Breaking down Kings blockbuster trade and Ep. 32 of The Kings Beat Podcast

Editors note: Episode 32 of The Kings Beat Podcast can be found at the bottom of the page.

Shock. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Testing. Acceptance. 

Welcome to the seven stages of grief, Kings fans.

The Kings Beat has confirmed that Sacramento has sent Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a future second round pick. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first with the news. 

It’s a stunning trade. Just two weeks ago, the message coming from the Kings’ franchise was that they intended to build around Haliburton and point guard De’Aaron Fox. Not only has that dream been pushed aside, but according to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Kings are likely not done making moves.

Nuts and Bolts

For a trade of this magnitude, this might be the most net neutral trade in the history of the league when it comes to salary. The combination of Haliburton, Hield and Thompson make $36.8 million this season. Sabonis, Lamb and Holiday combine to take in $35 million. 

Year two of the deal is similar. Both Thompson and Lamb are expiring contracts after this season and their money goes away. Holiday has one more season at $6.3 million, which is roughly $2 million more than what Haliburton is set to make next season. Hield’s contract reduces to $21.2 million next season, while Sabonis makes just $18.5 million. 

The Kings save somewhere around $1.8 million for this season and another $500,000 next season, which in the grand scope of a $130 million payroll means very little.

What did the Kings give up?

For Sacramento, this is the ultimate gamble. General manager Monty McNair hit a home run in his first draft when he selected Haliburton with the 12th overall pick in 2020. The Iowa State product is a breath of fresh air both on and off the court and he was just coming into his own as a high-level pass-first point guard.

Hield was disgruntled with his contract extension the moment he signed it in October of 2019 and he has regressed in each of the last two seasons under his new deal. The 29-year-old shooting guard is currently second in the NBA in 3-point makes, but his poor decision making and streaky shooting have not endeared him with the fanbase or his teammates. He requested a trade during the offseason and he should be looked at as addition by subtraction at this point.

Thompson rarely played in his lone season in Sacramento, although he did make his mark as a veteran voice behind the scenes. Brought in as an insurance policy in case the Kings couldn’t retain free agent center Richaun Holmes, Thompson hasn’t seen the court since January 9, a stretch of 13 games. 

Who are the Kings gaining?

The real prize in this swap is Sabonis. The two-time All-Star power forward/center is one of the best passing big men in the NBA and he brings a toughness the Kings have been lacking. The 25-year-old is currently averaging 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and five assists in 34.7 minutes per game. He won an Eastern Conference Player of the Week award last month and he’s under contract for two seasons after this year.

Lamb is a short-term fix for the Kings, but he might be able to take up some of the bench scoring load left by Hield. The 29-year-old shooting guard is averaging 7.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 39 games this season in Indiana. He’s struggled to stay healthy during his career, but he’s in the final year of a three-year, $31.5 million contract.

Like Lamb, Holiday isn’t a player who truly moves the needle in Sacramento. At 32 years old, Holiday is a solid role player that doesn’t mind mixing it up on the defensive end. He’s averaging 11 points per game on 37.8 percent from 3-point range and he’s taking nearly seven attempts per game. He’s versatile enough to play either the two or the three and he’s under contract next season at a modest $6.3 million. 

Why make this trade?

At 20-35, the Kings are a mess and the carryover could have lasted past this season. McNair set his sights on bringing in a young All-Star, under contract for multiple years and he found a trade partner in the Pacers.

Sabonis does a lot of almost everything. If he has a weakness, it’s on the defensive end, but he is instantly the Kings’ best rebounder, second best scorer and will challenge for the lead in assists. He is a bit of a throwback big man who doesn’t mind getting physical, but also has the skills to run your entire offense through.

The cost was steep. Haliburton is not only a very good basketball player, but he’s an exceptional young man. Over his last 31 games, he’s averaging 16.2 points and 8.9 assists and he’s only getting better. 

Who won the trade?

To be honest, this is one of those rare trades that helps both teams. The Kings need a star level player and Sabonis fits the bill. Indiana needed to get younger and reset the roster.

The Kings also found a taker for Hield, which should help ease some tension behind the scenes. Hield hasn’t been happy in Sacramento for a while and he’s allowed that to impact his play. 

This trade doesn’t feel good because Haliburton is a gem, but the Kings received the best player, at least in the short term. The goal now is to rebalance the roster in the coming days and build around a new core. 

If De’Aaron Fox is still on the roster come Thursday evening, the combination of he and Sabonis could be special. The trick then becomes finding a way to surround this duo with shooters and talk Sabonis into becoming a fixture in Sacramento for the long haul.

Ep. 32 of The Kings Beat Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of The Kings Beat Podcast. A friendly reminder: this is a free preview of soon-to-be premium content. If you want to support original podcasts, features and columns, just like this, make sure to get a premium subscription to The Kings Beat. 

ABC 10's Sean Cunningham and The Kings Beat's James Ham continue  coverage of the erratic Sacramento Kings.

Tuesday’s episode is entirely based on the Kings’ blockbuster trade that sent Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a future second round pick. 

Thanks for joining us on this new adventure! Big shoutout to Paul Jinkerson (@paulitition) for creating a new intro and outro for the podcast and to Brenden Nunes for creating our new overlay for the podcast.

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