3. Cory Joseph
Cory Joseph was a fairly under the radar signing that the Sacramento Kings made this past summer, signing a 3-year, $36 million deal to be De’Aaron Fox’s backup. Unfortunately, the Kings’ season hasn’t gone as expected, and the front office may be looking to shake things up.
Despite his contract, the 28-year-old is playing an astoundingly low 17.2 minutes per game, which does not justify the amount of money the Kings are paying him. With the way the Kings’ season is going, it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that Joseph would ask for a trade.
Joseph has been a solid backup point guard for some time, spending time with the Spurs, Raptors, and Pacers. He can shoot, defend, and set the offense up at a reasonable level, which is really all you would want from that position. His salary is a little high, but not so much that the Lakers can’t flip him down the line should they need to.
A lot of what would make this deal work would depend on what the Kings want in return. The Lakers can send Caldwell-Pope in a one-for-one trade, but they are so stacked at the shooting guard position, that it wouldn’t make sense for them. But using KCP as salary filler, the Lakers can also package players like Quinn Cook, JaVale McGee, or Rajon Rondo, plus some second-round draft picks, depending on what the Kings need.
De’Aaron Fox is set to miss several weeks with an ankle injury, which would bump Joseph up in the rotation, but leave a hole in the backup point guard spot. Most of Joseph’s availability rides on the success of Sacramento’s season. If the Kings start to falter, then it might be a good idea to start trading for future assets.