Is Mikal Bridges Worth the Sacramento Kings Selling their Future? | Locked On Kings

Is Mikal Bridges Worth the Sacramento Kings Selling their Future? | Locked On Kings

Big day in the NBA today as the Indiana Pacers have traded for Pascal SE yakum sending three first round picks to the Toronto Raptors why am I bringing that up because three first rounders that’s the number that I threw at the locked on Nets podcast in a hypothetical male

Bridges deal on today’s lockon Kings podcast Adam arre from lockon Nets joins me we discussed the possib ility around this deal who holds the power in Kings and Nets conversations and why this deal does or doesn’t make sense for both sides it’s all right here on locked on

Kings you are locked on Kings your daily Sacramento Kings podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and now ladies and gentlemen it is that time time for another episode of locked on [Applause] [Applause] Kings hello and welcome into lockon Kings your podcast hub for Sacramento Kings coverage all season long today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase my name is Matt

George I have the privilege of being your host here I’m a Sacramento Sports Anchor and reporter for ABC 10 News man it’s about time we had ourselves a blockbuster now unfortunately it does not involve the Sacramento Kings it involves the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors but a player that the kings were

Directly connected with in Pascal SE yakum now negotiations and and conversations between both teams the Kings and the Raptors broke down when uh it was reported that se yakum wasn’t too keen on the idea of reigning uh with the Sacramento Kings the Kings ultimately made I think the correct decision in

Saying that risking three first round picks for a player that is essentially a rental who is an expiring deal who could up and leave in the summer it’s not worth that kind of risk but it seems like a good risk for the Indiana Pacers now to be clear the Kings play the

Pacers tomorrow which is uh Thursday here inside of Sacramento Pascal SE yakum as far as I understand and know and how the the physicals and everything work like he will not be ready to go for the Pacers in that game quite yet so even though the kings are playing the

Pacers coming up next they won’t quite look as new as they will be in uh in a handful of days with this SE yakum deal that being said the Pacers are unfortunately also missing Tyrese halberton with an injury but I’m excited for the Pacers going forward I love that

Deal for them but this is not the locked on Pacers podcast this is locked on Kings and it’s perfect that this trade went down today because over the last week and some change I’ve been having conversations privately with Adam armb from the locked on Nets podcast about

What a Kings and Nets deal involving M Bridges could look like and I love that the kings were not willing to send three first round picks or at least we can assume it hasn’t been reported but if the if the price was three first round picks for pascow SE yakum it makes sense

That the king said no for that because of his contract situation but three first round picks for Bridges who fills a more direct position of need addresses the wing depth issue for Sacramento who is on the same Age timeline as the Sacramento Kings Corp and who is under

Contract for the next couple of years yeah that might be worth the risk RI risk involving that much future capital is something we’re going to talk a lot about on today’s show we have the framework of a deal that is set and uh we will discuss whether or not we think

This deal would go through why either side would be hesitant and if three first round picks honestly is enough to convince the Nets to move on from Bridges who is the main piece that they got back other than draft capital in the Kevin Durant trade I hope you enjoyed

This conversation I know you’re going to want to share your thoughts on this deal that we put out there and if Bridges is the right target for Sacramento to risk their future for get loose in the comment section on YouTube Nets fans I’m sure in here too let’s talk about it

Let’s talk about this deal if you want to hit me up on Twitter you can do so at Matt George sack and you can email me Matt Georg Sports gmail.com if you’d like to as well but for now here is my conversation with locked on Net’s host Adam arre we’re getting closer and

Closer to the NBA trade deadline there are smoke screens and conversations happening around the association so we thought hey why not here on the locked on Kings and locked on Nets podcast create create a little smoke of our own now to be perfectly clear this is we’re not reporting that conversations are

Happening between the Kings and the Nets certainly not conversations involving male Bridges however from the Sacramento Kings perspective here on locked on Kings I think it would be in the king’s best interest to pick up the phone to call the Nets and see if Bridges is available and what the Sacramento Kings

Could put on the table to entice the Nets to move on uh from that star Wing here here on this locked over locked on podcast crossover episode we’ll get the locked on Kings and locked on Nets perspective Matt George from locked on Kings Adam arre from locked on Nets to

Kind of discuss where these teams are at and if a deal like this could actually take place Adam it’s good to see you my friend good to talk to you first and foremost let’s focus on the Nets perspective their approach to this trade deadline are they buyers are they

Sellers and do they even humor an idea of moving on from Bridges yeah this is the hard part about doing not only wanting to get into the deadline discussions and the trade speculations right you crank up the old machines and and you see where assets and money and

Stars and pieces kind of fit together but at a high level for Brooklyn right now in this moment and we’re we’re recording this ahead of the Portland Trailblazers game so who knows maybe the Nets win that one and all of a sudden it’s the arrow pointing so hard up they

Couldn’t possibly consider it but they’ve lost a lot of basketball lately right they have three wins over their last 16 games they have 11 more including the Portland game before the deadline there’s a world when you look at their schedule they go two and nine

Over the course of those 11 games so if you’re a five and 22 team over the last 27 games you have to have a real conversation about where you’re at right now you’re hearing Rumblings that the Nets could be in on De jonte muray from the Atlanta Hawks are they GNA spend one

Two three first round picks or other assets to go get a player that in theory helps you create a stronger core in base but doesn’t necessarily change the needle again if you’re if you’re losing this much you have to at least be open to discussion so while at this moment

They’re not I think exploring theale Bridges trade offers there’s a world where 11 games from now they definitely should be and that’s where we get to this spot when I think I look at the Nets I look at where they are over the next couple of seasons and you have to

Explore three more first round draft picks four more seven more as the kings are going to be willing to give us for them you have to look at these packages and consider the ability to improve your team in the long term and maybe have a reality check in the short term where

Are we right they are clinging to the back end and trying to fight for a playing game spot in the Eastern Conference that that’s not a needle mover for you so that that’s where these Wheels start turning for me at least in these next what week and a half to two

Weeks before we head towards that deadline in February yeah these conversations on lock down are the closest that we’re going to come to to acting as general managers here for our organization and I think the way that our conversation started is very much the way that that a conversation like

This would go which is the king side calling the net side and and kind of laying it all out there and saying hey we’re willing to make a big swing we’re willing to put a lot of assets on the table in order to get Bridges let’s talk

About if that’s realistic or not not let’s talk about if you’re if you’re interested in that or not because the kings are firmly in the buyer picture but Adam where I think the Sacramento Kings are trying to figure out what route they should take as a buyer is do

You make a big purchase right go out and get that that shiny new car to add to your core of Fox and and and Keegan Murray and damont sabonis and and hopefully Malik monk assuming they’re able to resign him this offseason do you add a star-like Bridges to that and

Expect that to bring you into that contendership window that you want to get at and keep up with the other young teams in the west like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves for example or do you go more of the still trust in that core three or

Core four that you have and and make some moves on the The Fringe assets around them and prove your other starting positions improve your rotation that’s where the kings are at it’s a really weird Crossroads to where I think Sacramento is going to ultimately have to make a decision but that decision on

Which route they go might be dictated by the market and dictated by which teams are willing to make moves I think like I if the if the Nets and Kings agreed quote unquote agreed to a deal that would send Bridges to Sacramento that almost makes the decision for the Kings

Right if Bridges is there you you kind of have to go get him and I wonder if too and it’s for from a king’s perspective we’ll talk kind about fit and obviously the details of of what a deal like this would look like but the interesting thing to me it’s like as

Your fan base knows when you see the King sitting there in the seven seed but only a couple wins away from being in the sixth the fifth right pushing towards the upper half of the of the Western Conference I think the question opens up to well well what’s the ceiling

Here right what does a move like this mean for our organization in the short term can we entrench ourselves over the next couple couple of years as being an upper half Western Conference team that means something and and there’s different there’s different value to accomplishments for different organizations the Brooklyn Nets right

Now that’s their debate is making the playoffs they’re they’re one of the teams that has the longest standing record of making consecutive playoffs now they don’t accomplish anything when they get there but there’s like this symbolic accomplishment of doing that you know you’re not winning a championship and that is the is putting

Male on the table worth it the other part I think from a Net’s perspective too is which we won’t get into because it doesn’t impact the Kings but if the Nets picked up the phone from the Kings and started to have these discussions well then Cameron Johnson becomes a

Discussion right obviously Dorian Finn Smith obviously Royce O’Neal maybe even Nicholas Claxton because he’s young expiring deal isn’t a part of this core going forward all of the sudden from an organizational standpoint you go well we can add something here for M we can add a little bit more from Cameron Johnson

And we kind of go into that Oklahoma City mode right wow we have 60 picks over the next five to years and hopefully some things hit hopefully stars become available and we can reform this thing they’re difficult decisions to make because I think when you’re staring into the abyss of obscurity and

Being the Detroit Pistons of the world that’s not a place you want to be right and it’s not as easy as being bad Drafting and all of the sudden you have young Talent you’re good the combinations matter the coaching matters so that that’s where I think the Net’s

Struggle as an organization to say we came out of the Kevin Durant Kyrie Irving Harden era Superstars it didn’t work let’s just be really bad and as we know they gave up the picks to Houston they don’t have control over their short-term assets either and that’s always been the biggest roadblock for

Them to just go into full tank mode well you said something there that I’m I want to hit on you you talked about what matters what doesn’t matter and then you brought up Kevin Durant’s name how much does Kevin Durant matter in this conversation too even if it’s Optics

Right if like if you do move Bridges the Nets move bridges in any kind of deal whether it’s the Kings or anybody you have to believe the Optics of essentially the the the Nets traded Kevin Durant for this that’s going to play apart do you think the Nets should

Care about that or should it just be about like taking what’s in front of you and making the best Organization for yourselves in the moment Kevin Durant and Phoenix kind of be damned well and that that’s the big thing that’s changed at least for me has changed a little bit

Perceptually when you when you make that trade for Kevin Durant you get male Bridges you get Cameron Johnson and then the Nets re up with Cameron John now the contract actually has a lot of incentives in it the numbers are pretty good but now in this season what

Crystallized from 27 games last year after the trade for Mel Bridges where we thought okay there may be a whole another level that he’s going to go to it turns out he’s pretty much settling into a similar space that he was even when he was in Phoenix he’s playing more

Minutes you’re getting more production out of him but he’s basically an elite second tier guy Cameron Johnson rotation player so he’s actually come down a notch here so I think the fact that those guys from a production standpoint from a narrative around where their games were going to go has actually

Settled in a little bit you can think one of two things well they weren’t as high value as as we thought they were at the time of the trade still got a ton of picks but then secondarily maybe we don’t need to hold on to these guys as

Being the face of the Kevin Duran trade which was really important in the moment but every step you get further away I think it softens that blow a little bit especially when you think about a team that is 16- 23 right now with those guys at their Court a major roadblock that I

Think the kings are facing right now in their major like big swing trade conversations is that every single team is going to be asking and rightfully so so should be asking about Keegan Murray that’s where I think the conversation stops with the Sacramento Kings a lot whether they should or should not hold

As firm to Keegan as as they seem to be that’s Up For Debate but Adam in our hypothetical conversation we were able to get past that and we’ll explain why and and get to the actual trade that we thought or that we discussed and we put

Together in in the next segment but do you think that’s how this conversation would also go from a Net’s perspective is yeah make Keegan and Murray available and do you if in real life in the real world do you think that could potentially be the the the part of this

Trade that where conversation falls apart essentially yeah first thing that Shawn marks and the Nets are going to do is say hey what’s your best youngest asset we want them right that’s where we start and then we start talking about your picks and then we start start talking about matching salaries and

Maybe getting extra value off of certain guys right of course that that’s going to be where it starts and I think the only way that it gets to the place where and it doesn’t mean it’s unrealistic in this hypothetical where you’re willing to talk about other things and other

Players and other assets is if the Nets open up this door that we are Fielding offers on male Bridges and the general consensus around the league is we’re willing to give draft Capital but not necessarily young Talent right if it’s even across the trade landscape then it’s just about best package that makes

The most sense and maybe the Kings can be the team that comes out on top there and there’s reasons why we’ll get into that it is favorable for them but but that’s that’s the core of it Nets want to have young players they have Cam Thomas right now they have

Nicholas claxon on expiring we like the development of Dron sharp there’s not a lot of clearcut who is here over the next two three and four seasons so they want to have more young players that can represent a core going forward can they get past that can they can they look at

Murray and say oh my goodness but no thank you we’re okay we’ll take other stuff that’s the big debate we’ll get into well coming up next I will lay out uh the the trade that we discussed and we’ll discuss kind of both sides if this trade would be likely or unlikely to be

Accepted and why it intrigues both the lock on Kings and locked on Nets perspective today’s episode of the locked on Kings podcast is brought to you by eBay Motors passion drive and patience what brings home the winning trophy is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you

Need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance from supercharger roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking

For and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or you get your money back because with eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not burning cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to turn your car into the MVP

And bring home that win keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers welcome back into this crossover episode of lock on Kings and lockon Nets discussing a potential Kings and Nets trade involving male Bridges

Again for perspective and for you Nets fans out there this is not a situation where Adam came to lockon Kings and said male is available this is the Sacramento Kings coming to the Nets and going we want this man let’s try and make this deal work so Adam we discussed uh

Different options we did involve Keegan Murray at one point I am also taking the perspective of the Kings which is that Keegan Murray is off the table he’s not available unless there’s that absolute can’t turn it down move out there which doesn’t exist we’re talking involving like the tatums and giannis’s and guys

Of the world just not happening so there’s no reason to even consider that but the move that we laid out there I’ll just I’ll just put it out there uh and and then we’ll discuss it was the Kings getting Bridges and bridges alone for a package that the Nets would receive in

Involving Kevin herder Colby Jones and then three first round picks 2026 2028 and 2030 so that is kind of the framework of the foundation of the deal that we discussed why do you think this would get any sort of consider consideration or at least for you why does this get consideration from the

Nets yeah at a minimum again if the Brooklyn Nets are going to keep losing right if they’re going to be a 15 and 30 team as they approach the trade deadline you have to have an open discussion about where the best value is for these players now Mel bridg is under contract

For multiple Seasons the contract is nice so they could always make this decision down the road but let’s say that the the time to strike is now right we we did as you said iterations where you asked for Lonnie Walker to be included and I said well it’s an

Expiring deal but but he could be a guy the Nets want to keep around he’s in the right age range underneath 26 years old right has upside outside shooter has shown kind of an expansion to his game in Opportunities with Brooklyn so we push back on that of course I said give

Me Murray you said no thank you the the version of this that at least opens my eyes up honestly without including Murray the most important thing about this is the draft picks the Kings while this is going to hurt the fans to hear the kings are one of the more say

Volatile organizations when it comes to long-term future so if I’m the Brooklyn Nets when you make that trade with Kevin Durant to Phoenix and hey that that looks a little bit shaky here but you go forward and you say hey they’re older they may have to strip it down we want

Value picks later on the Kings right now while they are sitting there in the seventh seed in the Western Conference where are they two years from now right sabonis how is he aging over the life of his contract where is the young core going to be coming in behind Fox and how

Are you going to develop stainability that to me is at least intriguing enough to have the discussion picks 28 and then 30 we might be talking about Lottery like we we don’t know the state of the Kings and obviously you guys know on your side of it that that is probably

That’s the fear that’s the underlying fear about moves like this should it be an all-in moment for the Kings for a player like male you hit the nail on the absolute head Adam and and you it’s it what I like about what you just said is that you understand just like the Nets

Are going to understand the hesitation from the king’s side and maybe they’ll try and use that to their advantage or not and that’s where that’s a conversation a debate happening at least amongst Sacramento Kings fans and probably amongst that front office is what caliber of player are we willing to

Essentially punt our future or take that big of a risk for versus which players that that’s just not good enough or or it’s just not worth that kind of risk for an organization like the Sacramento Kings who is is like new money right we we just are back here in a position

Where hey we’re finally in the playoffs we’re good we’re relevant again this is exciting like do you want to go and spend all that that future Capital right away do you want to put that much on the line when for 20 years or almost 20 years the draft was basically what you

Hung your hats on and was your only hope for such a long period of time I think it’s a legitimate hesitation here in Sacramento but at least from a lot of Kings fan perspectives they feel that Bridges and what he could do how he could transform and open not just a

Kings contendership window as early as this season but could fit the timeline of sabonis and fox and that young core that or young I should say in their Prime core now that they have here in Sacramento I think a lot of people say you know what that’s worth it you

Understand Bridges you know how he plays you know kind of the the person and the the piece that he is what do you think about the kings taking that risk if you think that he would be the right guy for that three first round plus uh pick move

Yeah sure and if you believe so one of the first questions is where do you rank Fox is he a top 25 guy top 30 guy like where do where do you view him in the NBA hierarchy of of Superstar level towns where do you put him uh I think I

Think he’s in the top 10 top 15 probably players in the league right so you know and I lowball you to give you the opportunity to pump your guy up there but that’s but that’s a part of the core question here because that’s what in theory the Nets would be holding on to

Male bridges for is to go get a top 15 kind of guy put the Superstar ahead of him which affords male Bridges to do the things you saw in Phoenix and at a higher level let him lock in more defensively take on some of those assignments and not have to be the

Primary right right now that’s what the struggle is for Mel Bridges with Brooklyn he’s not great on the ball he’s not an ISO kind of player does an excellent job in the mid-range he obviously can knock down the perimeter shot so if you believe that you have in

Place right now a top 15 NBA talent and then you also have sa bonus and some other pieces then yeah M male is the needle mover and as you said if you believe this is the championship contention move 100% you want then you should go make this move there’s nothing

About it that should stop you and you should be excited to do it because at a minimum I would say you entrench yourself as being in that conversation for the life of male Bridges contract sabon Fox Etc right and that matters right now neither of these organizations

I would say for different reasons at different levels clearly are in Championship window is open right now mode adding a player to the Kings does that adding three players to Brooklyn maybe does that right but there’s different aspects to it so that that’s where I think it’s worth it from a

King’s perspective and as we we can talk about some of the finer details The Herder of it from a Brooklyn perspective but yes the the quality of the player that niale Bridges is if you believe you are that one elevator piece away then yeah 100% the king should make that move

But it’s about your perception of where they are and their ability to compete for a championship I think you have to weigh that if you’re giving up three first round picks and basically saying this is the team for the next two three four seasons here’s where I think this

Conversation might go Adam I I think it might become and and there’s a very big risk from the Sacramento Kings to become bitters against themselves so a two-part question here is one do you think they are like do you think it makes sense for a lot of teams to be calling about

Bridges this season number one so the Kings might have some competition to be trying to compete with or put a better package out there than what the Nets could get elsewhere number one and number two is like how willing should the Sacramento Kings be because there

Might be a scenario where the Kings go okay yeah three first rounders Kevin herder and Kobe Jones and then it’s like you know we really like okay four first round okay five like the ks just keep screaming and throwing picks at you until you say yes I I wonder if that’s

Like a realistic scenario that the Kings might go too far because of their desire to get a player like bridges yeah so from an Net’s perspective again the option to move Mel Bridges next year is always there now now we know right the the prime of a player’s career is 26 27

To 29 when you hit 30 this is something that that Doug Nory loves to kind of remind fans about 30 and 31 is not the prime anymore you can still be a really good really good player at that point but you’re starting to enter the back

End so there is that option for the Nets to your point about now you look around the Western Conference just teams with draft Capital it’s interesting right there’s not some of the key players like Dallas doesn’t have can’t make a move like that La if they’re still desperate

The the Lakers can’t make a move like that so you might have a a more limited market in terms of teams willing to go in on it ironically a team we talked about with Lorie Markin in in the Jazz you go maybe the Nets would put assets

In to go get him well now they’re actually decent like maybe they’re a team that wants to continue to be competitive so the market might not be robust however perceptually and you kind of touched on it there once the king signal that we’re talking with the Nets

Male Bridges is on the table at some point you sold it now you’ve now sold the fan base that you’re ready to go all in on a player and then you get to the place where you go well and they said they wanted ex another player thrown in

Right they said they wanted an extra pick well does it really matter if we believe we’re going to keep Championship who cares about pick and that would be excellent for the Brooklyn Nets remember they got four first round pick offer from Memphis a year ago at the deadline

They refused that in the moment the big trade Kevin Durant everything we talked about but yeah I think if it’s just you and the Nets at the table the net keep saying more little more little more and when are you going to push back and say

Oh no we couldn’t possibly do it right so there is probably a real power there for the Brooklyn Nets if these calls started to happen where they just say we don’t need to make the move so you convince us that we should make this move that is the word right there power

And that’s the word that I want to get into and and discuss a little bit more here in our final segment is it I agree with you I think the Nets do hold the power in this situation should that be enough for the Sacramento Kings to look

Elsewhere or should they be willing to kind of play a dangerous game with another team that does hold the power and does hold the keys even though the kings are in the better situation out of the two teams we’ll discuss that here coming up before we wrap up the show

Today’s episode of the lockon Kings podcast is also brought to you by better help if you’re thinking about giving therapy a try better help is the route that you need to take now some of you might hear that therapy word and react to it like it’s taboo hey that used to

Be me right before I started going and seeing a therapist uh back during covid and I continue to see him today and I swear therapy is one of the best things that you can do for yourself but before then I was like I don’t I don’t need to

See therapy my problems aren’t aren’t big enough for therapy or or I don’t need to like we all think about like lying down on one of those couches with our feet up staring at the ceiling while while a complete stranger with a notepad asks you personal questions about your

Life and you just sit there and talk and it’s awkward and uncomfortable and you feel crazy that’s not what therapy is right that might be a version that you see on movies and TV shows for comedy purposes or for dramatic purposes that’s not what it is it’s sitting down and

Talking with a licensed professional who helps you deal with unpack and and and navigate the struggles in life that we all face right we’re all carrying weight mental health is so important this year mental health is so important in 2024 and I hope it only continues to get more

And more important and you need to take care of yourself mentally the same way you take care of yourself physically by going to the gym or eating right or going and seeing a doctor mental health is should be and and is in that same boat so if you’re thinking about giving

Therapy a try give better help a try it’s entirely online designed to be convenient flexible and suited to your schedule fill out a brief questionnaire and get matched with the licensed therapist you can switch therapists at any time for no additional charge celebrate the progress that you’ve already made in 2024 by visiting

Betterhelp.com lockon NBA today to get 10% off your first month that’s betterhelp hp.com lockon NBA locked on Kings is also brought to you by FanDuel the NFL regular season is over we’re in the thick of the playoffs and of course we’re now in the the the trenches of the

NBA regular season there’s still plenty of time to get in on the action that FanDuel America’s number one sports book right now new customers getting $150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet so put $ Five Doll down on the San Francisco 49ers to beat the

Packers this weekend put $ five dollars down on the Kings to beat the Indiana Pacers tomorrow night you win great you’re already in the money if you lose it doesn’t matter because you’re getting $150 in bonus bets for you to make that money back and then some oh and by the

Way if you win you’re in the money and you get the $150 worth of bonus bets so you can keep playing on FanDuel with live same game parlays you can find bets in their new explore tab you can make a parlay in their parlay Hub which is the

Best way to find popular parlays around the the world and around the league and more so many different fun and unique ways to play at fanduel.com so go to fanduel.com lockon and make your first bet layup FanDuel official partner of the NFL so we have a framework of a deal

On the table three first round picks Kevin herder Colby Jones I’m ready right now from the Sacramento Kings perspective to say roll the dice let’s do it Adam you just said that the Nets might be in a position to keep going a little more a little more because that’s

A power position that they are in having the power in trade negotiations seems like such a massive like chip right and and every you can break down trade Dynamics and half of the trade deadline is which team is going to take advantage of the other team that was a concern in

Sacramento for a long time until Monty McNair became general manager and and Monty is general manager has shown a willingness to be patient he’s shown a willingness to make a big move but not make a move for the sake of making a move so maybe as much as we’re

Discussing this maybe it doesn’t really fit McNair’s style to make a move like this at the same time though if you really want to get to where the kings are trying to get to this might be the most available route to you so power I think is such an important thing to

Discuss in this trade what power do you think Sacramento has in this negotiation or are all the cards in the hands of Brooklyn yeah I I think some of the other players that we didn’t touch on inside of this package right when we were going back in fourth there there’s

Power in saying we have a Harrison Barnes that that we can offer to you and then the Nets are assessing is he worth draft capital X on another team right third team’s getting involved here and for the the sake of this type of discussion you never want to start

Adding third and fourth teams because it gets so far a field but there is a world where the Kings can say and hurder as well right like what is herder’s draft value he has three years left on his deal it’s not a bad number he’s having a little bit of a Down Season

Statistically but but the Nets can look at him and say under control 25 years old valuable pce going forward so the Kings can look at this and say two things one we feel comfortable we don’t have to make this trade for male and two we have a lot of piece

With a lot of salaries that have value around the league and I some of it may be I wonder if the Kings say if not M we could go for after someone else I mentioned at the top the Nets were in the discussions maybe for Deonte Murray

Now he doesn’t necessarily fit you know this isn’t a oneto one the Kings say well de jonte Murray’s available and they’re only talking two first- round picks and maybe we give them herder back right so there is a world where the Kings can create a scenario that says

Yes we want male Bridges but we do have a breaking point and I think it still comes back to the Nets and saying can we convert some of this Capital into more for our side where it doesn’t become a Breaking Point around Murray Kings on on the Kings Keegan Murray or around the

Fourth first round pick right can we generate more capital for ourselves and sell ourselves in our fan base on having this chest this war chest of draft Capital to go get the Superstar to go make the big trade right I I know that I gave you instances where the Kings can

Can regain power I don’t think they they can do a ton of that but they do at least have players that are interesting right there are players on their roster that other teams would value far more than Brooklyn but at least increase the value of a trade offer that’s what makes

The situation so tricky too is because the Kings have made it known that that herder Barnes and Davon Mitchell like those are the three players that are available and to try and turn the three of those into a better player from from teams who are either selling a better

Player because they’re trending in the wrong direction those three aren’t very enticing to me or to go to a good team and say here are these three assets give us the better player a good team might just laugh you off the phone it’s a really weird position for Sacramento to

Be in but they’re going to try and I guess they might be forced to attach the draft Capital like we’re talking about in order to get a team to consider taking one two or all three of those guys and that’s the biggest problem I think from from King’s perspective it’s

That you’re acknowledging we don’t like a lot of the guys on our team right like when you start to say these guys aren’t valuable like we have a window here we believe we can be high level competitive but we’ve got three guys two of which are pretty big contributors for the

Roster that we don’t think are good enough but they might be good for you right now now money always matters matching contracts Etc but that’s hard and you know Barnes maybe at 31 years old and his his number on the cap I think that’s a little tricky there’s a

World where you’re attaching something to dump that as opposed to looking at him as a value so that that’s the weird part for the Kings to me too is they don’t even really have Beyond Murray if you’re keeping him off the table where’s the young guys right where are the young

Players that other teams look at for instance Brooklyn if they wanted to make a trade I’m not saying they should put cam Thomas in the conversation but I think a lot of teams around the league would say oh Cam Thomas 20 plus points score automatically here right a guy

That is maybe being buried by Brooklyn for unfounded reasons there’s a value there Nicholas Clon expiring but 24 25 years old still has his prime ahead of him Elite versatile Defender the Nets actually have quality pieces on their roster it’s just that they don’t seem willing in this moment to go make that

Big move that cost those things exactly what the kings are considering well I’m very much looking forward Adam to reading the comment sections for both of our shows around this conversation because typically if you put out a trade and both sides hate it typically that means it’s a it’s a

Pretty possible or probable trade or at least it’s a good trade in some to some extent if both sides like it maybe never going to happen if one side likes it and one side doesn’t then I guess it’s it’s 50/50 up in the air but I know there’s

Going to be discussion around this but the word that I’m kind of looking for here is is satisfaction satisfied how satisfied would both sides be with with how satisfied would the Kings be getting bridges for the risk that they’re taking I think the satisfaction would be for the most part pretty overwhelmingly

Positive on the king’s perspective if this deal were to actually take place from the Net’s perspective satisfaction of three first rounders minimum I think we’ve established from SA ramento but sending Bridges away in that kind of deal where do you think the satisfaction is if we’re projecting our comment

Sections right now yeah so there’s a section of the Nets fan base that really wants the Nets to get Murray and then maybe add another piece and to to create a core that’s very attractive for a superstar next off season right so there there’s a faction that’s going to say

Adam why’ you even entertain this idea but the other part of it is if you’re losing a lot of basketball and you don’t have control of your own picks you got to make the prudent moves when they become available so for me I would like to think there’ll be a segment that says

If this is where the Nets are if they are ready to make these type of tradeways then this is at least the Baseline of a very strong package and you have to go to the table thinking three maybe more draft picks young players tradable assets all that good

Stuff it’s not a it’s not an exciting landscape but it’s one that I think the Nets and the fan base at least needs to be considering approaching the deadline and moving in the next one or two seasons going forward likely though Matt I don’t think that this is going to be

The trade that goes down I mean do you think the Kings really really come to the table with this one for M I think the Sacramento Kings do absolutely pick up the phone and and have a conversation but you and I are in the same kind of

Boat like I think this is a fun conversation to have in a podcast world I think it’s a legitimate conversation enough to where there there’s there’s interest enough on both sides for a conversation to be had but if if I don’t know how we get to that final agreement

I just don’t know if if it’s that one more draft pick asked for for for the Nets or Keegan Murray asked for the Nets how the Sacramento Kings could say no but here’s a little bit more like there I just don’t know what that little bit more is from the Sacramento Kings so

This is a lot this conversation is a lot of Wishful Thinking from the king’s perspective I think because Bridges make so much sense for a target for the Sacramento Kings but you have to to to to get something you have to give up something right to get to mon sabonis

You had to give up Tyrese halberton right Tyrese halberton is not available right now for and what I mean by that is that Tyrese Halton type player that with a tremendous upside Keegan Murray is not available this time around so how are you going to get I I think it’s safe to

Say or it’s fair to say in this scenario I think dam sabonis is a bigger piece than Bridges is so maybe the Kings can try and justify in their mind we’re not getting as better as good of a player as sabonis so we don’t have to put that

Much on the table in the case of bridges and trying to convince the Nets to take those future assets for him and and essentially lose now in that deal I do think you have to sweeten the pot a little bit more than the Kings will be

Willing to or able to at this point and my last note just from a Brooklyn organizational perspective if you are going to convince them any team around the league that trading male Bridges is remotely on the table which at this moment it is not you have to come with a

Big package you have to come with the sacrifices the Keegan muray of the world if you really want Shawn marks to say hey this ended up being an offer we could not turn away like that’s where this this organization is you have to go to we could not refuse this offer type

Level in order to get male out the door and I I find it unlikely but I think it’s worth discussing every team including the Kings should be having these conversations about what does this package look like for a player like male Bridges let’s make the call and the

Worst case scenario is the phone doesn’t get picked up yeah my gut feeling is this ation really doesn’t go anywhere because three firsts isn’t enough ultimately and three firsts might be the max that the kings are willing to move on from and I think some Kings fans are

Going to hear this conversation and go how is three first not enough but that’s the reality of of trades in today’s NBA three first round picks is not the hall that it used to be so can I add in I know we’re gonna run a little bit long

Here but but Doug actually brought this up on our podcast the other day he also there there’s something really important about this when we talked about how valuable those later picks could be from the Kings but he said you know we need to start defining first round picks differently Lottery first round pick

Means one thing in terms of the value everything mid round and back you know that’s kind of a second round pick you know you back it’s like there are different values placed on this so when you throw out for Net’s fan base King’s fan base when you hear three first round

Four first round picks remember where those exist because you know not all first round picks are created equal and that has to be in the as well even if I think those picks could be valuable from the Kings they still could be mid to late round firsts those are Dart throws

At best that sometimes don’t even hit the board yeah I I so my perspective or my approach to that Adam and it might be too much of a blanket statement that that might piss some prospects off and piss some people off but the way I’ve

Always looked at it is Lottery to me is your potential to land a starter or at the very like and maybe like a really really high end rotation player outside of the lottery I would say picks like six to 21 or 22 is like that rotation

Player area you’re hoping to land just a good rotation player for that has a solid average career in the league kind of around that anything beyond that you’re looking for a diamond in the rough you’re looking to get lucky type thing you’re looking for that Nichol yic

Or or Isaiah Thomas with the last pick of the draft you’re looking for something like to to to go really really right for you at that point in time so I understand what you’re saying absolutely when we discuss first round picks the perspective is not hey these are three

Guaranteed lottery picks right because if the Kings might think that way or Kings fans might think oh my God we’re giving away three lottery picks for for Mel or male Bridges no way but in reality like maybe they do convert and end up being three lottery picks they

Also could be if the Kings do everything right they could be 18 20 and and and 21 and then in the end we don’t really care that much so yeah that’s a big aspect too yeah so it just makes it it does make it fascinating to me we’ll see

We’ll see where it goes and I think honestly watching a team like the Kings and other Western Conference teams by the way hey uh Dorian finy Smith is available Royce O’Neal is available guys I mean come knock on the door we may have an we may have a different podcast

Where you put together your package for Lonnie Walker from the Brooklyn Nets because those are actually some of the players and pieces that could make a lot of sense to help build up that roster around your current core without sacrificing any young talent and maybe different type of draft Capital pieces

So I think I just Peak both Matt and the fan base’s interest well you you did because at this point in time as much as I love this Bridge’s idea and that big big swing I think it’s more likely if the kings are going to make a move it’s

Going to be to shore up the edges so it wouldn’t shock me at all if a if a Net’s King’s conversation starts with hey Bridges no okay what about uh now you have some other veterans on your roster are you attached to them oddly enough we have some guys available of course of

Course and that’s why the Nets are we’re not selling anything but we also have some things we wouldn’t mind moving off of so I think the Kings and Nets could be good trade Partners in other ways but if if let’s put it this way if the trade

Deadline passes or or in between now in the actual trade deadline and a Bridge’s trade drops I think it would be I mean we can revisit this conversation and have a completely new one about what that looks like I don’t think it’s completely out of the realm of possibility but it’s a

Long shot certainly that the Sacramento Kings will have to warm the Nets up to a little bit but Adam thanks for having this conversation I think it’s a lot of fun it’s one of the best parts about this lock on podcast Network now see what our people think about it let’s see

What the negotiations look like in our comment section because I have a feeling there might be uh might be some Nets and Kings fans that are taking the GM hats from us and making this deal happen so we’ll see what they come up with always a good time Matt

Matt George is joined by Adam Armbrecht from the Locked On Nets podcast to discuss a hypothetical blockbuster trade that would send Mikal Bridges to Sacramento for a package including three first round picks.

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Jase Medical

Empower yourself when you purchase a Jase Case, providing you with a personal supply of 5 antibiotics that treat 50+ infections. Get yours today at jasemedical.com and use code LOCKEDON to get $20 off your order.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.

eBay Motors

For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

BetterHelp

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

PrizePicks

Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime

Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel

Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED when you place a FIVE DOLLAR BET. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Is Mikal Bridges Worth the Sacramento Kings Selling their Future?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCer6XxOVaMbmW2HBLpuLkzQ

WANT MORE DAILY SACRAMENTO KINGS CONTENT?

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOKings?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattGeorgeSAC

#SacramentoKings #NBA #LightTheBeam