SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings didn’t pull off any trades during Thursday’s NBA draft, but they got involved in one Friday, acquiring veteran center Tristan Thompson from the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-team deal involving the Celtics.
Sacramento is sending guard Delon Wright to Atlanta in the deal, a league source told The Sacramento Bee, confirming a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Celtics acquired Kris Dunn, Bruno Fernando and a 2023 second-round pick from the Hawks as part of the deal.
The Kings might have simply made the move to add depth at the center position and free up minutes for Davion Mitchell, the No. 9 pick in the draft, or it could be a precursor to another trade in the days to come. A rumored deal for guard Buddy Hield fell through Thursday when the Los Angeles Lakers pivoted, acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards instead.
The Kings need positional size and depth at the center spot with Richaun Holmes and Hassan Whiteside set to enter free agency Monday. Sacramento can still try to clear enough salary cap space to get involved in the bidding for Holmes, but Holmes’ camp is believed to be seeking $20 million per year.
Thompson, 30, is a 6-foot-9, 254-pound center who has started 472 of 673 games in his 10-year career with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics. Thompson, who came out of Texas as the No. 4 pick in the 2011 NBA draft, averaged 7.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game for the Celtics last season.
Thompson will make $9.7 million this season in the final year of the two-year, $19 million deal he signed with Boston in 2020. He can start, if necessary, or serve as a backup if Holmes stays in Sacramento.
Wright, 29, was a nice trade-deadline addition for the Kings after they acquired him in a trade that sent Cory Joseph to the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 27 games for the Kings. Wright will earn $8.5 million next season in the final year of his contract, meaning the Kings added about $1.2 million in salary in the deal.
Kings general manager Monte McNair liked what he saw from Wright, but Wright became expendable when Sacramento selected Mitchell with the No. 9 pick in Thursday’s draft. The addition of Mitchell created a logjam in the Kings’ backcourt, which already features De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Hield and possibly Terence Davis, who will be a restricted free agent.
