There’s good news for the Kings: Marvin Bagley III has a market.
The Detroit Pistons have shown interest in trading for Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III, according to a report from NBA insider Marc Stein. Bagley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has only appeared in one game for the Kings this season:
While in Detroit, I was advised to put the Pistons down as a team to watch as a trade suitor for the Kings’ disgruntled Marvin Bagley III.
No trade anywhere is considered likely, sources stressed, until after Dec. 15 arrives and the league’s pool of players eligible to be dealt grows considerably. That’s the date that trade restrictions on numerous players who signed new contracts in free agency in August gets lifted.
The Pistons, though, have been tracking Bagley since last season, league sources said — long before the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 fell completely out of favor in Sacramento.
Stein’s report comes just days after Sean Cunningham of ABC10 reported that Bagley refused to enter the the Kings’ game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday. The report also isn’t too far removed from the statement Bagley’s agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, put out that criticized Sacramento’s front office for their handling of his client.
This isn’t the first time Bagley has been linked with the Pistons, as last year before the trade deadline the Kings tried offering Bagley in exchange for then-rookie Saddiq Bey, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Given Bagley’s struggles and lack of value around the league, it was ultimately the right move by the Pistons to turn down that deal.
Looking at Detroit’s salaries, it’s hard to find the perfect match for Bagley’s contract which is worth roughly $11 Million. Kelly Olynk and old friend Cory Joseph are roughly around that figure and could be the main salaries in a package. Another option would be combing the contracts of Hamidou Diallo and Josh Jackson which would get you to around Bagley’s salary for this season.
Bagley will be a restricted free agent at the season’s end, so long as the Kings offer him the qualifying offer but at this rate, it might not be their decision to make.