On Wednesday, February 6, the Sacramento Kings made two trades just hours before their game against the Houston Rockets. Iman Shumpert was sent to Houston in a three-way deal with the Cavaliers. The Kings received Alec Burks and a second-round pick. In a trade announced as I stood in line to enter the arena before the game Wednesday night, Harrison Barnes was traded to the Kings for sophomore Justin Jackson and veteran Zach Randolph.
Many Kings fans are upset to see Shumpert leave, as he’s had a pivotal role in the culture shift here in Sacramento. He was a very engaged veteran who brought a great attitude to the locker room. His presence will definitely be missed. Justin Jackson was slowly making improvements, averaging 6.7 points, 1.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in just over a season-and-a-half in Sac. However, he wasn’t performing to the point where the Kings saw him as a long-term keeper. Randolph hadn’t played a single minute this season. He was, however, another solid source for advice and leadership on a squad full of mostly young players. Best of luck to all of them on their new teams!
With that being said, the NBA is a business, and these things happen every year. Alec Burks, the 2011 12th, was averaging 10.6 PPG this year for Cleveland before his move to California’s capital. He has postseason experience and will be a good addition to the Kings, as they make their first decent playoff push in years. In the same trade, the Kings grabbed a 2020 second-round pick.
Later that evening, Dallas traded their starting forward in the middle of a game against the Hornets. Harrison Barnes is a 26-year-old who has also had his fair share of playoff experience. He was part of the Warriors’ championship season in 2014-15 and their record 73-win regular season the very next year. For the Mavs, he averaged 17.7 points, and 4.2 rebounds in just over 32 minutes a game. His experience will be a good addition to a team looking for a spot in the playoffs this year in the midst of a tight Western Conference race.
Currently, the Sacramento Kings have nobody over the age of 30. This young team continues to surprise people who had many doubts before the season started. GM Vlade Divac was busy yesterday and appears to be in full playoff push mode. By dumping Randolph and Shumpert’s contracts, this allows the Kings to use the cash to sign a long-term deal with Barnes depending on what he does with his player-option for next year.