Kings head coach Luke Walton said earlier this week that making Dewayne Dedmon inactive for three consecutive games wasn’t related to the big man’s desire to be traded and wouldn’t necessarily be permanent, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. Sure enough, an injury to Richaun Holmes gave Dedmon an opportunity to get back on the court on Tuesday.
In fact, Holmes’ absence paved the way for two big men who had been out of the rotation earlier in the season to play significant roles. Harry Giles got his first career NBA start, while Dedmon played 32 minutes off the bench. The duo combined for 20 points and 18 rebounds, helping to lead the Kings to a comeback road win over Phoenix.
According to James Ham of NBC Sports California, both centers received praise from Walton after the game, with the Kings head coach telling reporters that Giles gave the club some “good minutes” and Dedmon “took full advantage” of his opportunity.
With Giles facing unrestricted free agency at season’s end and Dedmon hoping to be dealt, it’s possible neither center has a place in the Kings’ future. But having both players perform well could open some doors for Sacramento at the trade deadline — at the very least, it will help keep the team in the playoff race while Holmes recovers.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- While Anthony Davis will be eligible to earn a projected $202MM over five years with the Lakers on his next contract, he may be more inclined to sign a three-year deal with a player option, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. That would give Davis the chance to opt out and sign a more lucrative long-term contract in 2022, when he has 10 years of NBA experience.
- The NBA has fined Warriors head coach Steve Kerr $25K for “verbally abusing” a game official and failing to leave the court immediately after being ejected, the league announced today in a press release. Kerr expressed his displeasure with a call in the second quarter of Monday’s game vs. Sacramento, yelling “Wake your a– up!” at referee Jason Goldenberg.
- Jovan Buha of The Athletic explores the likelihood of the Clippers adding a veteran like Darren Collison, Aron Baynes, or Thaddeus Young. Buha views a trade for Baynes or Young as a long shot, but believes the Clips shouldn’t hesitate to open a roster spot for Collison if he’s willing to sign with them.
Kerr was correct those refs were very bad that night. They were calling picky fouls but not hard hand slapping calls.
Kings should trade Harrison Barnes and Dwayne Dedmon for Otto Porter and Thad Young.
Bulls get Barnes to play the 3 spot, he’s a slightly worse shooter than Porter but is a better all round scorer and better defender. He’s also signed on a longer deal whereas Porter will leave in FA. Dedmon for Young, Dedmon gives the team a back up C who can block shot and shoot 3’s, he’s also signed on a shorter deal than Young who’s signing looks like a mistake.
Kings get back a better shooter in Porter on a shorter contract compared to Barnes. This probably suits them because they could do with the spacing and regretted giving Barnes his deal. Young for Dedmon gets rid of a disgruntled player while giving you a solid vet. Bagley has has injury issues and Young would be a very capable starter when Bagley is out. When Bagley is fit he could spend minutes at centre and Young could get minutes at PF.
Bulls would be a better team defensively and not lose any scoring. They take on less salary this year but have more salary down the track. Kings bring back some shooting and clear some cap space while still not getting a lot worse