Report: Kings' Marvin Bagley III Refused to Check into Game vs. Suns; Video Released
Sacramento Kings power forward Marvin Bagley III reportedly refused to enter the second half of Monday's 109-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns, per a report from ABC 10's Sean Cunningham.
"Anything that happens within our group, that's between our group, so the thing that matter is people know what's expected and we continue to move forward tonight," head coach Luke Walton told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the situation.
Bagley, 22, has appeared in just one game this season for the Kings and frustrations have been mounting. In October, his agent Jeff Schwartz put the Kings on blast when he started the season out of the rotation.
"Sacramento has informed Marvin Bagley he is not in the opening night rotation, which is completely baffling," he said in a statement. "It's clear they have no plans for him in the future, and yet, passed on potential deals at last year's deadline and this summer based on 'value.' Instead, they chose to bring him back but not play him, a move completely contradictory to their 'value' argument. This is a case study in mismanagement by the Kings organization."
ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported at the time that Schwartz "has attempted to get Bagley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft, traded for more than a year without success, sources said."
He added that the Kings weren't actively seeking to trade the young player. If Bagley is refusing to play when called upon, however, that might change soon enough.
Bagley has largely been underwhelming in his four-year career, averaging 14.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Hardly shabby production, but not the sort of star power teams are hoping for when they pick in the top five.
And given that the Kings passed on players like Luka Doncic and Trae Young with that pick, two bonafide stars—not to mention Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Collin Sexton, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Michael Porter Jr., among others—Bagley's selection only feels like more of a miss.
Bagley is heading for restricted free agency after the 2021-22 campaign, and barring a major change, it's hard to imagine the Kings matching any offers he might receive. Frankly, it would be surprising if he was still with the team after this season's trade deadline.
