NBA Trade Rumors: 7 veterans who could help a contender

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6. Nemanja Bjelica, Sacramento Kings

In early January, Nemanja Bjelica seemed like a lock to be moved by the trade deadline.

After Bjelica played in the Sacramento Kings’ first 10 games of the season, head coach Luke Walton handed him DNP-CDs for the next month. He briefly reemerged in mid-February while Marvin Bagley III and Harrison Barnes were sidelined with injuries, but he has since largely gone back to racking up inactives.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Philadelphia 76ers are “among the teams” who are interested in acquiring Bjelica. Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reported the Miami Heat are also “believed to have interest.”

Bjelica is shooting a career-low 30.0 percent from 3-point range this year, but he hit at least 40 percent of his triples in each of the prior three seasons. Contenders in need of a stretchy big man could plug him in at either frontcourt spot, although he won’t provide much in terms of rim protection.

Bjelica is on an affordable $7.2 million expiring contract, so both the Heat ($7.5 million) and Sixers ($8.2 million) could squeeze him into their respective traded player exceptions without having to worry about matching salaries in a trade. Neither team is likely to give up a first-rounder for a 32-year-old soon-to-be free agent, but the Kings should take whatever they can get rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency.

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