Why Holding Onto Haliburton Would be a Mistake for the Kings
Tyrese Haliburton is one of the NBA's best young prospects, but what Ben Simmons could bring to the Kings–and the city of Sacramento–should be enough to let Haliburton go.
Mediocrity is an exhausting reality. For the Sacramento Kings in particular, this state of average-ness has gone beyond the point of pain, it’s their numbing existence.
It didn’t used to always be like this.
With both Rick Adelman and Chris Webber rightfully entering the Hall of Fame a few weeks ago, it’s easy to forget about those Kings teams that set the early 2000s on fire. Doug Christie, former Kings’ great, described his time there in a way that feels incredibly unfamiliar now, “It was basketball nirvana” he said. “One through five on our team, everyone could handle the ball, pass the ball, shoot the ball, understood how to set picks and screens and roll and cut. When you get five guys on the floor like that, it’s almost an All-Star team.”
That basketball divinity–both for Kings fans and players–now feels like more of a distant memory than any kind of potential reality.
For veteran-ed season ticket holders of the franchise; individuals who have stayed firmly attached amidst the mismanagement that has resulted in a fifteen-year playoff drought, the weight of losing is not slight.
“My son, Ross, and I have been going to Kings games for 25 years now,” said Rob Dreizler, longtime Kings ticket-holder. “We’re that disturbed.”
Unfortunately, this is what continues to get lost in the discourse that surrounds NBA franchise building. In a league that is so readily analyzed at the macro-level, it becomes easy to forget that every single game is a significant moment. A cherished family memory, a birthday present.
Losing 757 games–as the Kings have throughout their record 15-year playoff drought–isn’t just a meaningless number, it’s generations worth of frustrated families, struggling local economies, and sad road trips.
Winning an NBA championship is not–and should not–be the sole measure of a successful season.
Look at the Knicks as an example. Another franchise who had been soiled in below-average management and struggled through a near-decade long playoff drought; they finally struck gold last year. Julius Randle turned into a star and Madison Square Garden was Eden again–even if only for a moment.
The playoffs eventually exposed the Knicks for their glaring flaws, pushing them out in only five games. Still, the memory of beating the Hawks in MSG is going to be carved into New York’s legacy for a long time to come.
This kind of championship-or-bust mentality isn’t exclusive to the NBA media. It’s a reality that has made its way into the conscious of NBA front offices–including that of the Kings. It’s likely the reason that Sacramento is refusing to part ways with Tyrese Haliburton in the Ben Simmons sweepstakes–as Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reported.
“As for Sacramento, sources have suggested the 76ers would only be willing to consider an offer that includes De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton. The Kings are unlikely to part with either player, but they can offer Buddy Hield, a prolific 3-point shooter who would space the floor for Joel Embiid; Marvin Bagley III, a former No. 2 pick who has yet to reach his potential; and other assets, including multiple first-round draft picks.”
The Ben Simmons to Sacramento trade rumors grew loudly as a consequence of his public interest in heading to California, where–outside of maybe the Golden State Warriors–the Kings offer the most realistic outcome.
Sacramento likely made the right decision here. A package that would include all of Hield, Bagley, Haliburton and multiple first-round picks for Simmons alone is too much to give up and hurts them both in the short and long-term.
That being said, pressure is mounting for a 76ers organization that will now be without Ben Simmons for training camp–according originally to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer and now Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Sixers’s front office will undoubtedly return to Sacramento with a more realistic trade offer, but it’s hard to imagine a bid being put forward that doesn’t include Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton is a dynamic young guard and–outside of De’Aaron Fox–is the most valuable trade piece the Kings have to offer.
Still, Haliburton cannot be the reason this trade doesn’t get done.
As good as the sophomore guard is going to be, Ben Simmons already brings a clear floor that far outshines anything that Haliburton could achieve–probably in his entire career. Ignoring that massive gap would be a mistake.
Simmons is likely the NBA’s best defender. The two time All-Defensive team forward does more when defending a spectrum of positions than any other player in the league. Andrew Patton did a tremendous job highlighting this analytically; charting Simmons versatility of matchups against their average O-LEBRON (a box-score metric that does a great job evaluating a player’s contributions). What you come to find is that, not only does Simmons guard some of the largest variety of players (86th percentile), he also guards some of the most effective offensive players (90th percentile), with some of the highest usage rates (96th percentile). A combination that demonstrates the sheer volume of work that Simmons did for that 76ers defense.
Looking past the statistics, Simmons shines on tape as a multi-positional defender. Seriously, watching him guard some of the NBA’s best players one through four is a spiritual experience.
He makes it looks easy, but bottling up Doncic the way Simmons does here is incredible. After recovering on an initial middle-drive, Simmons forces Doncic into an awkward step-back, pressures him into picking up the ball, and gets a turnover on one of the NBA’s premier players.
This play was indicative of Luka’s entire night–finishing the game with only 19 points and 7 turnovers. It’s pretty clear here, but Simmons’ ability to combine elite size with incredible lateral quickness makes him the NBA’s most chilling obstacle–a horror for players like Luka Doncic, whose physical gifts normally make them the matchup nightmare.
Simmons elevates himself further in his ability to defend like this across a spectrum of position and style. Where Luka Doncic presents maybe an elite example of Simmons’ strength, his defense on Damian Lillard exclaims his versatility.
Simmons meets Lillard at half court, pushes the All-NBA guard into a corner, and–in the same possession–is able to bottle him up and force a contested lay-up. Without exaggeration, there’s nobody else in the league who presents this kind of consistent pressure–regardless of opponent. Simmons’ was the engine, the tire, the and steering wheel for arguably the NBA’s best defense last year–and his trade value should be noted as such.
This has been the problem with much of the Ben Simmons trade talk. Following a tragic performance in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, Simmons’ stock plummeted. Suddenly, the three-time All Star was being treated as a liability rather than a historic asset. A turn-of-events that had little to do with his full body of work and everything to do with a botched play at the rim.
A Simmons for Haliburton deal doesn’t suddenly turn the Kings into a title contender. It does, however, elevate their floor to that of a perennial play-off team. More importantly, Simmons injects relevance back into an organization that hasn’t been significant for nearly two decades. A Kings’ lineup that features all of Fox, Simmons, Holmes, and Mitchell won’t shake the landscape of the NBA, but it’ll really make them fun again. And for the families that have been desperately searching for fun in the Golden 1 Center, that should be enough.