Biggest deadline day deal since 2005. And, ironically, the last "movable piece" was waived as the deadline passed. Is "ironic" the right word there? How about depressing, maddening, laughable... ? Help me out there.
Anyways, so, after weeks of speculation, the Kings are able to put together a blockbuster nine player deal involving two other teams that sends their best scorer to the Houston Rockets to be reunited with his first NBA coach, who also happens to be the Kings winningest coach of all time, Rick Adelman. Kevin Martin is in good hands, no doubt. Coming to the Kings are former Rockets forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey, and guard Larry Hughes from the Knicks. Landry is a leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate, averaging over 16 points in just 27 minutes a game, and is known as a physical hustle player who can score well around the rim.
So, for Kings fans, is this a good trade or not? The basics, from RealGM.com's Trade Checker:
Sacramento Trade Breakdown
Change in Team Outlook: -1.3 ppg, +3.6 rpg, and -2.0 apg.
Incoming Players:
Carl Landry
6-8 PF from Purdue
16.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.8 apg in 27.2 minutes
Joey Dorsey
6-9 PF from Memphis
1.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.3 apg in 7.8 minutes
Larry Hughes
6-5 SG from St. Louis
9.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg in 26.4 minutes
Outgoing Players:
Kevin Martin
6-7 SG from Western Carolina
19.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg in 35.2 minutes
Hilton Armstrong
6-10 C from Connecticut
2.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.9 apg in 13.3 minutes
Sergio Rodriguez
6-3 PG from Spain (Foreign)
6.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 3.1 apg in 13.3 minutes
Trade ID #5483663
The payroll changes for the Kings are significant. Kevin Martin is owed $36 million over the next three years, and Armstrong and Rodriguez would have had qualifying sheets worth a total of about $7 million for next season, so the Kings got rid of a total of $43 million in payroll after this year. They took back Landry and Dorsey, both of whom have team options for next season at $3 million and $940,000, respectively. Expect the Kings to pick up Landry's option, for sure. So, going forward, the Kings have a net savings of about $39 million from this trade, not considering future contracts for either Landry or Dorsey. This trade is projected to put the Kings close to $20 million under the salary cap next season, which could be enough to lure a big name from the fertile crop of free agents this summer.
In the immediate, taking back what's left of Larry Hughes' $13.6 million salary for this season might be kind of sour. A later trade for the Wizards Dominic McGuire forced the Kings to release a player to meet league guidelines. That player was none other than Kenny Thomas, the lone remaining reminder of the blockbuster trade that saw Chris Webber leave the Kings just before the trade deadline in 2005.
(Side note: There are so many reports floating around about these deals, some of which are based on earlier news and haven't been updated since yesterday, so it's been difficult to track down the exact terms of the deal, and it hasn't been posted on NBA.com yet. If there's anything that isn't correct about the terms above, I'll fix it as soon as the deal is finalized.)
So, what do you think about this deal? I get the feeling Kings fans are torn on it. Hard to part with a good guy like Martin, even if he had his shortcomings. Having budding star Tyreke Evans on the roster makes this deal possible, and somewhat palatable. And Landry is a nice player, but that's it. He's not going to make a bad team good, that's for sure. I think the only fair way to judge this deal is to see what the Kings do with their cap space this summer, and then it will be more evident what they really got in return for their number one scoring threat.
Anyways, so, after weeks of speculation, the Kings are able to put together a blockbuster nine player deal involving two other teams that sends their best scorer to the Houston Rockets to be reunited with his first NBA coach, who also happens to be the Kings winningest coach of all time, Rick Adelman. Kevin Martin is in good hands, no doubt. Coming to the Kings are former Rockets forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey, and guard Larry Hughes from the Knicks. Landry is a leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate, averaging over 16 points in just 27 minutes a game, and is known as a physical hustle player who can score well around the rim.
So, for Kings fans, is this a good trade or not? The basics, from RealGM.com's Trade Checker:
Sacramento Trade Breakdown
Change in Team Outlook: -1.3 ppg, +3.6 rpg, and -2.0 apg.
Incoming Players:
Carl Landry
6-8 PF from Purdue
16.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.8 apg in 27.2 minutes
Joey Dorsey
6-9 PF from Memphis
1.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.3 apg in 7.8 minutes
Larry Hughes
6-5 SG from St. Louis
9.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg in 26.4 minutes
Outgoing Players:
Kevin Martin
6-7 SG from Western Carolina
19.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg in 35.2 minutes
Hilton Armstrong
6-10 C from Connecticut
2.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.9 apg in 13.3 minutes
Sergio Rodriguez
6-3 PG from Spain (Foreign)
6.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 3.1 apg in 13.3 minutes
Trade ID #5483663
The payroll changes for the Kings are significant. Kevin Martin is owed $36 million over the next three years, and Armstrong and Rodriguez would have had qualifying sheets worth a total of about $7 million for next season, so the Kings got rid of a total of $43 million in payroll after this year. They took back Landry and Dorsey, both of whom have team options for next season at $3 million and $940,000, respectively. Expect the Kings to pick up Landry's option, for sure. So, going forward, the Kings have a net savings of about $39 million from this trade, not considering future contracts for either Landry or Dorsey. This trade is projected to put the Kings close to $20 million under the salary cap next season, which could be enough to lure a big name from the fertile crop of free agents this summer.
In the immediate, taking back what's left of Larry Hughes' $13.6 million salary for this season might be kind of sour. A later trade for the Wizards Dominic McGuire forced the Kings to release a player to meet league guidelines. That player was none other than Kenny Thomas, the lone remaining reminder of the blockbuster trade that saw Chris Webber leave the Kings just before the trade deadline in 2005.
(Side note: There are so many reports floating around about these deals, some of which are based on earlier news and haven't been updated since yesterday, so it's been difficult to track down the exact terms of the deal, and it hasn't been posted on NBA.com yet. If there's anything that isn't correct about the terms above, I'll fix it as soon as the deal is finalized.)
So, what do you think about this deal? I get the feeling Kings fans are torn on it. Hard to part with a good guy like Martin, even if he had his shortcomings. Having budding star Tyreke Evans on the roster makes this deal possible, and somewhat palatable. And Landry is a nice player, but that's it. He's not going to make a bad team good, that's for sure. I think the only fair way to judge this deal is to see what the Kings do with their cap space this summer, and then it will be more evident what they really got in return for their number one scoring threat.