Sacramento Kings center Dewayne Dedmon recently demanded a trade. Why should the Portland Trail Blazers trade for him sooner rather than later?
The Kings have been in a tough spot this season. Not unlike their western conference rivals the Trail Blazers, they have had serious injuries to key personnel throughout the season. De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley have been out for large amounts of time, and the shuffle in the roster has meant Richaun Holmes has taken over as the starting center.
Dewayne Dedmon only signed with the Sacramento Kings in July’s free agency window. The thirty year old center had career years for the Atlanta Hawks the last two years, but this season has seen his playing time halved on an unhappy Kings team.
Holmes has been a revelation for the short-handed, averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds on an excellent 66 percent from the field. This has meant Dedmon has been banished to the bench where he has only been playing 13 minutes a night.
Dedmon is a quality NBA center. He was probably never going to play 30 minutes plus a night, but signing for $40 million in the offseason its understandable that he thought he would have more of a role.
Dedmon has struggled in the minutes he’s played but this is to be expected with the up and down nature of the Kings roster. The Blazers could use him on their injury hit roster though.
Dedmon is thirty and is under contract for this year through 2022. The last year of his deal isn’t guaranteed, which is a positive. If he doesn’t perform then he is an expiring deal next year, but if he is going well then the team he’s with can guarantee his contract for the last year.
Dedmon’s two-way play is his strength. He hit 38 percent of his threes last season while still providing competent rim protection and great defensive rebounding.
Blazer fans continue to think about star players coming to town in trades. It would be great if they did, but the smarter moves may be to bring in players on trades who have low value.
Dedmon wants out, while Harry Giles has had his option for next year declined by the Kings. Giles is in a prove it situation, where he is playing for his future in this league. He is an exciting athlete who can pass, rebound, defend and run the floor. His health has obviously been a concern but with only a two and a half million salary and no future commitment this is a low risk move.
For the Kings, they would get salary relief, and also the perimeter defense they so sorely need. With a massive salary bill on the way in future years, they can focus on Bagley and Holmes as heir big men of the future.
Dedmon would be the centre piece of this trade though. His production at the center position would be a massive plus. Desperate for some big man help, Dedmon could even play alongside Hassan Whiteside if need be.
Dedmon is a high energy guy who can run the floor, box out and set tough screens for his guards. With a $13 million per year salary, he could even be moved next year depending on what this teams plans are in free agency.
When Jusuf Nurkic returns, he could be eased back into his work rather than being thrown into the fire. If Whiteside was to get moved then Dedmon can step in straight away and start at the center position.
Dedmon being under contract means that Kent Bazemore‘s expiring contract isn’t wasted by letting him expire at the end of the season. The Trail Blazers are terribly short on bigs at the moment. If Skal Labissiere is out for a significant period of time then Neil Olshey should pull the trigger on a trade for another big man.