The Kings added some shooting and length on the wing ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, acquiring Kessler Edwards from the Nets.
The Sacramento Kings have acquired Brooklyn Nets wing, Kessler Edwards, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Sacramento will receive cash considerations and will send the rights to French point guard David Michineau to Brooklyn in the trade, according to Ian Begley of SNY. Edwards had to approve the trade because of a stipulation in his contract, but he did so, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The 22-year-old Edwards was the No. 44 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and has played sparingly for Brooklyn this season, spending some time with the G League’s Long Island Nets.
Last season, Edwards played in 48 games for the Nets, shooting 35.3% from three-point range on 136 attempts. With so much wing depth on Brooklyn’s roster, Edwards has been buried on the Nets’ bench.
At 6’7, Edwards is, at the very least, an intriguing lottery ticket for a Sacramento team that can always benefit from adding length and shooting at the wing spot. The Glendale, California native played his college ball at Pepperdine from 2018 to 2021.
On paper, Edwards fits a need as a shooter with size, but it’s unclear if he is actually going to get a shot to prove himself in Sacramento. This could just be the case of a trade where Sacramento is doing Brooklyn a favor to help them save money, and soon cuts Edwards or trades him before Thursday’s deadline.
If Edwards stays with Sacramento past the deadline, he will likely take the 15th roster spot, which has been open since the team waived Chima Moneke last month. For now, it appears he will have to prove himself in the G League if he remains on the team.
Edwards is expected now to approve the trade, source tells ESPN. Kings intend to give Edwards an opportunity to play with their G League affiliate in Stockton, but with two days to go until trade deadline his future will remain fluid. https://t.co/Oo33fKQtr0
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2023
At 22 years old, Edwards is the second-youngest player on the roster after rookie Keegan Murray.
Hopefully, this is not the only trade or transaction that Sacramento makes this deadline. The official deadline to make a trade is Thursday at noon PST.