The Sacramento Kings are bringing back center Alex Len on a one year deal worth $3.2 million, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Free agent center Alex Len has agreed to a one-year, $3.2 million contract to re-sign with the Sacramento Kings, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Agent Michael Lelchitski of @SIGSports negotiated the deal for Len’s return.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2023
Len spent most of last season limited to garbage time or DNP-CDs before catching Mike Brown’s favor late in the season. To his credit, Len was ready when he got his shot and provided a big body, rim protection, and an ability to defend without fouling.
Many Kings fans were hoping for an upgrade at the backup center position, and Len’s signing doesn’t necessarily rule that out, but it seems the Kings may favor the familiarity and consistency of Len. While not the splashiest move, Len has been a reliable backup and a good presence in the locker room.
I still hope the Kings can find a way to bolster their big man depth, but as it stands now the Kings have Len and Trey Lyles available to serve as backup centers.
Uhh, okay…I guess they need warm bodies.
Don’t love it, don’t hate it. No learning curve for him, so that’s good.
It would be a HELLUVA story if he actually contributes meaningful minutes. I honestly thought they had closed the book on him after giving him that last look.
Perfectly fine as a end of bench big.
I just hope we’re still going to sign a starting caliber big. We’re too thin on the interior.
Y’all delusional thinking a starting caliber big wants to sign here for 8 or less minutes a night 😂
A fine piece of analysis I’m sure. When Len gets more minutes he plays better, ( what a surprise) he has well developed essential center skills and as an inexpensive contract and based on what we saw at the end of the season I’m fine bringing him back for the upcoming season.
I am confused by Neemie’s expected role for the upcoming season. If we are talking about 8 minutes (you are Mike) I don’t see a huge difference between either centers. Also the 8 minute floor time is not likely to be 8 straight minutes.
That floor time is going to be broken into small bites of time, 50 seconds here, 2 minutes there etc. Any large blocks of playing time will be offset by many DNP-CD. Based on that view, neither Len nor Neemie will be positioned to contribute many meaningful minutes and appear to me to be interchangeable in the main.
Goodbye Metu. I wasn’t expecting you back, having few reasons to believe that 2023-24 will be your breakout season. As a multi year Kings player I want to wish you continued employment as a contracted NBA player and hope that your 2023-24 season in Dallas will have fans wondering why we ever let you go.
Yes, no starter coming here for 8 minutes max.
DS is a unique player. He plays a lot of minutes, does not get injured. Kings need a unique PF to play alongside of him- one who hits the 3, spaces the floor and protects the rim. Not many of these at all- Jaren Jackson, maybe.
So next option is a backup but for less than 12 minutes a game and to share that role with a small ball 5. The centers we have all been salivating over- Poetrl, Lopez, Plumlee, Eubanks etc. all want more minutes and more money. The other poorer option- Bryant, J. Hayes all had flaws and were snatched up.
I just Kings thought that TJD was not the guy- passed on him 3 times in draft.
Len is breakeven- not good, not bad. In the meantime, other needs were addressed: Holmes contract gone, DS signed, added Sasha,; length on wing, improved defensively and got stability with HB and Lyles.
Solid point. Doesn’t mean you couldn’t trade for one though.
I hope Mike Brown gives him some burn during the regular season if he plans to go to him in the playoffs.
I kind of figured he would be back, super cheap, I would hope he is not the last big.
TBH, I’ve been down with the “run it back” thing. This is starting to push it.
PS: May I eat my words!
Kings just signed KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke to 1-year deals.
Same players same results. Still don’t have anybody who can rebound consistently. Small team still so expect another ass whipping from bigger teams.
Sabonis literally led the league in rebounds. One series in which a team game plans primarily to stop him rebounding doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the top rebounders in the league.
what it does mean is the Kings need a capable rebounder who can play next to him. Lyles is pretty good in that department, and I like Vezenkov’s potential there. We shall see.
When I read comments about rebounding, and the need for a more active PF than Barnes to help with that, I mostly agree with that sentiment, but I feel it is an incomplete perspective.
With the amount of 3pt shots attempted, there are so many more long rebounds than ever before, and I do not think our gaurds/wings are very good at tracking those down. Anecdotally, I felt frustrated watching how many rebounds and loose balls opposing guards tracked down on the offensive end as our guards, rather than putting a body on them, were leaking out to run the break.
Domas is an elite rebounder, and great at contested rebounds despite his Ty Rex-ish arms, and I think Keegan shows promise, and Lyles competes, but Fox and Kevin need to be averaging five a game. Hopefully one if not two of Duarte, Kessler, and Colby find their lane in the rotation quickly, as they have the size and mobility to make an impact in team rebounding.
Uh, so this is what the cap space was cleared for?
I’m fine with Monte, to a point, running it back again, but this is not an improvement behind Sabonis. This is currently the same team as last year only TD and Metu swapped for Duarte and Sasha. Has the needle moved?
I’m scratching my head…
Jake Stephens?
I’d say that swapping Duarte and Sasha for TD and Metu does move the needle, although only a little.
I think the majority of improvement will come from not having to learn new offensive and defensive systems during the year and by cleaning up or limiting defensive mistakes.
It doesn’t really matter who the third backup center is, but this is pretty disappointing in a vacuum. Plenty of better centers on the market for roughly the same price…unless there weren’t? Idk. That’s why this gets a shoulder shrug from me.
Monte must simply be relying on the future trade market to be the source of his next big splash. Can’t argue with that logic, since free agency only offer overpriced veterans and the draft only offers inexperienced youth.
Sasha over Metu is a big needle mover…so yes, it has… Monte improved the 3 seed kings in personnel and continuity
Not to mention they’re expecting internal improvement, especially from Murray and maybe Huerter
I am borderline irrationally confident in Murray. I think he showed all sorts of glimpses of being a very significant player in this league.
Not hard to squint and see a decent bit of Jamaal Wilkes, with some sprinkles of Kiki Vandeweghe, Rashard Lewis, Peja, and even a bit of Shane Battier.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him averaging 17-6 this year, and growing from there.
I think the needle has moved a bit. I also wouldn’t discount that they accomplished what they did last season with little familiarity amongst each other, from coaches to starters to rookies, and we witnessed how they improved all season long. The Kings team at the end of the season was tremendously better than in November.
So, with a little more time in the oven, and a summer to work on the most obvious of needed improvements as individuals and as a team, along with Sasha and Duarte, I think there is reason to be confident.
I would not bet on McNair being done though. I don’t think there was much talent available that was a clear cut fit for the Kings, and the team maintained a lot of flexibility positionally and contract wise to make moves if targets they priortized higher than this crop of FA become available.
Hot Take Sunday:
It’s an interesting question – what piece would fit best next to Domas to bulk up the Kings front court?
As his most pointed deficiencies are rim protection and outside the paint shooting, the JJJ or Brook Lopez options seem most fitting. Yet, isn’t Myles Turner just that type of big?
Indy, with a solid Head Coach in Rick Carlisle couldn’t make that work, and that was the impetus of the Hali/Sabonis trade (also at the time, Turner wouldn’t bring Hali, much like how Fox wouldn’t bring Sabonis).
Sticking to this comparison- the Pacers had a +10 improvement last season (35-47). Pretty darn good – we all would have been satisfied with a 40 win Kings team.
(That would have matched the 40-42 OKC Thunder at Play-In 10th seed). Yet the Kings excelled beyond that.
And no doubt De’Aaron is the bomb- but I wonder about a Hali-Domas Kings. I digress.
This off season, so far anyway, the Kings added to their strengths – Team unity and a winning core and scoring (Vezenkov) and hopefully tightened their defense (Duarte). IMO, stability is not splashy, but solid and sensible.
Which other playoff team – East or West – remained this stable? I can only think of two – the Warriors and the Knicks (maybe a third with the Lakers). I think that is a statement of it’s own.
Anybody who digresses has my full attention. Have a rec for common sense as well.
Len’s contract lines up with the amount of the vet minimum extension because Len has 10 years of NBA experience, so his deal doesn’t impact cap space.
So I guess Domas is staying for awhile.
That’s a lots of money………
I thought it should be around $30M to be reasonable…………
I’m glad it’s done. He’s worth it.
In context for the modern market, with some guys getting paid 50+ million per year, this feel like a relative steal. We wouldve had to have paid him more if he was an All-NBA guy next year. Good deal for both sides and the most important one of the offseason. Excellent work Monte.
damn, beat me to it
in 2yrs, this deal will be a bargain when lesser-players will be getting 50MM+
Hali is getting a ton more…Ox is way better value
Yeah, Hali getting $52 mil a year is freaking bonkers. That’s MVP money.
It’s a lot but it’s once again only 3 million per season more than I thought it would be. The kings are committed to building this team. It’s refreshing in a lot of ways. Management and ownership know they have a good thing going. Choosing to trust in what you have that was so special and build off of that.
Its pretty clear that’s the thought process. It’s not hard to see the logic of running it back while improving along the edges of an already very good thing. There’s also the belief that they’ll all statistically be better players next season. Building off the identity and style of play that was being established.
monte just established it with all these signings. Continuity with the already good thing we have. “Giving it more time to marinate”
I have to give it up to McNair once again.
My biggest fear of the Tyrese trade was Sabonis moving on in a few years.
Monte has maintained our core at a decent price and put players around it who fit offensively, without breaking the bank and while retaining almost all of our future draft capital.
Well done!
https://twitter.com/CarmichaelDave/status/1675363174407897091?s=20
Paraphrasing/quoting: Sabonis isn’t taking full money. He discussed with the FO his desire to prioritize roster building flexibility over dollars.
It’s a feel-good story!
Well said Rik.
This consistent and measured positivity from you, and the very measured perspective is a genuine delight Rik. We had some rough years (decades?), it is fun to see you enjoy the team again.
If I had a heart, it would be warmed right now.
Oh yeah.
Thanks.
I mean there are still some matters that need addressing (defense?) but this is so much better than the Vlade days (and before).
And my warming heart is still in danger. Yours too!
I love this signing while absolutely hating it.
you know what I mean.
Since the team has open roster spots, I like that they brought Len back…just so that Queta has bypass Len on the depth chart based on merit, proving he is the better option. I believe both Len & Queta are behind Lyles, so its really a fight for the 3rd C on the depth chart (when we need size). I doubt Len stays a King the entire year.
Len is a likeable guy, I’m okay with it.
Just please, someone put some glue on his hands so he’s ready for the pass right next to the basket!
I actually like this – he helped us out in stretches during the playoffs when nothing else worked. I think he has proven enough to be at least a reliable, no frills backup big.
I came here because the Kings just extended Sabonis, but this Len signing certainly tops that.
I am delighted that Domas wants to stay a King. That’s the biggest news of this Summer.
Grats to Sabonis for the $217M contract. You earned it big fella.
If he hasn’t proven it already – Domantas Sabonis will be an All Time Great for the Kings in the Sacramento era.
I expect to see his jersey retired in Sacramento
Biggest news of the off-season! Now I’m double-okay with everything done!
Kings still have their MLE, which might be enough to grab Mason Plumlee
Kings don’t have a MLE. They are an under the cap team. They’ve used their room exception on Sasha. Used cap room on Barnes and Domas. I’m not sure if they have any more room left, so it’s vet minimums remaining, which is what Len got.
I like how Monte is getting things done quickly. Probably would’ve rather let Len go and save his money and roster spot but that MM knows more than this MM.
Good job by Monte and his FO for locking up Domas to an extension. Now we can officially say trading Haliburton for Domas was worth the risk and it paid off quite nicely for the Kings.
As for Len would he be the primary backup to Domas or are we still searching for a big?
I think Monte’s next move would decide Queta’s fate with the Kings. If he adds another FA big then the Queta experiment might be over.
I think Len was under used last year and we should’ve seen him more throughout the season. Good low cost move.
Good signing. He’s the really big guy.
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