away with players they believed would fit the style of play the Kings are trying to build.
A little over two months into the season, the Kings are reeling. They’ve lost five in a row, and at 12-19, they might need something to shake things up.
It now appears that won't be as difficult as it sounds.
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According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Dewayne Dedmon wants out of Sacramento and “multiple teams are making offers to the franchise in anticipation of a deal prior to the February trade deadline.”
NBC Sports California has confirmed through a league source that there indeed is a market for the 30-year-old center, but the deal has to make sense for the Kings if they are going to move the 7-footer. The team isn’t going to hamstring its future to move an unhappy player, but it also isn’t set on waiting around for the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Dedmon was brought in to play alongside Marvin Bagley in the Kings' starting lineup. A floor-spacer who shot 38.2 percent from 3-point range last season, Dedmon looked like a perfect fit on paper, which is why the Kings extended a three-year, $40 million contract offer. The final year is partially guaranteed at $1 million.
Bagley broke his thumb in the opener and missed 22 games. While he was away from the team, Richaun Holmes -- another offseason free-agent addition -- took Dedmon’s starting job four games into the season, and has cemented himself in the first unit with his strong play.
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Dedmon hasn’t played a minute in eight of the previous 10 games for coach Luke Walton. According to Charania, Walton has “soured on the 30-year-old, and the sides believe their union can’t be salvaged.”
After playing 25 minutes per night over 64 games for the Hawks last season, Dedmon is averaging just 13.6 minutes for the Kings this season. He’s struggled mightily with his shot, knocking down just 41.9 percent from the field and 22.9 percent from long range. The Kings expected more than 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game the seven-year veteran is averaging.
Bagley injured his left foot in the team’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, and it’s unknown if he will miss time.
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Either way, Walton has been comfortable using Holmes, along with Nemanja Bjelica and Harrison Barnes in his rotation at power forward and center this season, and the team has third-year big Harry Giles on the bench as well.
If the deal is right, there is a good chance the Kings could move on quickly from Dedmon. Sacramento needs a jolt in the arm, and mixing up the roster just might provide the lift the team needs.