Dewayne Dedmon is an underrated NBA trade chip if teams can stomach the contract

He could help a team that needs a floor spacer.

We’re over a month away from the NBA trade deadline, but a name has popped up that might seem, at first glance, like not that big deal.

It’s Kings center Dewayne Dedmon. And according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, he wants out of Sacramento.

The good news for him is, per Charania, “multiple teams are making offers to the franchise in anticipation of a deal prior to the February trade deadline.”

It’s kind of shocking after he signed a three-year, $41 million contract that it’s come to this. Dedmon hit free agency this past summer and was a sneaky-good value — he could block a shot a game and nail from distance (he hit 38.2 percent from three last season for the Atlanta Hawks) after developing a three-point shot. He’s had some troubles with that shot this year, which might explain why he’s barely played. It doesn’t help that Richaun Holmes is having a breakout year of his own.

But Dedmon might just need a change of scenery. Who doesn’t want a floor-spacing big man who can also clog the middle?

The problem is that contract. If a contender who needs depth in the middle wants to take him on, it’ll be costly. That’s why you’re seeing hypothetical trade proposals like these:

Honestly, I don’t believe he’s going to get that kind of return for the Kings. I bet opposing teams see it as a buy-low opportunity if they can find a way to match salaries.

But I’m standing by what I said: he could be a really useful part of a playoff rotation if he ends up on a contender.

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