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The Sacramento Kings pulled a massive trade on the trade deadline. They traded away Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, and Tristan Thompson to get Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, and Jeremy Lamb. While both Holiday and Lamb are good options, the centerpiece of the trade was definitely Domantas Sabonis. Yet, the Kings are still 13th in the West with a 22-38 record. They will need some improvements in their roster going forward. Thus, to help them out, there are three top buyout candidates for Kings after blockbuster 2022 NBA Trade Deadline, ranked.
Kings Buyout Candidates
3) Robin Lopez
The Kings really need defensive improvements, and they need them across the board. Right now, their big man rotation consists of Richaun Holmes, Alex Len, Domantas Sabonis, and a few other guys. Aside from Sabonis, they are all okay players, but they need a defensive stalwart to protect the rim. The Kings hold the 29th defensive rating in the entire league and are dead last in allowed points in the paint. While he is past his prime, Robin Lopez would be a nice addition.
He does not do a ton on both sides of the floor, especially after an up-and-down season in Orlando where he played mostly when either one of Wendell Carter Jr or Mo Bamba were out. However, he can still get a team 15-20 minutes a game of solid defense and some crazy-looking shots that, for whatever reason, fall for the lesser-known Lopez brother. Additionally, he only signed a one-year deal with Orlando, and as he was not traded before the deadline, a buyout is imminent. If the Kings want a quick bolster of their defensive line before the end of the season, Lopez is the way to go.
It is uncertain how much time would Lopez actually spend on the floor for the Kings, however. Richaun Holmes is starting but he is only playing 24 minutes, while his first substitute is Alex Len, who is on around 15 minutes. There is definitely time for Lopez to slide into the rotation, even with the Kings probably preferring to play a four-out system with Sabonis in the middle. Lopez is not the ideal candidate, but he can help them get better in a bleeding area.
2) Kent Bazemore
Coming from big men to the wings, the Kings also need defensive help there. Harrison Barnes is having a fantastic season, but he needs some defensive help. Bazemore, similar to Lopez above, has not had the greatest season. However, as he is likely going to be bought out to free up roster space for the Lakers, he will be an option in the buyout market.
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Granted, Bazemore is far removed from his greatest defensive days in the Atlanta Hawks. Back then, he was a great wing defender who can hit a couple of threes every game. Right now, he is a fringe rotational player for the LA Lakers that started the season in the starting lineup, yet almost completely fell off as time went by. However, the Kings could still use his skill set to better gear up for their upcoming postseason fight.
With Bazemore, the Kings are getting a reliable stopper that is a career 35.9% three-point shooter. In the Warriors last season, Bazemore even hit on 40.8% of his three-pointers, granted, on just 2.7 attempts. He has not been able to get attempts in the offense centered around LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, so in the Kings' second lineup, he might be able to have more shots given to him. Still, the Kings would ideally get Bazemore for his defensive coverage.
1) Gary Harris
From centers to wings, and now to guards, the Kings lost a ton when they gave up both Haliburton and Hield in the Sabonis deal. While getting both Holiday and Lamb is okay, getting a guard stopper in the lineup is critical if they want to even sniff the Western Conference postseason. With Harris, they would still have a very capable shooter connecting on 38% of his three-point attempts this season, but also a guy that could help them defensively, where the Kings have a massive hole.
Harris was stuck in a very poor Orlando Magic team for the last year, but all signs point to a buyout. He is in his last contract year and the Magic was not able to trade him, thus a buyout for a capable two-way guard who should not be stuck on a losing team is likely. The Kings should be on the phone with Harris' agent as soon as the buyout is completed because they will never get a player of this quality for nothing.
Obviously, they need help on all parts of the roster. However, both Bazemore and Lopez will bring only defensive toughness and identity, while Harris will also bring three-point shooting, alongside the aforementioned defensive toughness and identity. All three would instantly improve the Kings, but no one in the buyout market would do it as well as Gary Harris.
