When Dewayne Dedmon signed with the Kings in free agency it seemed like a match made in heaven. Considering how the Kings played last season, a shot blocking rim protector with 3-point range like Dedmon should have been able to just plug into the Kings system and thrive.
Things have been far from perfect for Dedmon, however. He’s only started two games, is averaging the least amount of minutes per game since his early years in Orlando, and lately has been racking up Did Not Play (Coaches Decision) designations. Anyone who’s watched a Kings game can see very openly that Dedmon has been frustrated this season and those frustrations have appeared to boil over. Before the Kings 120-115 loss to the Nuggets on Sunday, in which Dedmon did not play, he spoke to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee and laid it all out for everyone to see. He wants a trade.
Kings center Dewayne Dedmon didn’t hold back while discussing his desire to get out of Sacramento less than six months after signing a three-year, $40 million contract with the Kings.
Dedmon confirmed he wants to be traded in an interview with The Sacramento Bee before Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, saying he feels unappreciated and would prefer to play for a team that will utilize his unique skill set.
“I would like to be traded,” Dedmon told The Bee, speaking publicly about his trade request for the first time. “I haven’t been playing, so I would like to go somewhere where my talents are appreciated.”
That this has gone so poorly that he’s already requesting a move is honestly a bit surprising. It’s also rare to have a player publicly request a trade like this, but considering his frustration it makes some sense. He wants to get the ball rolling on an exit from Sacramento and putting pressure on the Kings publicly may be the way to do it.
The entire situation really has to have fans asking what went wrong here and why this relationship soured so quickly? Perhaps things under new head coach Luke Walton haven’t been quite the same as they were last season. The Kings have struggled so far with Walton at the helm and perhaps there could be a personality clash between him and Dedmon. On Friday, when rumors first started to leak out that Dedmon wanted a trade, Walton played the situation off as Dedmon having not told him about a trade request.
Walton was asked before Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns how he would handle a player who has made it clear he wants to be traded.
“He hasn’t made that clear to me,” Walton said. “It’s like I always say, ‘If it’s noise on the outside, leave it on the outside.’ If you have something and you want to bring it to me, I’ve got an open-door policy. We can talk about that, but as far as I know that’s outside news still. We’re focused on our group and what we need to do.”
Well, he’s made it clear to him now. The ball is now in the Kings’ court with how they choose to approach this situation. If they want some advice, they should work on finding a deal quickly. Keeping a disgruntled player around isn’t good for anyone involved.
