Nothing has gone as planned for Marvin Bagley in his first three seasons in Sacramento. Taken by the Kings with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Bagley has nearly missed as many games as he’s played and his future with the team is murky, to put it lightly.
Bagley came under fire in late June, when he liked a tweet from a fan that said, "We gotta get @MB3FIVE outta Sac man."
During a recent taping of the "Halfway Decent Pod," Bagley discussed the situation and even tried to give an explanation.
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“That’s my Twitter, bro,” Bagley said. “It’s my Twitter. It has my name on it. I can like whatever I choose and please. Whatever I feel like liking.”
“That just came from frustration, and I don’t ever want to say frustrated, just that built up fire,” Bagley added.
According to Bagley, he was watching Trae Young go off for 50 points in a playoff game and got a little excited when he liked a tweet that appeared to disparage his current team.
While Young, who was taken three picks behind Bagley in 2018, was leading his team to the Eastern Conference Finals, Bagley and his Kings were on the outside looking of the playoff picture for a 15th consecutive season.
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“As a competitor, that made me want to get to that, I need to be there,” Bagley said. “I want to be there bad.”
Bagley has played a total of 118 out of a potential 226 games in a Kings uniform. A series of knee, foot and hand injuries have cost him and the Kings valuable development time.
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While Bagley's career has yet to take off, Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick from 2018, is playing in the NBA Finals with the Suns and third overall pick Luka Doncic has finished in the top six in MVP balloting in each of the last two seasons.
Bagley said that his draft class will go down as one of the best ever and he certainly believes he will still be a part of that equation.
“I’m happy for these guys,” Bagley said. “But for me personally, my personal goals and where I’m trying to get to in my career, I’ve got to make it happen.”
Whether Bagley will continue his NBA path in Sacramento next season is unknown at this time. The 22-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie scale contract that will pay him $11.3 million next season.
There were rumors that the Kings shopped the talent, yet injury plagued power forward at the trade deadline and it is possible they move him as part of a roster overhaul this summer.