Former Duke star Marvin Bagley III came into the NBA with a lot of hype. The Sacramento Kings ultimately took him No. 2 overall ahead of guys like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Collin Sexton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Initially, it looked like a decent decision. Although Doncic and Young were something of instant stars, Bagley was solid too. As a rookie he averaged 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.0 block in 25 minutes per outing. The promise seemed to be there.
Unfortunately, it all quickly went downhill.
In 2019-20, injuries sidelined him for most of the year, limiting him to just 13 total outings and six starts.
This year he returned reasonably healthy and is boasting averages of 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. Unfortunately, he also just so happens to be an absolutely atrocious defender. Bagley currently ranks 49th out of 76 qualified power forwards in ESPN’s real plus-minus.
According to Sam Amick and Jason Jones of The Athletic, Bagley’s uneven play coupled with his injury history has led to virtually no interest in him as far as trades go.
“Rival executives say Bagley III is up for discussion in trade talks, but the interest in him is widely seen as minimal because of his struggles these past two seasons,” they wrote.
Whereas Buddy Hield has found a way to increase his trade value by virtue of record-setting play, and Hassan Whiteside has garnered interest from two championship contenders, Bagley has generated no buzz.
Obviously the trade deadline is still some ways away. There’s always a certain amount of posturing that goes into these conversations, but it feels like the lack of interest in Bagley is genuine.
Whether that will ultimately change between now and the looming trade deadline remains to be seen.
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