Something pretty exciting is happening in Sacramento, where buddy Heald – who I wrote about last week – is going to the Mat for an early extension, slightly threatening a trade request if the kings don’t give him a contract for the 2020-21 season and beyond now. The extension deadline is Monday.

Buddy is reportedly seeking about $ 110 million over four years, while the kings have offered $ 90 million over four years. That’s little more than a pun, as long as you remember that the kings will pay Harrison Barnes, Trevor Ariza, Dewayne Dedmon, and Corey Joseph a total of $ 61 million this season, and Heald is asking for just $ 5 million per season more than the kings have offered.

Barnes is an issue for the kings here: Sacramento has overpaid the market for him, and that could affect the way the team tries to keep buddy, Bogdan Bogdanovich, DeAaron Fox, and Marvin Bagley III. It seems unfair to draft Barnes to overpay on buddy’s second contract solely because the kings have leverage on buddy (limited free agent rights next summer) that they don’t have on Barnes.

So what leverage does buddy have here? Kings fans are cleverly noting that the franchise has contractual leverage here: if Hield hits limited free Agency next summer, Sacramento could match any offer sheet buddy signs with another team. Heald can sign a 1-year qualifying offer, but he is giving up a lot of short-term money and risking a long-term contract with a high and high dollar.

But contractual leverage isn’t everything these days. Come on, tell me the last NBA player to request a deal that hasn’t gone away in less than a year. Integral players (which buddy is clearly for Sacramento) can make things uncomfortable for teams. So it sounds like the kings probably need their offer or be prepared for an unhappy buddy this season.

Which one is really more of a risk?

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Five games on Thursday, including an NBA TV doubleheader.

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Links

Top news right before the newsletter came out: Bradley Beale has reportedly agreed to a two-year extension, fully accepting it from the trade market and 2021 free market agents.

Brilliant Pradas Pictures breakdown by Mike Prada on how the pelicans are using Zion Williamson to maximum effect.

Chris Haynes collects information on what the various players eligible for rookie extensions are asking for and being offered. Aside from buddy, Jaylen brown is the other most interesting candidate. Pascal Siacam will get the maximum one way or another.

Baxter Holmes with a long, reported meditation at the end of Carmelo Anthony’s NBA career.

Jonathan Tjarks on Karl-Anthony towns time to Shine.

The hornets have switched chicken camps, from Boyangles to chick-fil-a. James Dator claims this is Charlotte’s worst move of the offseason.

Jonathan Abrams is part of the Pacers and their mutual trust circle.

Mike Vorkunov at the Athletics on how “the Alchemist” became a cult classic among NBA players. If you are interested in absorbing the alchemist, Im happy to report that Jeremy irons has made an audiobook, and Jeremy irons has one of the best audiobook voices ever, especially for a book like the alchemist.

Fascinating analysis of the bot and Troll army that attacked Daryl Maurice’s Twitter account after his infamous deleted tweet. The expert quoted saw only one other coordinated attack like this, and that one was orchestrated by a state actor, so …

And finally: a brilliant piece by Dan devine who spoke to non-star veterans about how you stick around a 10-year NBA career without a household name or marquee talent.

Be excellent to each other.