Dealing DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans may be the first of many moves for the Sacramento Kings leading into the NBA’s Feb. 23 trade deadline.
From The Vertical’s Chris Mannix:
The Kings excised Cousins, and there are strong indications they are not done dealing, either. Sacramento is determined to restock the franchise with assets, and will be targeting rookie-deal players and draft picks in the coming days, sources told The Vertical. Free agents-to-be Ben McLemore and Darren Collison are available, sources said, as is Arron Afflalo, a solid bench scorer with a manageable contract.
Bank on at least two of Ben McLemore, Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo getting the boot before Thursday. And then bet on those two being Collison and McLemore.
Collison is set for unrestricted free agency this summer, at which time he’ll be due a noticeable raise from the $5.2(ish) million he’s making now. The same goes for Ben McLemore, a restricted free agent, who is beyond expendable long term with Malachi Richardson and, now, Buddy Hield in the fold.
Afflalo is a valuable trade piece thanks to his $12.5 million, but he’s even more valuable just ahead of the NBA draft. His $12.5 million for 2017-18 doesn’t guarantee until the day after, so he’s someone the Kings could move at the last minute, selling interested suitors in immediate cap relief.
At any rate, something is going to happen in Sacramento before the deadline. Shipping out Cousins was the first part of the rebuild.
Now comes everything else.
