Omri Casspi has not found a meaningful role for the Sacramento Kings this season. Here are five teams that should trade for him.
The Sacramento Kings seem to be going of the rails again this season, with a 4-8 record and a three-game losing streak after a loss to the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night. Trade rumors have surrounded DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay in particular, while Omri Casspi hasn’t found his way into coach Dave Joerger’s rotation thus far.
Casspi didn’t even get off the bench on Wednesday night, and has only played in six of Sacramento’s 12 games, averaging just 15.3 minutes per contest when he has gotten on the floor. Casspi fairly quickly denied he has requested a trade last week, but a meeting with Kings general manager Vlade Divac was slated for this past Monday.
Casspi can play both forward spots, and he made more than 40 percent of his 3-pointers in back-to-back seasons prior to this one. There’s surely a potential market for him if the Kings want to trade, so here are five teams that should have some interest in making a deal for Casspi.
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5. Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are a combination of injured (Ben Simmons) and unimpressive (Robert Covington, Hollis Thompson) at the forward spots right now, so they can give Casspi meaningful playing time if he starts or comes off the bench.
Philadelphia is also 19th in the NBA in 3-point shooting (34.3 percent) right now, so Casspi can help there. He’s also a free agent after this season, so he wouldn’t stand in the way of any further commitment to former general manager Sam Hinkie’s “process.”
Casspi may want to be traded to a playoff contender, and the 76ers are certainly not that. But if it’s playing time Casspi seeks above all else, he can find it in Philadelphia.
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4. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are going nowhere fast this season, they have a startling lack of talent at both forward spots and they’re toward the bottom of the league in 3-point shooting (22nd at 32.5 percent), so Casspi looks like a fit as well as a possible immediate starter.
In terms of playoff contention, going from Brooklyn to Sacramento is, at best, a lateral move for Casspi. The general level of ineptitude in the two organizations is also similar, which may turn Casspi off. But a fairly significant role should be available for Casspi with the Nets, and he could put up the kind of numbers that will enhance his value on the free agent market next summer.
Sometimes beggars can’t be choosers, so it would be fitting in some way to see Casspi get traded to the Nets. But he probably wouldn’t be buried on the bench by coach Kenny Atkinson, and that should be the most important thing for Casspi if he has the bigger picture in mind.
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3. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are off to a great start this season, but their options at small forward (Luc Mbah a Moute, Wes Johnson, Paul Pierce, Alan Anderson) are not impressive. They don’t need a lot from that spot in terms of consistent offensive production, but Casspi would be a nice option to supplement J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford as perimeter shooters.
It’s obviously very early, but the Clippers seem primed to finally get over the second-round playoff hump this season. Casspi’s salary for this season ($2.96 million) should not prohibit them from making a trade for him, and being in the final year of his deal helps bolster his appeal.
If getting more playing time is Casspi’s primary concern, as it seems to be (besides just wanting to leave the seemingly never-ending drama in Sacramento), the Clippers are probably not a preferred trade destination for him. Making a trade with another team in the Pacific Division may not be particularly appealing for the Kings, but that should be of minimal concern when it comes to moving Casspi. The Clippers don’t necessarily have a lot to offer in a trade, but they should have some interest in Casspi.
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2. Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s clearly the Russell Westbrook show now in Oklahoma City, but they may already be looking at the Kings as a possible trade partner. If the asking price for Rudy Gay proves to be prohibitive from Sacramento’s end, and it easily could be, attention could quickly be turned toward Casspi as an alternative for the Thunder.
Casspi is a combo-forward more than a wing player, but he can provide a perimeter shooting threat to help space the floor for Westbrook and help him operate more effectively. Making things easier for Westbrook should be the top overall priority for the Thunder, and Casspi had the best season of his career with the Kings in 2015-16 (11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game; 40.9 percent from three-point range).
Oklahoma’s chances to make a deep playoff run in the Western Conference are not great, if they even exist at all, without Kevin Durant. But Casspi would bolster Westbrook’s supporting cast, and it surely wouldn’t take a lot to get him in a trade right now.
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1. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are the league’s worst 3-point shooting team so far this season (29.1 percent), so it’s not too shocking they’re also toward the bottom in attempts from beyond the arc (23.5 per game; 21st in the league). Overall, that lack of perimeter shooting doesn’t fit what head coach Alvin Gentry is trying to do, and it’s not a great formula for success with Anthony Davis as the centerpiece of the team.
It’s possible, but not necessarily likely, the Pelicans blow the whole thing up by trading Davis for a significant haul at some point in the near future. The return of point guard Jrue Holiday later this week should help things, and the Pelicans could look to further supplement Davis’ supporting cast.
Making a trade for Casspi would help the Pelicans for the rest of this season, regardless of the team’s win-loss record, while perhaps making him a part of the future if he plays well and they want to re-sign him next summer. If a full rebuild is not in the plan for general manager Dell Demps, New Orleans should consider adding Casspi
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