While the Timberwolves appear to be committed to moving Jimmy Butler in the wake of his trade demand earlier this month, the first week of NBA training camp came and went without a clear resolution appearing on the horizon for the All-Star. Several teams have shown interest in the swingman per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, including the Rockets, Clippers, Heat and and Nets but the wildcard to these trade negotiations going forward may very well be an unexpected franchise: the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings are not interested in acquiring Butler themselves, nor should they be given their projected finish in the bottom tier of the Western Conference. However, their involvement in trade talks looms large given the precarious financial situation of many of the teams interested in Butler. The Kings are the only team remaining across the league with significant room left under the salary cap (roughly $11 million). That’s enough dough to absorb an unwanted contract from either the Wolves or the team that eventually lands Butler, making Sacramento a key facilitator in what could ultimately become the final transaction
The Celtics will be watching this situation closely in the coming days and weeks given the fact that they will most likely be receiving Sacramento’s top-1 protected first round draft pick in 2019, making any major move by the Kings a meaningful development as the year continues. Let’s take a look at how the Kings’ potential involvement in a three-way deal could help or harm the prospects of what’s likely to be a high C’s draft pick next spring.
While the Kings don’t have an open spots on the 15-man roster for the time being, they do have the luxury of having several veterans on mid-sized expiring deals in the form of Zach Randolph ($11.6 million), Iman Shumpert ($11 million) and Kosta Koufos ($8.7 million). Most of these guys are overpaid in this salary climate but they are largely harmless deals given their length and the fact that each of them could be a useful bench contributor on the right team.
The bigger purpose that the Kings will serve for teams involved in the Butler transaction will be absorbing a longer term deals on the books. The Kings not only has $11 million cap room presently, but they also have just $50 million committed in salary for next season, less than half of the projected salary cap. The Wolves have a big long-term deal (Gorgui Dieng) that they’d love to get off their books, while the Heat has plenty of overpaid middle class talent (Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Tyler Johnson) that have contracts that last until 2020 or beyond. Other potential suitors (Rockets) are already deep in the luxury tax, so could be looking to dump additional salary if absorbing Butler’s deal as well.
The question that will be worth watching now from a Celtics perspective is what exactly the Kings could be fetching in a potential deal that would benefit them for the upcoming season. Like the Lakers last season, they have no incentive to tank this year since they will be giving up their own draft pick no matter what (assuming the Sixers finish ahead of them in the standings). The good news is they are already placing a heavy emphasis on playing their youngsters throughout the upcoming season, knowing that any chance of making the postseason is a bit of a pipe dream. None of the potential players they could acquire should make much of an impact, although the likes of Johnson or Dieng would provide a marginal upgrade off the pine if they win some minutes from Sacramento’s crowded bench rotation.
The good news from the C’s standpoint with the Kings involvement is that Sacramento looks to be far more focused on acquiring future draft compensation rather than promising young talent. While that is the smart long-term play for the franchise, any draft compensation involvement in a trade for Butler in which the Kings rent out their cap space should not help their prospects for this upcoming season.
Other NBA News and Notes
- The ugly Butler situation is overshadowing most of the preseason in Minnesota but the good news for the Wolves is that his pending departure may have been the push Karl-Anthony Towns needed to sign a five-year max extension with the Wolves, giving them their All-Star of the future. Towns need to make considerable gains on the defensive end to become a top-tier player but he has the potential to be one of the best offensive centers ever.
- Tough break for the Bulls as second-year forward Lauri Markkanen suffered an elbow injury in camp that should cost him the first month of the regular season. The injury should open the door for some bigger minutes for Bobby Portis while rookie Wendell Carter will get more of an extended look on the frontline. He earned plenty of rave reviews from scouts in Vegas after a standout summer league performance.
- Former Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy should help spice pregame shows on ESPN this year since he’s been added to their roster as a studio analyst. He was always one of most candid coaches in pressers during his tenures in Orlando and Detroit.
- Warriors guard Patrick McCaw continues to hold out from signing his qualifying offer. He faces a October 1st deadline to sign it, otherwise the Warriors have the ability to pull it off the table.
- Harrison Barnes will miss the preseason for the Mavs after suffering a hamstring injury.That might be a secretly good thing for Dallas though, allowing more time to shine for rookie Luka Doncic.