According to Marc Stein, the Sacramento Kings are interested in a potential deal for Sixers‘ star Ben Simmons. What’s their best offer?
The Sacramento Kings are one of five teams who have expressed interest in Simmons per Marc Stein. Since that news broke, there’s been word that the Kings would be unwilling to add De’Aaron Fox in a potential deal with the Sixers. If Fox is off the table, what’s the Kings’ next best offer?
Trade Talks So Far
There’s been plenty of talk around the Sixers obtaining Buddy Hield from the Kings. That’s nothing new; it’s been around for years. Hield on this Sixers makes sense after all, but he surely can’t be the primary haul in a deal for Ben Simmons. According to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee, the Kings would be willing to send back a package of Hield, Bagley, and one or more future first-round picks.
To be frank, the Sixers should not entertain an offer like that for a moment. While Simmons’ value is at an all-time low, that offer is nothing short of insulting. The King’s could certainly include Hield in a deal for Simmons, but there would have to be much more coming to Philly in addition to the expensive sharp-shooter.
Kings’ Best Offer For Sixers
The Sixers, word has it, are primarily interested in two members of the Kings’ roster. De’Aaron Fox is obviously a name that the team is interested in, but again the Kings’ are not inclined to include him in a deal. That leaves the second player who interests the Sixers, Tyrese Haliburton.
The 6’5″ combo guard is coming into his sophomore season in the NBA, but he showed some truly special talents in his first year. He’s not exactly what you’d expect when talking about “Joel Embiid’s timeline,” but he is a young player who could easily help the Sixers compete now.
Averaging 13 points and 5.3 assists per game with shooting percentages of 47.2/40.9/85.7, Haliburton’s offensive game shows great potential in a very similar way that Malcolm Brogdon did his rookie year. Brogdon has been another potential trade target for Philly, so why wouldn’t the Sixers just target the “win-now” version of the two? Because of the veterans, they can add with Haliburton.
Hield and Barnes
Again, Buddy Hield makes plenty of sense in Philly, he’s overpaid, but his shooting would be beyond valuable for the Sixers. He’d likely be able to start over Curry, but either way, the team would have some serious punch off the bench no matter who fills that role.
Barnes, on the other hand, is rather underrated (though also overpaid). Two-way physical wings are at a premium in today’s NBA, and while Barnes never got the chance to show it in Sac-Town, he could be a serious playoff addition for the Sixers.
Both players shot 39.1 percent from deep on a combined 14.6 attempts per game. Percentages like that and, possibly, more importantly, the volume at which they shoot would be a major upgrade for the Sixers. While the Sixers were a top 10 team in three-point efficiency, they ranked 26th in the league in three-point attempts. Barnes and Hield would go a long way in helping the Sixers fix their shooting woes.
