NBA Trade Rumors: Making a case for and against the Sacramento Kings trading Marvin Bagley III in the 2021 NBA off-season
Marvin Bagley III's recent social media activity has led to him being a part of multiple NBA trade rumors. The Sacramento Kings center is entering the last year of his deal, but there is a strong possibility of him parting ways with the franchise in the upcoming off-season.
In this article, we will make a case for and against the Sacramento Kings trading Marvin Bagley III during the 2021 NBA off-season.
NBA Trade Rumors: Should the Sacramento Kings cut ties with Marvin Bagley III this summer?
As per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee, the King's front office is not pleased with Marvin Bagley III and his family's indirect suggestions of the big wanting a trade. As mentioned earlier, Bagley is already miffed with the franchise, and if management is also irked with him, then a trade seems like the best option for all parties involved.
The Sacramento Kings drafted Marvin Bagley III with the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, ahead of players like Luka Doncic and Trae Young. While Doncic and Young are carving out potential Hall-of-Fame careers, Bagley has struggled to learn the X's and O's of the game, despite spending three years in the league.
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Bagley has averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field across 118 games through three seasons with the Sacramento Kings. These statistics indicate that his offensive production has been decent. But the real concern has been his defense, which makes Bagley a liability at times.
Marvin Bagley III ranked 31st in terms of real plus-minus for power forwards in the 2020-21 NBA season, which is inexcusable for a player on whom a premium draft pick was spent.
As things stand, Marvin Bagley III's ceiling is that of a solid role player. However, there is no chance the Sacramento Kings would settle for that kind of a return, so a trade for Marvin Bagley is likely on the cards.
On the other hand, it wouldn't make much sense for the Sacramento Kings to trade Marvin Bagley III this summer. The power forward doesn't hold much value right now, which could lead to the Sacramento Kings getting an underwhelming return for him.
A better option would be to let Marvin Bagley III play out the final year of his contract (unless he requests an immediate trade) and then try to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal in the 2022 NBA off-season.
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