The Sacramento Kings are currently right in the middle of the playoff race in the Western Conference, as they are two-and-a-half games out with their 21-28 record. The trade deadline is coming up, and the Kings have a lot of players that are currently drawing interest from teams. The biggest player they have on the market is Rudy Gay, but nothing has been doing on that front recently. Someone else who has been drawing a lot of interest is shooting guard Marco Belinelli, according to James Ham of CSN Bay Area.
The Kings are reportedly not actively shopping anyone at the moment as they are in the hunt out West, but they are keeping their options open. The Kings would actually prefer to be buyers at the deadline rather than sellers if the right deal comes about, but they are getting interest from some of their players. Belinelli has reportedly been the focus of a lot of calls the Kings have received recently despite the fact that he has struggled so far this season.
Belinelli has been a great shooter in the NBA for eight plus seasons now, but so far this year, he is shooting just 38 percent from the field and 31 percent from three. Both of those numbers would be career lows if the season ended today, but teams are reportedly willing to look past any struggles to potentially make a deal. For his part, Belinelli doesn't plan to change anything and wants to shoot his way out of this season-long slump, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
While Belinelli is drawing interest from around the league, the offers have reportedly been less than flattering, so a trade right now doesn't seem all that likely. The Kings are not going to make a trade just to make one, and they did sign the 29-year-old guard to a three-year $19 million deal this offseason, so they obviously value him.
The only way the Kings would be willing to deal Belinelli is if they get offered a deal they feel will make them better now and in the future. This isn't completely impossible considering Belinelli has been a great shooter in the league, and shooters are always extremely valuable to NBA teams. If the Kings aren't offered that type of deal, though, for Belinelli or any other player, they will likely keep the team as it is and make a push for that final playoff spot out West.
