- Kings rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has missed the team’s last two games due to a bone bruise in his left wrist, has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s contest against Chicago, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Even if Haliburton isn’t able to play tonight, it sounds like he’s close to a return.
Marvin Bagley III‘s father created a stir when he tweeted that he wanted to see his son traded, something the younger Bagley refused to talk about. The Kings’ star, De’Aaron Fox, insists the controversy hasn’t bothered the team, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes.
“I don’t think anybody’s out there playing basketball worried about two tweets,” Fox said of the Kings. “And if you are, this ain’t what you should be doing because (people are going) tweet you every day of your life while you’re playing in this league. If that’s what you’re worried about, then I don’t know what to tell you.”
Speaking to Sam Amick of The Athletic about his recent experience in free agency, Bogdan Bogdanovic said he learned about the apparent sign-and-trade agreement between the Kings and Bucks (that would have sent him to Milwaukee) on Twitter, reading about it at the same time everyone else did.
“When the news came out, we were like, ‘What the f–k?'” Bogdanovic told Amick. “I didn’t know what was going on.”
As Bogdanovic explains, he had been told during the summer that the Kings wanted to keep him, so when word of the alleged sign-and-trade broke, he was caught off guard for two reasons: He hadn’t agreed to join the Bucks and he didn’t realize Sacramento was looking to trade him. The veteran swingman had been expecting to either negotiate with the Kings or to sign an offer sheet when free agency opened.
“I was like, ‘OK, we wait for the market,’ and I was ready for that,” Bogdanovic said. “Like, OK, wait for the market and let’s see what’s going to happen. In the end, (the Kings) decided to not tell me about nothing, about what was going on with Milwaukee. I really didn’t know nothing. Yes, I’m friends with Thanasis (Antetokounmpo) mostly — (Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s) brother — but we didn’t know what was going on. It was really on Twitter.
“Now, people are making stories off of it. … I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I didn’t know what was going on. And then, two days later, the NBA investigation (began), and no one called me from the Kings yet. I just got a text, like, ‘Thanks for being part of the team,’ and that’s it.”
[RELATED: Bucks Lose 2022 Second-Round Pick For Early Pursuit Of Bogdanovic]
Bogdanovic’s wide-ranging discussion with Amick goes into more detail on his reaction to learning of the reported agreement between the Kings and Bucks and what it meant for his impending free agency. However, the interview – which is worth checking out in full – also touches on several other topics, including his pivot to Atlanta, his new role with the Hawks, and testing positive for COVID-19.
Here are some of the highlights from the conversation:
On dealing with a positive coronavirus test at the same time as he navigated free agency:
“Yeah, I had it. I had it, and I recovered and I started working out back in Serbia and I was fine. I didn’t have any crazy symptoms or anything like that, but it was all stressful, you know? You’re thinking about coming back and being ready and in shape, you know? It was really stressful. That two, three weeks? Whoo.”
On having to find a new deal in restricted free agency after the Bucks-related drama:
“At that point, when free agency opens up, I was just focused on one thing, you know? And Atlanta called first. The Kings actually called me like 15 minutes after, and I liked what they (the Hawks) offered me. … I think, in the end, I was lucky and I end up being in the perfect situation in terms of contract and a team.”
On whether he thoughts the Kings would match his offer sheet with the Hawks:
“I was scared for that (because) at that point I wanted to leave. At that point, when they traded me already and they didn’t want to talk to me about it, I was like, ‘OK, they really want me out of here.’ So I was like, ‘OK.’
“We end up signing the offer sheet, so I was thinking like, ‘Damn, in the end, they’re going to match this.’ I was confused. It’s not really free agency, because you are not free. And yes, you’re restricted — you’re really restricted. It’s restricted agency. It’s not free agency.”
On how he feels about his new role coming off the bench in Atlanta:
“I feel fine. I feel fine about it. I think coach (Lloyd Pierce) is putting me in situations to kind of run the second unit, you know? And be like the sixth man of the unit. And when you play with Trae (Young), it’s so easy. He always draws so much attention on him, and that’s what gives me a lot of open shots. Not just me, but everyone else.
“… We are still figuring it out, and I think from this point we can just get better. It’s so much talent. And we have a lot of guys who can get off one night, so that’s a really good problem to have on a team. … I like it so far. We really have a pretty good group, a mix of young (players) and veterans — which is really nice; energy and experience. So it’s really nice to be here. It’s really fun.”
With rookie Tyrese Haliburton out due to a wrist injury, the Kings are using Glenn Robinson III and Kyle Guy to fill in those minutes, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Robinson played 21 minutes and Guy saw the court for six minutes during the Kings’ game against Houston on Saturday. Robinson is playing on a contract that doesn’t fully guarantee until late February, while Guy is on a two-way deal.
Speaking to the media on Sunday for the first time since his father published a tweet asking the Kings to trade him, Marvin Bagley III made it clear he didn’t want to discuss that tweet, which apparently stemmed from Bagley’s lack of recent fourth-quarter playing time and has since been deleted.
“Before we start, I just want to say that if there are no questions about the game tomorrow or what we’re going to do tomorrow, please don’t ask, I don’t want to give any extra information on nothing,” Bagley said on Sunday, per James Ham of NBC Sports California. “If you don’t have any questions about the team and tomorrow’s game, then hold off.”
As Jason Jones of The Athletic writes, Bagley’s statement to open his media session didn’t stop one reporter from asking whether his father’s comments were a distraction or whether the third-year big man wanted to directly dispel the notion that he may want a trade. However, Bagley ignored the question and continued to discuss Sacramento’s next game.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement calls a fine for any player who publicly requests a trade, so it comes as no surprise that Bagley didn’t sign off on his father’s message. Still, his non-answer figures to fuel further speculation. If he’s happy in Sacramento, it would have been easy enough for Bagley to tell reporters that his father doesn’t speak for him and that he wants to stay, notes James Patrick of The Sacramento Bee.
Another Kings dad entered the social media fray on Sunday night, with De’Aaron Fox‘s father writing “Trade him” in reply to a tweet about Bagley, as Sean Cunningham of ABC10 Sacramento relays (via Twitter).
While the developments over the last 48 hours appear somewhat ominous for the Kings, Bagley continues to maintain an open line of communication with head coach Luke Walton, which is an improvement on his relationship with former Kings coach Dave Joerger, according to Jones. Bagley never connected with Joerger, but appears to be on good terms with Walton and spoke on Sunday about wanting to be a good teammate.
“We’ve had very honest talks,” Walton said. “Things we talk about I’m going to keep between us but throughout my time here we’ve had a lot of good talks about honest things which I believe a coach and a player should have. Nothing different, nothing new. But with him and all the guys I coach, I try to make that a high priority. Understanding that not everyone is always going to be happy, but the communication will always be there and always available.”
Bagley, 21, has posted 11.8 PPG and 8.0 RPG in six games this season, but is shooting just 37.5% from the floor and has played a total of two fourth-quarter minutes in Sacramento’s last three games.
As the Rockets pulled away from the Kings in the fourth quarter Saturday with Marvin Bagley III on the bench, his father posted a trade request on Twitter, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic. The elder Bagley deleted the tweet, but the message that his son is unhappy with his current situation in Sacramento had already been sent.
It’s the second incident this week involving the Team Bagley account, Jones notes. On Tuesday, Bagley didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter of a game against Denver and the account retweeted an old post of Lakers fans expressing their anger at current Kings coach Luke Walton.
Asked about the situation after Saturday’s game, Walton explained that he had planned to put Bagley back on the floor, but decided to stick with Richaun Holmes because he was playing well. He suggested Holmes would have understood if the roles were reversed, adding that his decisions aren’t affected by anything that happens on social media.
“My message is always the same: We don’t listen to any of that,” Walton said. “It’s us within these walls, us within this locker room. We’re in this together. Good or bad, whatever people are saying, we’ve got to do everything we can to not let that affect what we’re trying to get done here.”
Bagley didn’t talk to the media after the game, but sources tell Jones he’s had a simmering feud with the organization since his rookie season. It began with a clash with former coach Dave Joerger, who was fired after Bagley’s first year, in part for not communicating better with his players.
The Kings took Bagley with the second pick in the 2018 draft, passing on Luka Doncic and Trae Young, two game-changing guards who have already become All-Stars. Bagley’s progress has been slowed by injuries that limited him to a combined 75 games in his first two seasons. He played just 13 games last year, breaking his right thumb in the season opener and spraining both feet along the way.
Bagley is off to a decent start this year, averaging 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per night. The Kings have already picked up his $11.3MM option for next season.
“He’s been great as far as actively learning, actively searching out to become better and get a better understanding of some of these types of things,” Walton said. “There’s mistakes happening, for sure, but as long as the player is trying and willing to do the things we’re asking, you live with those mistakes from young players. It’s the way our league is and the best teacher is always going to be experience, so the more he goes through things, the more he’ll pick them up. Like I said, he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
- Until rookie Tyrese Haliburton suffered a wrist injury, the Kings had seemingly settled on a closing group of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Haliburton, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic. “With that group, you know the shot can come from anywhere,” Fox said. “You have multiple guys on the court who can make shots, get in the paint, get to the free throw line and things like that.”
Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the league’s top rookies during the first two weeks of play but he’ll be out for at least a week, according to a team press release.
The Kings guard underwent an MRI in Houston on Friday which confirmed a left wrist bone bruise. He suffered the injury during Thursday’s game against the Rockets.
His condition will be updated when the team returns to Sacramento next week. The Kings play at Houston on Saturday and Golden State on Monday before returning home.
The 12th overall pick in the draft out of Iowa State, Haliburton has scored 10.6 PPG while shooting 50% from the field. He’s also averaging 4.4 APG while playing 26.8 MPG off the bench.
“He plays beyond his years and we all have the utmost confidence in him with the ball,” starting point guard De’Aaron Fox told Shaun Powell of NBA.com. “He steps up to the occasion. He understands the game so well … you would have thought he’s played a few years already.”
6:15pm: Today’s MRI confirmed that the injury is a Grade 3 sprain and Jeffries’ status will be updated in six weeks, the Kings announced in a press release.
3:40pm: Kings wing DaQuan Jeffries suffered a setback during the process of rehabbing a back injury, and has sustained a Grade 3 left ankle sprain, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that Jeffries will miss an “extended period” of time.
Jeffries, who has been sidelined since the preseason due to back soreness, suffered the injury during a scrimmage when he came down on someone’s foot, per James Ham of NBC Sports California (Twitter links). He underwent an MRI today, and while the Kings have yet to issue a formal update, Charania’s report suggests that MRI showed the Grade 3 sprain.
Jeffries, 23, spent his rookie season in 2019/20 on a two-way contract with the Kings. He saw limited action, averaging 3.8 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 13 games (10.8 MPG), but impressed the team enough to earn a promotion to the 15-man roster and a fully guaranteed salary for 2020/21. He had been slated to have a “key rotation role” this season, says Charania.
No timeline has been set for Jeffries’ return so far, but as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, a Grade 3 ankle sprain typically requires about four to six weeks to heal. Kings guard De’Aaron Fox suffered the injury last season and missed 17 games. If Jeffries faces a similar recovery timeline, he likely won’t make his season debut until February.
- New Suns center Frank Kaminsky was excited to play well against the Kings, the team that had just cut him, Suns writer Gina Mizell tweets. “I gotta be honest, that felt good,” Kaminsky said. He scored 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench for Phoenix on Sunday.