Kings reportedly unlikely to deal Buddy Hield or Harrison Barnes before deadline

The NBA trade deadline is less than a week away, and two names that are constantly being brought up in the millions of hypothetical trades being created online at any given moment are Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield. Fans and experts alike have assumed the Kings might be looking to trade one or both of them. However, according to Sports Illustrated's Howard Beck, it's unlikely that Sacramento will movie Barnes or Hield.

"I talked to a couple people just in the last couple hours just to get a feel for these guys and what people around the league think may happen," Beck said on the Locked on Kings podcast. "One of the things I heard was that essentially they're only going to trade Barnes and Hield if they're blown away by an offer. Not because they overvalue them, but because Vivek Ranadive wants to be competitive. He doesn't want to tank."

This will likely surprise many that felt like Sacramento was ready to give up on its season and get some long-term value in exchange for two players who would likely generate interest on the trade market. But while the 16-24 Kings don't look a team anywhere near contender, it sounds like ownership is not willing to give up on the team quite yet.