The Kings have some important decisions to make as the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline approaches.
The Ben Simmons saga continues, as the Philadelphia 76ers have asked the Kings for guard Tyrese Haliburton and multiple first-round picks, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick reported, citing league sources.
Haliburton, in just his second season in the NBA, is averaging 14 points, 7.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game with the Kings.
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SIGN UP HERE The young guard still has a lot to prove, but at just 21 years old, Haliburton has the potential to be a high-quality addition to a championship team.
But with the deadline just over two weeks away, NBC Sports California analyst Matt Barnes said the Kings need to make a major move, and even though it’s still early in Haliburton’s career, Barnes added that’s part of the business.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it giving up, this is just part of the game,” Barnes said on NBC Sports California’s Kings Pregame Live on Tuesday. “And particularly for this Sacramento Kings franchise, they need to shake something up, they need to do something drastic. And unfortunately, when situations cause for a shake up, you’re usually going to lose one or two of your players, or a key bench player, a sixth man.”
Sacramento remains open and engaged in conversations before the Feb. 10 trade deadline.
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However, the Kings (18-31) have made it clear that they do not plan on trading guard De’Aaron Fox, and want to center the future of the team around Fox and Haliburton, per The Athletic.
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But as Sacramento so desperately needs a dramatic change to end a 15-year playoff drought, Barnes said anything is possible.
“Anytime your organization is out of options, and doesn’t really know what to do, you've got to expect the unexpected,” Barnes said. “Now, what I'm hearing is that obviously the team doesn’t want to come off of Tyrese or De’Aaron, but you never know if the right option comes around. And although they’re fan favorites and everyone loves them in Sacramento, when you’re trying to establish a new culture, a new marching order, sometimes you lose some of your best players in the process, even if they are young talent.”