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The Kings were uncharacteristically quiet at the trade deadline, completing only one trade before the buzzer sounded, sending Ramon Sessions to Washington for Andre Miller. That trade brought the Kings both cap flexibility and (hopefully) some more reliability at backup PG. Sacramento used the Trade Exception they received from the Jason Terry deal to complete the trade.
Sacramento was looking to make a bigger splash, as always, but nothing materialized. They pulled out of the Goran Dragic sweepstakes when it became clear that Dragic was set against staying in Sacramento long term, and they also were hesitant to pull the trigger on Afflalo. Both Dragic and Afflalo ended up being traded in deals that were probably too rich for Sacramento's taste anyway, never mind the fact that Sacramento's assets weren't as appealing anyway.
It was a bit surprising that the Kings couldn't find a way to add even a little bit of shooting to the team. Miller, for all his strengths, has never been a shooter. Shooting has perhaps been Sacramento's biggest weakness, and it's a definite need going forward.
As for Jason Thompson, he once again survived the trade deadline, although that's hardly surprising. Thompson is a difficult player to move as his contract is just a little too big for most team's liking and he doesn't excel in any one area that might entice a team to gamble on him. Thompson's contract becomes much more tradeable this summer or next season anyway, as 2015-16 is the final fully guaranteed year left on his contract. Only $2.65 million of his contract for 2016-17 is guaranteed, which will be much more appealing to potential suitors looking for a big man or to shed another contract.
Nik Stauskas was the asset Sacramento was apparently willing to deal for the right player, but nothing materialized. He almost certainly would have gone to Phoenix if the Kings had made a play for Dragic, but the risk of losing Stauskas for nothing only 8 months after taking him in the lottery prevented that deal. Stauskas will now have a chance to see if he can finish the year off strong and become a part of this team going forward. If not, I expect that we'll continue to see his name in trade rumors given Sacramento's weak asset base.
Isaiah Thomas was also traded, which gives us a nice comparison for what his value might have looked like had the Kings re-signed him only to trade him. Phoenix ended up getting a 2016 1st round pick and Marcus Thornton's expiring contract. Those aren't the most appealing assets, but it is more than what Sacramento got for Thomas, and those future picks are a valuable tool for making other trades, as we saw from today's deadline.
The Kings now have 30 games left, in what is essentially an extended training camp. While today was relatively quiet, I expect it to be much the opposite this summer as Karl becomes more established and the Kings free up some more space.
