Rumors, rumors, rumors.
In the latest trade round-up on The Athletic, Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski dropped this nugget:
“Houston has discussed Capela packages with Atlanta and Sacramento, league sources said.”
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The Kings were rumored to be interested in Capela over the summer, before they made a splash in free agency with veteran big man Dewayne Dedmon. That splash has turned into more of a slow drip from a faucet.
Dedmon is having a brutal season. He lost his starting job to Richaun Holmes after just four games, although he’s filled in lately with Holmes on the shelf with a shoulder injury.
On the season, Dedmon is posting just 5.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and .8 blocks in 15.9 minutes per game for Sacramento. He was brought in to stretch the floor for Marvin Bagley, but Bagley has missed all but 13 games of the season and Dedmon is shooting just 19.7 percent from long range. Over his last 15 games, Dedmon is 4-for-26 from behind the arc.
Any trade with Houston would be complex. Capela, 25, makes $16.9 million this season, but the Rockets are on the hook for another three-years at $57.3 million.
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Houston is looking for more wing help. Unless they are in salary dump mode, that means they likely would want some combination of players that included Bogdan Bogdanovic. Whether the Kings are willing to move from the talented 27-year-old is still unknown, although Bogdanovic himself told NBC Sports California on Monday that he would like to stay in Sacramento.
Adding a player like Capela would create another log jam on the Kings’ front line. Holmes has played extremely well when healthy and he is expected back later this week after missing the last 13 games with a shoulder injury.
The Kings still have second-year big man Marvin Bagley, of course, who has struggled with injuries all season long and is out for at least the next four games leading up to the All-Star break. Bagley still as looked at as the future of the squad.
Would a Bagley/Capela front line make sense?
Holmes is a much cheaper option, but Capela is averaging 13.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in a little under 33 minutes per game through 39 games this season. He instantly would improve the Kings’ rebounding numbers, but he’s taken just three shots outside of 10 feet this season. That might gum up the lane for De'Aaron Fox, who is showing major signs of improvement.
[RELATED: Teams reportedly have "poked around" on Kings trading Giles]
Sacramento needs more talent on their roster. Capela would fix a few problems for the team, but the cost likely would be high and the fit may not be ideal.
If the past few seasons have taught us anything, general manager Vlade Divac and his group aren’t afraid to swing for the fences. They did it last trade deadline when they acquired Harrison Barnes and they could do it again this year, whether it’s Capela or some other under the radar deal.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 6 at noon PT. At 19-31, the Kings could use another roster shakeup and they are expected to be active. It could be an interesting week in Kingsland.
Programming Note: The "2020 NBA Trade Deadline Show" is coming your way this Thursday at 11:30am on the MyTeams app and on NBCSportsBayArea.com! Our NBA Insiders will analyze all of the news and rumors that could impact the Kings heading into the Noon deadline. Don’t miss it!