As we wind down the dog days of August where there is nothing to talk about and rapidly near training camp where there is slightly more to discuss, let’s take a moment to discuss The Athletic’s NBA offseason rankings. David Aldridge does these each year, ranking the 10 best offseasons in the league. And wouldn’t you know it, despite a relatively quiet offseason overall, the Sacramento Kings landed 8th on the list! Hooray!
And yet, I still found reason to feel slighted and aggrieved.
Aldridge praises Monte’s McNair cap maneuvering to unload Richaun Holmes, re-sign Harrison Barnes, bring over Sasha Vezenkov, and acquire Chris Duarte for a cheap flier. But then Aldridge isn’t as high on the extension for Domantas Sabonis:
I get wanting to keep continuity for a team that finally ended the Kings’ postseason drought, but sometimes you can fall a little too in love with your own guys. Sabonis is an All-Star, to be sure, and a leader. But, as our John Hollinger pointed out, who were the Kings going to really be negotiating against next summer, when Sabonis would have been a free agent?
Let’s be clear, Aldridge isn’t alone in questioning the Sabonis extension. Even among Kings fans it can be a divisive topic. Personally, I am of the opinion that if there were no free agents you wanted to spend the money on, it’s a great idea to lock up your All-NBA, All-Star, 27-year old center who is the hub of your offensive system and led the league in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. Oh, and did I mention he did all that while playing through a broken thumb most of the year? Anyway, that guy seems like a fine player to spend some money on and lock up with your franchise for years to come. Especially when one of the biggest criticisms of the Tyrese Haliburton/Sabonis trade was that the Kings were at risk of losing Sabonis in free agency after the 2023-24 season.
But hey, to each their own, right? Aldridge is certainly entitled to his opinion. But then you continue reading the article, and speaking of Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers are ranked as the 5th best offseason! Let’s look at why Aldridge liked Indiana’s offseason so much:
The biggest move, though, was getting Haliburton’s John Hancock on a max extension. Indiana obviously made the 23-year-old feel like a centerpiece who was comfortable tying his future to the franchise. Nicely done.
So, to be clear, it’s a great move for Indiana to give a max extension to Tyrese Haliburton before he hits restricted free agency next summer, but a bad move for the Kings to give a below-max extension to Sabonis before he hits unrestricted free agency next summer.
Ultimately, none of this matters. Offseason grades, much like draft grades and trade grades, are simply ways to fill time. The upcoming season and the seasons to come will be the ultimate judge of how the Kings did this summer.
Training camp can’t get here fast enough.
“Ultimately none of this matters”. True
But..
Its F’n annoying. I appreciate that you called out the hypocrisy of the Sabonis to Hali deals. The idea that the Kings would only be bidding against themselves is absolutely absurd and stupid. To say the Ox wont have any suitors is complete horse SH(eye)T.
Thats saying that 29 other teams wont have interest in the best rebounding, best screen setting, second best passing, top 10 in scoring Center in the league just about to enter his prime after a season (maybe 2 seasons) of leading the statistically best offense in NBA history while also being a team leader and exceptional locker room presence. Oh and his thumb was broken for 2/3 of the same season he was just selected as an all star.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiight, The kings just bid against themselves. Sure thing.
Get the F (the letter that sounds like you) ck out of here with that bullsh(eye)t.
For example: Sports illustrated just wrote a piece stating that Sabonis is a 2023/2024 MVP candidate.
No team except the Kings will be interested in an MVP candidate becoming a free agent. Sure thing.
I get a kick out of Hollinger’s piece in July claiming that 29 other teams would be “thirsting” for 26 year old Jalen Brown, but not 27 year old Sabonis “because he is s a center on not a wing” and you “have to play through him.” The same could be said for LBJ, Durant, Luka, or a dozen other starts, but I guess that doesn’t apply to Sabonis.
There isn’t a robust market for centers and we all saw Sabonis melt in the postseason, which is exactly the criticism people have always had for his style of game. Maybe there would have been a team out there who would have maxed out a non-shooting, limited-defense center, but there wouldn’t have been a long list of suitors at a price the Kings couldn’t beat.
You’re still operating off of assumptions, personal feelings (not yours – I mean the feelings of Sabonis) that the franchise you want to stay with is playing games with your future/salary cap all the while you’re willing to take less now than if they decide to play games and wait. Maybe the game playing turns him off from the leadership of this franchise and he decides… “I’ll go somewhere else, I don’t like how they dicked me around.”
Getting sabonis back as Monte did was a very wise move for a GM that just traded a future star I. Halliburton to get him. Period. Therese nothing really left to say. However, I’ll say more stuff.
I’m sorry, You can’t be ranked in the top 10 of successful off-season’s while also “bidding against yourself”.
If re-upping on sabonis was a mistake in the summer of 2023 then don’t rank the team in the top 10 off season ranking that your fucking article is about.
the stupidity is endless with this shit. Let’s just get to the season and forget this pointless conjecture.
it is all speculation. My suspicion is that while Sabonis would have had suiters, he would want to stay with the Kings. That, however, might have raised the price. I was cranky with the draft day trade but, after sipping cool-aid, I think it was the right move- all of these parts came together- moving Holmes, signing HB and signing DS. All linked
I so wonder if the plan would have been different if Kris would have slipped one more spot in the draft. Never know.
I did like O Max in the draft but is he a “late shiny thing”? i.e. not much attention before the draft process and a sudden rise. Not a Monte type guy.
This off season has to be viewed through a long term. long game lens, not just this year. In a sense, Sasha becomes a delayed first round pick this year and Kings lose next year’s pick.
Yes, the Kings would have beat all the suiters but the price might have been significantly higher, jeopardizing Malik.
Jalen Brown is the most overrated good player in the game. That contract is ludicrous and won’t age well. BOS will be in cap hell.
If I recall correctly, Sabonis even took a discount on his extension because he wanted to help the team’s capsapce or something. I see no problem with that.
Still an over pay imo, but I’m okay with it.
Not sure I give half a turd about David Aldridge’s opinion. I do appreciate Greg’s effort to help us pass the time, though.
Greg ruined my offseason.
News at seven.
Rewarding Sabonis now for his stellar work this past season makes too much sense to be logical. And yes, I am all in on “the slight” – had any team other than Sacramento done this deal it would be applauded.
Giving Sabonis, your Point Center, the mainstay of your offense, All-Star, All-NBA, in the top ten for the MVP race last season, a raise from being the 75th highest player to 44th in the Association and not even the highest paid player on your team seems like an “overpay” at $210M. But signing Ty Halliburton who was not All-NBA and is on the lottery Pacers to $260M is “Nicely done”. Can’t they be a win for both squads?
by the way – I am still a big Hali fan and it’s nice to see him doing so well for TeamUSA. Great kid, heckuva baller.
As for Free Agency at the end of this season – it only takes one team to take him away. I believe the best thing GM McNair did this off season was exactly signing Domas to this discounted contract.
Looking forward to Lighting The Beam in two months.
Also keep seeing people claiming that Hali is better than Fox.
Ummm…when they played on the same team he wasn’t better? And since Hali has left one of them has been an All-NBAer and winner of the clutch player of the year award, the other one has not.
One took his team to the playoffs and had one of the greatest playoff debuts of all time, and the other did not.
Absolutely love Hali and wish him all the best, but everyone is so caught up in ‘potential’ and ‘narratives’ that nobody bothers to watch what happens on the court before making their judgements on players. Even more frustrating when those biases literally ALWAYS insist against giving the Kings credit.
One of the main differences between Kings Hali and Pacer Hali is his increased usage. He went from around 18% here to 23% in Indy. I’d imagine that usage rate is going to jump even higher next year. Fox, on the other hand stayed right around the same 30% rate with the addition of Sabonis.
Another thing I find interesting, Sabonis’ usage rate dipped a bit last season. while putting in arguably his best season as a pro. I think it just comes down to the sum of parts of Fox/Sabonis is greater than that of Fox/Hali.
Both teams won, but only one made the playoffs.
And I can’t help but wonder in the world of “what if”…
Had De’Aaron been traded and Sac had a Domas/Hali team in place of a Domas/De’Aaron squad.
Maybe “better” team play – maybe less wins and just making the play-in, maybe more wins and a second or third round playoff run. The fit of the two on paper is more sympatico – which is why it might not have worked as well. We’ll never know – /shrug
Just usual dreamland stuff. Having the Mr. Clutch Award winner and with him Wildcat Malik Monk being his Sixth Man wonderful would have been different.
Ok – back to the happy reality of what is.
Yeah, it’s a total butterfly flaps it’s wings scenario. If it were Fox, do the Kings still get out of Buddy’s deal and acquire Justin Holiday (who was eventually flipped for Huerter)? Probably not. There is also little chance that Malik Monk signs with the Kings.
In my mind, the Kings would be looking at a Hali, Buddy, Barnes, Keegan (which may not have happened due to the standings after the trade) and Sabonis.
Is that squad any better than Fox, Hueter, Barnes, Keegan, Sabonis? I’m thinking not.
Would Sabonis have been a UFA or an RFA after the season? I wasn’t sure. If he would’ve been a UFA, then that would’ve been a big deal as we wouldn’t exactly have been just bidding against our selves. Even if he would’ve been an RFA, I don’t see how signing an all NBA caliber player to a less than max contract now could be considered anything other than a win.
UFA, according to the article
There exists an inherent bias in national NBA media that anything the Kings do must be the wrong move. That was a safe assumption for many years, but we have the exec of the year, the coach of the year, and two All-NBA players locked up long-term in their primes. And yet, the media cannot wrap its head around what they saw with their own eyes all last year.
Oh well, guess I’ll just take the over for the Kings total wins (43.5) and print some free money while everyone’s still rubbing their eyes. Seriously – they won 48 last year with a worse roster and only one training camp to get to know each other! The oddsmakers expect AT LEAST four fewer wins?? Madness. If “Lakers” were written across their chests, this team would be talked about as a title contender.
Nothing was quite so sweet as watching the national media in real time have their minds blown by the Kings demolition of the Nets on TNT. Never thought I’d get to experience the satisfaction of watching the entire media establishment eat crow like that again, and yet, they’re scooping themselves a whole second plate of it for next season. Hope it goes down easy! Go Kings!
Great points!
now just imagine if we had beat the duds, the excuses amongst the national media would be have been something else.
Questioning the Sabonis extension is just…Looney.
Looney.
Really dumb analysis by Aldridge/Hollinger regarding the Sabonis extension. The Kings are a historically small and undesirable market. If you get a chance to lock up a 3 time all-star just hitting their prime, who carried the team to the playoffs, and doesn’t have DMC “issues, you do it every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
What GM in their right mind let a cornerstone of the team “play the market” 11 months from now assuming no one else can offer a max contract? Dumb.
5/$217m for an all NBA player is going to wind up looking like a bargain as long as Cyborgus stays relatively healthy.
What about the $300 million for J Brown?
That contract is BAD, but they way the cap increases each year and the rapid rise of player deals, it may not even by a top 20 salary by the end of his contract.
(1) Tyrese is a more valuable player than Sabonis to 29 other teams and so viewing their extensions differently makes perfect sense; (2) the Kings could have squeezed Sabonis for less money next offseason and (more importantly) not have had to trade a way a first round pick to do so; but also (3) overpaying a bit for Sabonis isn’t the worst thing in the world (though I’m frustrated the team keeps punting these late first/early second round picks that have turned out to be valuable players in the past) and people like Hollinger who called it one of the worst moves of the offseason for any team are out of their mind.
Really? You’d like to gamble on “squeezing” an all star / franchise player to stay with arguably the worst franchise (history wise) in the league and expect that he’d be happy to take less money to stay because you “squeezed him” as opposed to taking even less money (a few million less) to play in LA or NYC or Boston or or any other nba darling team in the league?
good luck with that. I’m glad I don’t get to see that strategy play out.
I would absolutely agree that Haliburton would draw more interest in free agency, but Aldridge’s argument is that the Kings could have just as easily done this next summer, possibly for less. Haliburton is going to be a restricted free agent, so the Pacers could still keep him no matter what he was offered, and have the opportunity to retain him for less. I don’t think the Pacers should do that, it’s bad business. I think giving him the extension is smart, just like it was smart for the Kings to extend Fox a year before RFA.
The issue is that Sabonis was going to be a UFA. You squeeze him, you disrespect him, he can walk for nothing. The Kings would have zero leverage other than the hope that no other team would be interested in a young, multi-time All-Star who the Kings have shown you can build an offense around.
My argument is not that the Pacers shouldn’t have been praised for extending Haliburton. My argument is that it’s asinine to praise the Pacers for Haliburton while bashing the Kings for Sabonis.
Not so long ago this team was busy wasting lottery picks and hoping that a real NBA player might be interested as a free agent.
Now the fans cannot wrap their head around a real GM extending a multi year all star that clearly is a good player.
Aldridge isn’t wrong, per se, suggesting that Sacramento could have kept Sabonis next summer, likely for less than the extension that was signed. Barring something pretty weird, I’d guess that the probability is at least eighty percent.
But there is the Sacramento Tax, which requires substantial overpays for free agents. Between that, and the goodwill that’s maintained by not letting the situation flap in the breeze for the entire season, it’s the right move.
I don’t take issue with the rankings, being in the top ten is a great sign, and I’m content to leave it at that.
Can’t agree with you there. To repeat the numbers: Sabonis was the 75th highest paid player (more accurately if you slip in what his salary would have been, 79th) to the 44th highest player this next season. SacTax would be paying the full $260M and not the $217M Domas signed for.
The salary cup is going up. Thinking that they would spend less on an extension and that nobody would compete for that contract is wishful thinking, IMO.
And it’s gamble that they would have to take, as an UFA he could just walk. For nothing. It’s nice conjecture to believe he would have stayed and for less. And they traded away Haliburton to keep Sabonis, not try him out. And it worked! Kings were 48 wins and 3rd in the West, 1st in the Pacific Division.
This way, he’s signed and it’s a done deal, he’s in his prime, young, and you have a vital ingredient that has been missing in Sactown for too long a time – stability. Moving pieces, coaches, GMs would not help this team, IMO.
This is where I’m at. You’ve removed the greatest concern about him, that he’d leave as a UFA and got a break on the $$$ in the process. Sure seems like a win to me.
Can you imagine the reaction around here if Monte had played the waiting game and then he leaves? Yikes.
That’s how guys lose their jobs despite any accolades they got the year prior.
our GM was smart.
The decision to do what he did was very smart and the kings are in a better place because it happened the way it did. Period. End of story. No need to debate bullshit ideas from people who don’t know shit about the business.
I say all that with the very real acknowledgment that I don’t know everything. I’m purely just staying all of that because of things we all very much know very well…. The salary cap goes up every year. The cost to keep good players goes up every year. Sabonis was willing to take a discount now to stay. There is no world in which taking advantage of that declaration from Sabonis and his agent isn’t a good idea.
stop it already. Not you but the idiots that don’t see this as an absolute win. There’s nothing to really debate. Which is why I’m recognizably annoyed by this entire conversation.
yet here I am having it.
I hate myself right now.
So you completely agree with me except for my enormous conjecture about the likelihood of re-signing Sabonis next summer?
I appreciate your overwhelming support.
I do and you have it.
And I’m delighted we are in step – after all, we have differing ideas with the same goal.
rocks, slingshots and all that.
Sabonis gets a max deal on most teams and most teams change a roster to get him.
Sacramento Stigma is a real thing.
To wit: as an avid basketball fan growing up in Michigan in the ’90’s, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as the Sacramento Kings. I watched the NBA on TNT all through HS and watched all the doubleheaders (used to get detention when I couldn’t get to school on time from being up til almost one in the morning.) Point is, when I moved here, I didn’t even know Sacramento had a team and had to ask what that big ass building out in the middle of the field was on my way home from the airport.
And its not a bias, although there may be a touch of East Coast bias when it comes to reporting sports in general. Maybe. Either way, it is truly a thing where people just don’t pay attention to anything that happens in Sacramento until we’re in the playoffs. I don’t think Alderidge is a bad reporter. But I do think that his opinions share this stigma, where the perception is skewed to the tilt of nothing is ever done right or will ever be good enough at least as far as the team’s decision making is concerned. A not so small caveat is that this was not without merit for the better part of the last 20 years. I digress…
Alderidge quoting Hollinger also drops his integrity a notch for me. Maybe they have him working too hard this off season but the overtones of “can’t win for not losing” regarding bidding wars against ourselves, the praise of Tyrese’s contract versus “rushing” to sign Sabonis, really shows he isn’t very dialed in to what this team is about and even less dialed in to what its doing on a day to day.
Which is why I am grateful, always, for this site.
Extending Sabonis to carry Fox through his prime was the best thing this team has done in decades.
It’s a bit of the team’s Most Valuable Player and the team’s Best Player argument.
Fox’s loyalty, hard work and patience mixed with the rising tide of Domas grit, team play and team spirit was a match that McNair and Brown blended beautifully.
They transformed Sacramento from an individual showcase layover to a foundational group we can call a team.
It’s not hard for me to harken back to the Vlade/CWebb years. At the same time, I am enjoying seeing this squad make their own name with their own brand of Mike Brown ball.
Put me in the “I’m glad the Kings signed Sabonis long-term” camp. Why would you even take the chance of losing him and possibly having him unhappy all season?
Unfortunately this fan base has been trained to believe that is how things work.
Hard to accept the reality that our GM understands how to build a team.
I thought the piece on the Kings signing Neemie was going to take the win on longest lead article but this one is showing evidence of having legs
My favorite part of this off-season is the lack of attention that Vezenkov signing with the Kings. If this two-time Euoroleague MVP went to … say the Lakers, Warriors, etc… it’d be a regular discussion amongst the talking heads about it being the biggest / most underrated signing of the off-season.
100% — I am really psyched about adding Vezenkov – I think he’ll be an amazing fit and can’t wait to see him with the Kings. But I just get blank stares from every non-Kings fan I’ve talked to about him.
Could be wrong but I think he just has one Euroleague MVP. But I think he has a bunch of Greek-league MVPs…
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