Marco Belinelli Trade Rumors: Latest News and Speculation on Kings SG
The Sacramento Kings are in the thick of the race for the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot, but that hasn't stopped rival teams from exploring the possibility of trading for shooting guard Marco Belinelli.
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Teams Looking at Belinelli in Advance of Feb. 18 Deadline
Friday, Jan. 29
According to CSNBayArea.com's James Ham, "teams around the league have called to check on the availability" of Belinelli, who signed a three-year, $19 million deal with the Kings prior to the 2015-16 season.
More than halfway through his first year in California's capital, Belinelli has struggled mightily to the tune of career-worst shooting percentages from the field (38.4) and three (31.1), while averaging 10.7 points per game.
"His track record of success has teams willing to overlook his slow start, but according to a source, the offers coming in are less than flattering," Ham added.
In other words, nothing is imminent. To that point, Ham reiterated the Kings aren't going to "make a move just to make a move."
The Kings have loads of talent on the wing with Ben McLemore, Omri Casspi and Rudy Gay all garnering major minutes, but that hasn't prevented Belinelli from carving out a regular role off the bench.
To date, the Italian marksman is averaging 25.3 minutes a night—up nearly three minutes from his 2014-15 go-around with the San Antonio Spurs.
That said, statistical progression to the mean doesn't appear to be on the horizon anytime soon. Through 14 games in January, Belinelli's averaging just 9.9 points on 34.3 percent shooting from the field and a woeful 27.4 percent shooting from three.
It's not helping matters that the 29-year-old is shooting 32.7 percent on catch-and-shoot threes—shots that have generally been his bread and butter, according to NBA.com's stats database.
However, those struggles are masked by the fact that Belinelli is signed to a team-friendly deal. Due $6.3 million next season and $6.6 million in 2017-18, per Spotrac, Belinelli owns the kind of contract that will soon be viewed as a bargain once the NBA's salary cap spikes to roughly $90 million over the summer.
