Sacramento Kings: Dewayne Dedmon trade creates offseason opportunity
By Dalton Sell
The Sacramento Kings may have created an opportunity to extend Bogdan Bogdanovic in the offseason after trading away center Dewayne Dedmon.
The Dewayne Dedmon experiment was a short-lived one, and probably the best for both sides. With Dedmon getting his wish granted of being traded, the Sacramento Kings have created a pathway to re-signing guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to a contract extension this offseason.
After signing a three-year, $40 million contract with the Kings this past free agency, it seemed certain that the Kings had found their starting center. However, the team’s overabundance of big men became apparent, and issues arose.
Trying to find playing time beside Richaun Holmes, Harry Giles III, occasionally Marvin Bagley, and himself, Dedmon grew impatient. Averaging 15.9 minutes per game, the center requested a trade in late December due to his minimal role.
Averaging 5.1 points per game along with 4.9 rebounds, Dedmon was not producing much for the Kings, and the fit was the biggest issue.
The center got his request granted on the day of this year’s trade deadline when he was shipped to the Atlanta Hawks along with two second-round picks for Jabari Parker and Alex Len.
Dedmon gets his wish to play center for an Atlanta Hawks team that was desperately scouring the market for one. With him gone, the Kings have a better chance to resign soon-to-be free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic to a contract extension when free agency hits.
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In the final season of a three-year, $27 million contract, Bogdanovic has publicly shared his desire to receive a large contract in free agency for a while now.
Initially, it looked as if the Kings were looking to trade the star guard rather than lose him as there had been talks with the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, those talks went nowhere, and Bogdanovic remained a member of the Kings past the deadline. A significant part of this was likely the Dedmon trade, which gives the team the confidence they need to think they can resign the shooting guard.
The shooting guard position remains one of the most significant controversies for the Kings at the moment, as they have a lethal pairing. Buddy Hield has been the starter most of the season after signing a four-year extension that could pay the 27-year-old up to $106 million.
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Yet, head coach Luke Walton recently elected to bring Hield off the bench in favor of Bogdanovic amid the team’s struggles. Hield being the sixth man with that massive of a contract, seems outlandish, but perhaps the Kings are evaluating what they have on their hands.
Hield is averaging a clean 20.3 points per game on 37.6 percent from three-point territory, while Bogdanovic is at 14.8 points per game on 38.2 percent from deep. While there is a difference in scoring, both have become established rotational players and are beyond valuable to this team.
Whether the Kings can or cannot come to terms with the 27-year-old Bogdanovic this offseason or not, the Dewayne Dedmon trade only increased their chances.
dark. Next. Sacramento Kings: Dewayne Dedmon traded for Jabari Parker, Alex Len
With his hefty salary off the books, a contract extension with the guard seems increasingly likely to get done.