Welcome back to Chainmail! It’s been a little bit since we had a Q&A, seeing as how the NBA playoffs are happening, and we don’t get to know what that actually feels like, but yesterday was a wholly different experience for Kings fans, as we got to experience our favorite time of the year – the NBA LOTTTERRRRYYYYYYYYYYY.
Sadly enough, the Kings didn’t move into a top-4 pick so that they could select an injury prone big man ahead of prolific guards and wings. Instead, they’ll be stuck at number nine, a solid, if unimpressive positioning heading into draft night.
In celebration of at least not moving back for once, we’ve brought in Bryant West and Brenden Nunes, two dudes who love scouting pre-NBA talent more than any normal person, to take any prospect-specific questions that may be lingering in your Kings-addled mind. Of course, Will and I will also participate and pretend to know what we’re talking about (as always), and we’re happy to take any non-specific player questions as well, including trade ideas and offseason queries.
Now, get to asking, so we can get to answering!
Most likely scenario?
1) Kings keep the pick?
2) Kings trade the pick in package with other players to swing for a “star?”
3) Kings trade the pick for later pick(s) and or Cash Considerations?
People you can draft at #9: Wagner, Moody, Jalen J, Keon J, Giddey, Kispert, Garuba, Jones
People you can draft at #20 or later: Prkacin, Duarte, Brown, Ziaire, Dosunmu, Thomas, Jackson
Is there enough difference between these tiers of players to justify not trading the pick? Seems to me the #9 pick just comes with a higher price tag/risk, but not a lot more assurance or even potential (unless a top guy drops).
Can you consider yourself a good person if you haven’t seen The Shawshank Redemption until well into the 21st century?
Also, what type of players do you think the Kings should target in Free Agency assuming the Kings use the 9th pick to open up cap space this summer?
I still haven’t seen Jaws (I’m waiting for a screening that involves projection on a screen on the beach, with the audience wading in the water).
Also haven’t seen Jurassic Park.
But I have seen L’Avventura and Pather Panchali!
Not the same thing, Gonzo, but point taken.
You have led a meaningless life.
I’ve never seen Jaws either. But I don’t especially have any real desire to, either.
Jaws cares not for your desire.
“You’re going to need a bigger tank.”
(quote from Speilberg’s classic film, KANGZ)
Take off, you hoser! 😛
I prefer “purposeless life”. 🙂
YOU HAVEN’T SEEN JURASSIC PARK??????????
My mom likes to tell the Marty family story…
When they saw Jaws at the Pocomoke City theater, my old man was startled at the underwater-diver-explores-hole scene, and launched his full tub of popcorn into the aisle.
Of course they also tell the story of hurriedly shuffling my two sisters out of the theater, mortified by Saturday Night Fever.
Saturday Night Fever and Grease are my parents’ favorite films…they saw those movies in the theater like at least a dozen times each.
I’m wagering that your parents also have an exalted place for Welcome Back Kotter.
So, local Sacramento media (and superfans) often tells me that tanking doesn’t work but the top 3 picks in the draft all won 22 or less games. Does tanking do more harm than good? If so, what value did the Kings acquire from winning 31 games this year?
1. Detroit 20-52
2. Houston 17-55
3. Cleveland 22-50
…
9. Sacramento 31-41
To that end, I am seeing a lot of tweets this morning from local media/fan folks lamenting a ping pong ball that didn’t go our way, as opposed to lamenting a deliberate strategy that put the Kings in this draft position in the first place:
https://twitter.com/SactownAnthony/status/1407743674042097670
Follow up questions to my follow up to my question: Who reaches the playoffs first:
Detroit or Sacramento?
Houston or Sacramento?
Cleveland or Sacramento?
I’m not having fun playing this game….
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if all three of those teams maker the playoffs first
Cleveland. They play in the east, and they have the basic framework of enough decent young guys that are pretty good that might carry them into the play in next year. Sexton, Garland, and Jarrett allen is a pretty good trio.
Now ask that question about the teams at the top of the 2018 draft.
Do you take this organization seriously, and if so, how, and if not, what do they need to do to get you to take them seriously?
Q: How can this franchise compete while the owner who does all of the hiring makes idiotic basketball decisions?
Why do mock drafts explain how the Kings need to draft a front court player and proceed to select a back court player, ignoring their own advice?
It’s almost like the national media outlets haven’t even bothered to think about the Kings in 15 years….
True, but J. Jones did the same thing!
BPA?
BPGA
BAP BAP BAP!
You mean something like this?
https://twitter.com/detnewsRodBeard/status/1407680865195507715
Fixed for the Kings:
“We havne’t made the playoffs in 15 years; we’re not in a position to say a guy fits or doesn’t fit.”
What will it take to get rid of Vivek and who could potentially be our new owner?
Are we close enough to being one vet / trade away from really competing for the playoffs or should we keep the pick and continue adding young talent?
“competing for the play-offs”; would that make us a true competitor?
that’s kinda what I was implying, being a true competitor. Gotta get in the playoffs, first…
Golden State and OKC are two teams that project to improve more than the Kings via the upcoming draft. Obviously Houston as well. One could also argue New Orleans, who pick 10th but have four 2nd round picks. Absent of a major shift deal this summer, where do you rank the Kings in the West next season?
I’ve been thinking about this as well. OKC have enough assets to swing for the fences on a big name star, or even two. Minny just needs to remain healthy and I think they still end better than the Kings. Houston is poised to get a future star in the draft to go along with possibly a healthy Wall and Wood, not to mention an amazingly cleaner cap sheet than the Kings.
If Sac continues to sit on their thumbs and roll out near the same roster as last season, sans Holmes leaving in free agency, I think there is a very real chance they could finish dead last in the West.
OKC got pretty boned the way things shook out. They didn’t get Houston’s pick, and they dropped from four to six with their own selection. They still have a ton of assets, but this was an opportunity to possibly make two top-five selections this year to improve the team sooner, and it didn’t happen.
Of course, we have our own problems to worry about, so tears on their behalf will be scarce.
I could still see them swinging Kemba for Zinger and assets, then using their cupboard full of picks and youth and snagging another star like McCollum. They have so many possibilites.
Those aren’t far-fetched by any means, but Dallas is pretty short on assets to sweeten taking on KP’s awful contract. If I’m OKC, I insist on Jalen Brunson, and I doubt the Mavs would give him up.
Is KP’s deal that much worse than Kemba’s, especially if Kemba is now a shell of himself with injuries? It just one year longer.
I’d be more willing to bet that Kemba will be able to get back to being effective than Porzingis. Tall dudes with chronically-injured legs seldom get well.
Minny won’t improve via the draft, but they looked better down the stretch when Russell was healthy.
Would you trade our core (Fox, Hali, Barnes, 9th pick, Buddy/Bagley for KAT, Edwards, Beasley and Russell? I would.
I’m going to ask why, since their core lost eight more games than ours did, and I doubt that Luke Walton is the key to making them any better than that.
Because they only lost 8 more games despite KAT being emotionally wrecked and only playing 50 games, Russell playing only 42 games and Beasly only playing 37 games.
With the exception of Rubio, their top 10 players are 25 or younger.
And their coaching was not a strength either.
There’s a guy called Rik that comments sometimes, and I think he might say that those are all just excuses.
KAT > or = Fox
Edwards > Hali
Russell (healthy) > Barnes
The rest is about a wash. The 9th pick is about the only asset advantage for the Kings.
KAT/Russell/Beasly barely played, so health was a huge factor.
And yes, I’d take Finch over Walton too, but I eliminated coaching as a factor in my analysis because Walton’s inability to maximize talent on any roster given to him leads to pointless roster debates!
Center > Guard
Guard > Guard
Guard > Forward
Apples > Oranges, I guess.
That’s one way to miss the point, I guess.
Recently, the NBA announced fully vaccinated coaches don’t have to wear masks on the sidelines.
Does this mean we’re going to have the only coach in the league still wearing a mask next season?
I mean, it’ll be over his chin from time to time.
See a lot of takes about trading the 9th pick.
Considering cap, what real targets (that would make the team better this year) are available and that could be had for the 9th pick and one of Hield/Bagley/Barnes? Or just 9th pick alone?
Or the 9th and the 2023 first, which think is on the table.
In all likelihood, Vivek’s goal is to trade “assets” like Bags and Buddy plus the 9th pick for a star that will push the team into the playoffs, rather than to try and draft well and grow a solid long-term core that will bring a winning culture. The motivation behind this is likely based around not earning the embarrassment of the longest ever playoff drought.
My question: is there a player available for these assets who can make this plan a success (ie make the 8th seed), while also creating a sustainable framework for continued future success? Or, as is my fear, will this plan simply clean out our asset cupboard to the point where, even if this player gets us to the holy land of being bumped in the first round, we are right back to perpetual cellar dwellers the next year? Thanks!
I really, truly believe there isn’t a single player in the league who could drag this team to the playoffs next year.
Geez, and I thought I was cynical!
There’s plenty of players in the league that could get us there. We could potentially acquire…none of them.
Maybe it’s the pain and discomfort from hurting my dominant hand and having to type with one hand.
In a deep and possibly even improved West with Walton in charge? I just don’t see it, maybe play-ins, but I don’t think a 15-20 win jump is possible after last year felt like a slight overperformance.
Yeah, I’d say probably 10 to 15, but it’s a decent jump.
Guys like Embiid/Jokic/Giannis, etc could get us there, but again – attainable is another story.
Trading the #9 pick and acquiring a star by trading it + assets aren’t really binary choices. If I thought there was a strong chance that we’d draft someone at that spot who would eventually become a star, then it’d be a strict either/or proposition. Odds indicate that this is unlikely, so bundling the pick in this manner works, and doesn’t undermine the idea of building via the draft.
If we had a top 4 pick in this draft, I’d lean more toward your take, unless the return in a trade was a lead pipe cinch to dramatically improve the Kings.
Agreed. I should have quoted “star” to qualify the statement. Highest-value player that 9 + a combination of our current players would fetch on the market is more appropriate.
Best package to get Ben Simmons?
Kings fans don’t want to hear it but Fox and the #9 is probably what it would take.
At the very least, Hali, the 9 and a future 1st with the absolute barest of protections. And given Simmons contract, you’re probably throwing in some combination of Hield, Barnes and Bagley.
Given the relative valuation both teams hold for these two, I’d actually think the Sixers would have to throw in Korkmaz or something to get Fox from us. In terms of pure talent, you could probably argue one over the other. I personally think it’s apples to oranges and they’re both at a similar tier. But I agree that the Sixers aren’t gonna just take our scraps and the #9 pick for Simmons. Hali + #9 and maybe a couple second rders is what I think it would likely take.
Would you be angry or glad if the Kings selected you at number 9?
For the sake of argument pretend you’re Franz Wagner because #kangz.
If trading back or out is a consideration, would you rather have two mid teens pick from this draft or a top 5 pick in next year’s draft?
After the articles he’s written for the Bee, how close can Greg get to the arena before he’s thrown out?
Is it possible to trade for current year (20-21) contracts right now? If the Kings traded Bagley for an expiring Olynyk contract, would that free up cap space and allow the Kings to offer Holmes more than the 10.5m exception?
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