Trade Talk: Sabonis vs. Haliburton, Hield and Thompson

PACERS GET	KINGS GET
Tyrese Haliburton	Justin Holiday
Buddy Hield	Jeremy Lamb
Tristan Thompson	Domantas Sabonis
	2027 2nd rounder

I wrote about the Kings earlier this season, before even watching them play.  Well I did finally get a chance to watch them recently when they squared off against Golden State in Cali.  And Sacramento looked more like a really good college team than an NBA squad.  That's when I realized that having said earlier that their roster was rife was talent may have been a bit hasty of a conclusion.  But there is a lot of potential talent - players who, if they find themselves in a different environment, may prosper, blazi fukin blah.  Like it may be any basketball player's dream to make it to the NBA, but no one in their right mind would actually want to be drafted by the Kings.

The one player on Sacramento who really represented, outside of established vet and former-Warrior Harrison Barnes, was rookie Davion Mitchell.  And going back to being drafted by the Kings, he's someone I foresee like getting seriously injured before finding himself on a championship squad.  And no, I'm not trying to jinx dude or wish him bad luck or anything like that.  It's just that his style of play reminds me a lot of other ferocious little dudes like Allen Iverson and Derrick Rose, who went about expeditiously fucking their bodies up in the NBA.  But one thing I will say about Davion is that he does look quite diesel for a smaller NBA player, so who knows.

The one player who really underwhelmed me was Tyrese Hailburton.  And believe me, I'm not trying to diss dude.  It's just that I've been reading so much about him being the next big thing, and like he didn't really do shit against the Warriors.  It kinda reminded me of when the Cavs recently played the Warriors also in Cali, that night when Klay returned.  Darius Garland is a young All-Star, one of my personal favorites tbh.  But it's like Steph could have posterized him with him 3s if he really wanted to.  And the point is that no matter how 'promising' a player may be, like unless he comes into the NBA a straight-up star from the jump, then there's likely to always be a tier of players, albeit a small group, who is simply better.

So, it may be cool to watch Haliburton play alongside Malcolm Brogdon.  But who knows if the Pacers really intend on keep any of these new guys.  Buddy Hield is someone who, to my remembrance, has disappointed since coming into the NBA.  When I was watching him flunk against the Warriors I was saying to myself, 'yes, this looks exactly like the type of player GM Lebron would want to bring to LA, someone who will end up getting fans even more frustrated'.  And again, I'm not trying to diss dude.  But it's hard to imagine Indiana being intent on keeping him.

And then finally, there's Tristan Thompson who, for whatever reason, was benched against the Warriors, even though he wasn't listed as injured.  My general belief when it comes to professional athletes, especially the active ones, is that it's never a good thing when your name is in the news, or even worst gossip circles due to your off-court activities more than what you do on the court.  Bigmen age slower in the NBA, and Tristan Thompson is still supposed to be a contributor.  But now it's like he's someone you would want on your roster probably because, being affiliated with the Kardashians, he can sell some tickets.  And even then, it ain't really like that.  You know what I mean?  It ain't like having Kanye on your roster.

Then, there's Domantas Sabonis.  A few weeks ago, I salivated at the prospect of him potentially ending up on the Sixers.  But instead, damn.  But then again, who knows - maybe he'll be exactly what the doctor ordered alongside the likes of Harkless and Holmes and the rest of the gang.  And it's like now I'm looking the Kings' roster from that Warriors' game, and Marvin Bagley isn't even listed at all.  So it's like dang, dude is getting paid $10mil+ to sit somewhere and chill - my personal dream if I were to ever make it to the NBA.

CONCLUSION

When I first heard of this trade I felt sorry for Domantas.  But now it's like if he's not personally in a rush to win a championship, this isn't that bad of a move for him.  After all, even after parting ways with a trio of expendables, the Kings still have enticing trade chips in Bagley III and even D'Aaron Fox, if they decide to go there (which they probably won't now that they've traded Haliburton, unless they're thinking of maybe making Justin Holiday a permanent starter).

The Pacers look like they're tanking or resetting, except for the fact that they appear extremely loyal to Brogdon.  He's a player that, if not for injuries, would probably be a perennial all-star in today's NBA.  But tender he is, which then makes you question why Indiana seems so intent on keeping him as opposed to letting Malcolm explore greener pastures.