With the NBA Trade Deadline being Thursday at noon, we’re approaching the final chances for teams to make significant moves this season. The Kings have Sabonis deals, LaVine deals, Monk deals, DeRozan deals all being circulated and with The Freak, The Beard getting close to finding new homes and JJJ already moving to Utah, the quiet deadline rumors are dead and everyone is on the block!
Please feel free to use this thread to discuss any and all happenings.
For specific rumors or trades that pop up that are Kings-related, we will have separate posts.
Go Kings! Don’t do anything stupid!
Hey Scotty P! See what those Grizzlies did?
So when you have an asset that other teams want, you trade it for future picks. Not for more guaranteed salary.
Please ask an assistant to help define the process of tanking.
The Griz have a clear and concise plan following the OKC blueprint and still have Ja Moron as a trade chip.
Meanwhile, the Kangz have no plan and haven’t since that Fox trade.
Gave a thumb on the other thread too.
It’s the most frustratint aspect of this owner/FO. No plan whatsoever for years.
shoot CP3 off the market. Pivot to Ja, please !
And day-day and Brooks
The Kings are serious contenders in acquiring Cash Considerations and Alex Oriakhi, sources say.
Vuc to the C’s for Simons.
Even the Bulls are finally rebuilding. Meanwhile Vivek continues to shoot for the play-in.
Every lottery pick from the loaded 2018 draft has now been traded. Bonkers!
Reposting from the other thread, per Sam Amick in The Athletic:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/nba-trade-deadline-2026-live-updates-news-james-harden/mb7lqDGshaBm/
Like I said over there, if the Kings acquire Morant, I quit. It’s just too stupid for me to spend time paying attention to.
Ja’s instability is exactly what this franchise needs.
A pillar. Of salt.
Something about building castles on sand.
NBA 3.0 – bringing an unstable human into an unstable organization will magically create stability and success.
Or something…
This will bring back all the fans that left because we traded DMC!!!
Vivek makes Rachel Phelps look like Mark Walter.
Well, it’s hard to win an argument with a smart person, but its damn near impossible to win one with a stupid person (owner).
Vivek should just go after every knucklehead.
Ja Moron
Draymoron
Beard
They all appear to be available.
The VRU of superheroes.
Don’t put that into the universe! Paul George may become a King!
Sorry I forgot about the most prolific check casher that never plays.
Either of Morant or Kuzma and I’m out.
hard pass on Ja
Will this be another deadline where no major moves happen for Sacramento?
Will we be the team standing alone outside the venue while all the prom dates come and go?
If Hunter is the big get at the deadline, is there any reason to be excited about the non-direction of the franchise?
I think the Kings are not doing anything else. Perry is just undoing his mistakes while letting the mistakes of the previous FO just play itself out. That way, he can always say “it wasn’t my garbage…i just inherited it.” Meanwhile, all the bottom 5 teams go to the playoffs in the next 3-5 years while the Kangz are still grasping for straws.
I’m checking back out after the deadline. Nothing to be excited about except potentially landing a top 3 pick.
That’s what I believe will happen, at this point. No major moves. Just tinkering around the edges, per the usual.
Then they’ll trot SP out for a presser…
“Well, having Keegan and Domas injured for much of the year, along with Dennis not being the franchise-altering player I envisioned, really ruined our expectations around squeaking into the play-in this season.
But now that we’ve added an incredible wing to the frontcourt to complement Keegan, we have every expectation that with perfect health, and everything going exactly right, by next season we’ll have a chance to squeak into the play-in.
We’re also working on signing our franchise cornerstone, Zach LaVine, to a long-term extension.”
Just a side note…
I think that image above should be incorporated into being a site header, somehow.
Seeing it on every single page of this site would somehow make me feel ever so slightly better.
“I hereby manifest to the universe a lineup of Ja, DDR, Lavine, Kuzma, Poetl, and Kuminga as 6th man. Shakra!”
With him at the helm, you know its possible.
That is very much a Kangz lineup good for 29 wins.
Is that enough for the play-in? Vivek wonders.
so double this year’s total!
So what was the point of the Bulls trading Vuc to the Boston for Simons. They also ended up swapping 2nds. Seems like a wash to me but Boston definitely wins with a starting center. The Bulls added $6M in salary for what?
A tire kick on Simons, I guess? Yeah, nice deal for Boston. Vuc will help them this year, he’s an expiring, and $6.2m comes off the cap.
I don’t think anyone is kicking the tires on Simons. I guess I could understand taking on over $6M in salary if it came with a 2nd rounder to two, but to just swap two expiring deals and two 2nds seems odd.
Bulls have to be up to something more because they now have about 23 combo guards on their roster.
Giddey Conley, Ivey, Simons, White, Jones, Ayo…and I thought the Kings had a logjam of combo guards.
I was just about to say the same. Bulls have been shopping White and maybe be a 3rd or 4th team in the Giannis sweepstakes. Im not sure but they can also aggregate Simons and Ivey to another deal by the deadline i think.
The trade generated a $27.8 million trade exception, plus an expiring contract next year. Awesome move by Boston to prepare for a title run again next year with Tatum back. Why cant we have a FO like this?
Asked and answered:
You mentioned some time ago about how the Fox trade devalued all the other players on the team, especially Domas.
Kings are really feeling that now. Except for maybe this dumbass.
On top of it, why do another EC team a solid anyways. Strange trade, although they get younger.
Simons at 27M is expiring
Ha! Too freakin’ late!
Send them Monk,
Huh, imagine that. A decent prospect who fizzles out in Basketball Hell but thrives elsewhere. Couldn’t have predicted it…
I think Monk will return to being a great 6th man once he is on a competent franchise. His contract isn’t that bad, I’m surprised there’s no interest in him.
I think his contract is that bad. He’s on a similar deal that Jordan Clarkson was on, and he ended up being bought out by Utah. I don’t think anyone wants to pay Monk $21M to be a 6th man 2 years from now.
Yep. With the advent of the 2nd apron, that is way too much for a 6th man. And as a starter, he is a lower tier shooting guard, so not worth the money there, either.
The new NBA has you spending bank on your big three if you have them, and then sprinkling in around the edges. Monk has become a tougher fit on a lot of rosters.
So of course the Kings have a bunch of low tier starters/6th men making mid-level money (Monk, Keegan, Hunter, DDR) and second/third tier players making top tier money (Sabonis, LaVine). Not one of those contracts is any good, with Sabonis being closest.
And1: RJ Barrett is securely in the “low-tier starter/6th man making mid-level money” camp. Let’s build an entire team of replacement level players!
I don’t understand the boner that Perry has for RJ. RJ is fine, but Perry seems gell bent on acquiring him as the “star” player they need.
He was hell bent on Schroeder being the anwer too….so
Just learned with the JJJ trade the Griz now have over 26 mil. in a TPE which they could with the right incentives take on Poeltl’s contract. That would open the door for the Kings to trade Sabonis to the Raptors without either Poeltl’s or Quickley’s contracts included. Hope they do that.
yes Jack we agree
DS+ DDR to Toronto- get some combination of RJ + Muray-Boyles + Grady Dick + Abaji + a pick
and Jacob goes to Griz for a second round sweetener
Not likely to have interest in Poeltl and his huge contract . They have Zach Edey and Jock Londale . Both younger , cheaper and better than him !
Pretty much. Keon may have been the only player on the roster with value in excess of his contract, and they sold him off to get out of their own bad deals (Schroder, Saric). Murray could still grow into a player that is worth his impending contract, but the window is closing. Clifford and Raynaud are low cost lotto scratchers, but they don’t have a lot of intrinsic value.
This org. is definitely selling out of an empty wagon, one of their own creation.
I think Keegan is going to be a near 35% 3pt shooter for his career. That rookie season appears to be the anomaly. I don’t think he lives up to the contract he signed.
Defensively he has gotten much better, but for $28m or so for a good defender and sub-par offensive player…at his age…
I’m currently not worried about Keegan’s deal. He’s young, plays good defense and expanded his offensive game. Sure his 3pt shooting currently isn’t what it was, but I think a lot of that is system oriented and usage.
You don’t set the rookie record for 3’s made then forget how to shoot. If anything, players improve their 3pt shooting as the years go by.
What is sad is Dennis wasn’t even the worst contract. He’d be fine to ride another year of tanking as your lead PG, then deal him next year with his partial guarantee for 27-28.
They attached the bargain contract and good player to the least worst contract.
So much this.
Yup, and same goes with Hunter. Kings are collecting the players/contracts that are toxic in the new CBA.
There is a reason why Toronto is willing to part with RJ, Quickley and Poeltl. All those dudes fall into the same category. There is also a reason they are targeting the Kings with them. They know Vivek is a sucker.
If they can turn two of their bad contracts into one (Sabonis) that a win for them, not to mention they get the best player in the deal.
Make it happen Ruindiva!
If this team somehow ends up with Ja, LaVine, and DDR on this team next year…we are fucked.
In some sick way, I almost want to see it happen just to see the fire burn.
Include Keegan so Memphis will bite, Viwreck wins
Isn’t that the whole point in tanking? Or are you aiming for the play-in again?
A part of me has crossed over to the other side and I haven’t even realized it.
Every time I go to a trade machine, I look for deals that send my favorite Kings players to other teams I like with the trade highly in favor of the other team. Domas for Poeltl? Yeah, let’s go for it. Vivek, you have killed my fandom.
I love that picture. Perfect.
How’s everyone been? Hey, at least the Sharks have been fun this year!
Sharks have been awesome. If only ESPN wouldn’t black the damn games out.
As expected
Cavs all in on this year for sure. I feel like this is going to make them worse though. Don’t trust Harden.
Today’s Harden is a better player than Darius Garland, and with Garland’s injury history he can’t be counted on to be available. Harden, for all of his warts, is going to win them some games. The knock on him is playoff Harden, and maybe that will be better this year.
Look for Lonzo Ball to find a new uni.
Agreed. Cavs are going all in. I think part of the reasoning is Mitchell has one more year left on his deal and the Cavs want to show they are committed to winning now.
I agree, Beard shat’s the bed every year in the playoffs.
Is Cleveland looking to clear cap space in the 2027 offseason? Harden has 1 year less than Garland on his contract.
I don’t see how Harden makes them better. He’s proven who he is the past several years.
Over the past 24 hours, as the Harden trade materialized, the Cavaliers’ odds to win the NBA title moved from 22-1 to 12-1 at DraftKings Sportsbook. After the trade was reported Tuesday, the Cavs leaped the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons) in the title odds and now are tied with the New York Knicks with the third-shortest title odds, behind the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder
Well Hell, now I don’t want Keon’s team to do as well…
Yeah, I can’t stand the Beard, or Mitchell.
But, go, Keon!
Scooter P has not been the GM anyone hoped he would be. Going back to the Fox trade, when he was allegedly in Vivek’s ear, all the way to now his in season decision making has been absolutely horrible. And likely because he does what Vivek wants. It seems pretty obvious that’s what he’s doing, anyway. No GM builds this team if their job actually depends on it, right?
I mean, aside from the obvious issues with the roster construction to start the season (the glut of guards, the lack of power forwards, the late roster adds, the apparent complete lack of a reputable shot blocking… presence somewhere on the roster) there’s little to no relief until after the following season based off current salaries, contract lengths, things of that nature AND the “core” has a median age of 31 and every one of them outside of Sabonis allegedly wants out. There’s little to no youth to build on, as much as I like Max and Dylan and Nique they’re not players you make roster decisions around. All the contracts are pretty bad except for the rookies and, while we have draft capital, Perry’s SO bad at in season trades that I fully expect him to give a first round asset away to take on another over the hill asset that completes the owner’s real-life fantasy team so he can invite more b list celebreties to come party at golden 1 like its 1999 forever. And we haven’t even gotten to the coaching issues, yet.
How anyone ever thought Scooter P was going to right this team’s wrongs was always beyond me. He’s absolutely terrible, he knows it, and still tries to sound convincingly authentic. That’s a charlatan. An absolute con man. And I’d be absolutely fine with him going back to selling cars in Temecula.
Shaka. Bitch.
Totally agree on the used car salesman vibe.
Monte was a real GM, maybe not great, but the best this franchise had since Petrie
When free agency embarked upon us lol.
my favorite line in the Schroeder presser.
Scott trade for a thesaurus.
Saw something about Derozan being a buyout candidate.
There goes any chance of trading him.
Why trade for the guy when you can get him for the cheap after the buyout?
Perry should say, “We are not buying out Demar.”
because you don’t know if you are going to be the team he picks. I think if you want him and aren’t in LA it actually increases his value slightly. Nothing crazy buy maybe you finally part with the expiring and a 2nd
Davis to Wiz for Middleton.Trades are heating up now
Why would the Wizards do that???
Wiz going all in. Probably peak at 5-6 seed over the next couple years before Davis completely breaks down.
His limbs may fall off near the deadline!
BREAKING NEWS: Wizards shut down Davis for the season. Bruised ego.
I thought he was already broken down
Hornets loading up on PGs before Ball for Sabonis trade.
3 hours and 45 minutes to go.
A lot went down yesterday.
This is my comment on the Kuminga and Buddy exchange for The Unicorn:
For the Warriors, this has to be for the off season pursuit, which puts pressure on MIN and MIA to do a deal sooner than later as Kuminga would have been part of the Giannis package, which will now include draft capital and possibly Dray Dray. GSW has claimed that they will not part with Jimmy Buckets. That they are cutting salary is interesting and speaks to some deal, I just assume it’s Giannis because when you are a REAL franchise, you get to talk about realistic dreams not pipe dreams.
It’s a nice pick up by Atlanta, btw. I like what they are doing.
I don’t know, I feel the Dubs are totally out of the Giannis market now. They needed Kuminga’s deal to match salary. Draymond and whoever else won’t get it done.
IMO, if the Dubs are really going to make a go of it with Curry’s rapidly closing windwo, they are going to have to move Butler.
Just spitballing but If I’m Perry, I ring up Dunleavy and offer LaVine and Hunter for Butler, Moody, Podz and a pick.
Window already closed
That’s not evidenced by their trade for Zinger. They are still trying to win.
They may think it’s open. My take is that it is closed
That’s fair, but if their intentions are to win now, the Kings might be able to take advantage of that.
Oh man, I apologize. I completely missed the last paragraph you wrote there. Absolutely, if they think thy still have title contending hopes, take advantage. Should not be hard to sell Vivek on any ex or current Warrior players.
I heard that Zinger was ill and has been ill for like a year.
I’ve heard that as well, and it is a medical mystery of a problem. Not good for the Latvian 7 footer.
Unicorn Flu
Kennard is a good pickup. Not sure Dosunmu is worth Dillingham and FOUR second rounders.
Scotty P, you gonna find a way to make some trades?
When the bar is “at least they didn’t do anything stupid”, you know the franchise is not in good hands.
That’s the spin I have been hearing from Sac media.
Except the Hunter trade was stupid.
Yep. Terrible return for Ellis, that was the only asset in that trade and the Kings got nothing for it.
The trade was short sighted, and done to try and cover the awful decisions by Perry this offseason. Will this franchise ever have competent people in positions of power?
Perry is really just going to end up making that Hunter trade to try and right his wrongs from the offseason and do nothing else.
Absolutely wild that MM, Domas, Zach, DDR and Russ are still Kings.
It would have been nice to watch Domas play in Toronto, but aside from smaller and expiring contracts, I wasn’t too hyped about the return. A first round draft pick would have been nice, but I think RJ Barret is fools gold.
Hopefully Perry can get some picks in the summer.
Domas for expirings and a FRP would have made the most sense, but none of the teams that were reportedly interested seem to have the expirings to make a deal, plus who knows what the heck Viv and SP actually want in return.
The Wizards might have been interested before they acquired the corpse of Anthony Davis, and they did have the expiring contracts and picks to make it work.
Yup, they apparently offered Middleton, filler and picks but the Kings said no.
Which is EXACTLY the deal a rebuilding team should be looking for. The Wizards are the Kings. Any first round pick from them is gold, because they won’t be good for long, and whatever they build is inevitably going to fall apart.
Well, I’d point out that the Hunter trade is not what a rebuilding team does. It’s yet again a “re-rooling.”
My guess is the Wiz deal wasn’t as “good” as the AD trade. Mavs got OKC’s pick this year and the Dubs top 20 protected in 2030, which may not even convey.
Would you have settled for expirings, the #30 pick, if the Wiz even offered that? It might have been 2nds for all we know.
Yes. I like Sabonis as a person and he certainly maximizes his abilities, but you have to build a very specific kind of team around him, and that team has a low ceiling. He’s certainly not going to be part of the next good Kings team, if that ever happens at all.
I don’t think the Kings are going to get a better deal in the offseason (happy to be wrong), and keeping Sabonis here is wasting his career and making the team’s draft picks worse. The bar for a Sabonis deal is more or less the Trae Young deal.
People would have screamed, but moving Sabonis means years of high lottery picks, which is the only thing that can save Vivek from his own stupidity.
Perfect return, but once again we’re not actually going to rebuild even though the house is falling off the foundation. A fresh coat of paint and a few flowers out front should do just fine.
Sell the Team!
The Landlord special!
Wow. Just reaffirms we have no plan.
Yup. RJ fits into the “3rd best player on a good team” role. Not what the Kings need.
The only player in that group that another team might want at their current salary is Sabonis, and even then his market is tepid at best.
Also, the day ain’t over yet. Vivek has never been able to resist acquiring “All Stars” or counting stats players. It will be a minor miracle is Ja Morant isn’t on this team in the next three hours, or the offseason.
Bucks not trading The Freak. Looks like this will be the story of the offseason.
Has anyone checked on Perry to see if he is awake? I think there has been something like 15-20 trades since the Hunter trade last Saturday.
To be fair, it’s getting close to Monday and he still has to finish his next motivational slogan.
I heard that he was on the phone with Vlade.
I guess I don’t share the same negativity about the Kings that many of the people on this site have. Yes, Scott Perry made a fairly big mistake with the signing of Dennis Schroeder and picking up Keon Ellis’s option. I can’t understand the rationale around the Keon decision and I’ve never liked Schroeder, particularly for this team. Here are some of my thoughts as we approach the trade deadline:
By biggest pushback with this is that Perry thought this roster was a PG away from competing. That’s was a complete miscalculation of the roster. I don’t think many around the league held the same sentiment. It was just an awful assessment of talent and fit.
Agreed. I hated the Schroeder signing. Don’t mistake my optimism about the Kings overall as being a proxy for thinking Perry is good at his job. He’s a bridge GM for this team, imo. I hope he makes solid picks in 2026 and (maybe) 2027 and that he’s not our GM for the 2027-28 season. I just think that, whether by intent or accident, he’s setting us up well for the 2027 season. Can he or Vivek screw that up today or over the next year? Yes.
Kings clear cap space for the 2027-2028 season….
How in the world do you believe that ANY agent – free agent or sports agent will direct themselves to this team? They didn’t even do that when the Kings were decent (Beam Team 2023, Requiescat in pace).
Pipe Dream.
What the other sad franchises have learned, long ago, is that they must build through the draft and acquire draft capital. San Antonio, Utah, OKC, Memphis even Charlotte and now Washington.
For me, if this ownership and management group cannot find the wherewithal to muster up an attempt at getting better, I will relinquish my season tickets. I am done paying for a season’s worth of games and getting half of a season of good teams sitting their stars and bad teams matching up with the Kings bad team. If no Woj Bomb or Sham Wow, I can watch from home. Eff’em.
Cap space is fine, but the Kings need to use to acquire bad contracts and draft picks. Vivek won’t allow that to happen.
Exactly, it has never happened in the Vivek era. He’s all about re-tooling around the edges and never about long term strategy.
Yes, guys, I know Vivek’s failings. As a 49er fan, I’m just gonna hope that Vivek will learn some of the same lessons that Jed York eventually learned. Probably won’t. But my life doesn’t revolve around the success or failure of the kings. I simply like NBA basketball.
you are blessed. I am cursed
I’m certainly cursed when I expect my team to win. The 2023-24 season was utterly miserable for me. I cursed at the TV too much that year. Now that I have fully given up on this team, I’m whistling through the graveyard. I have a full, busy life outside of my fandom.
If I put both my feet on the ground, I can see some hope out there.
+If the Kings get Peterson and he pans out to be a good PG, then you have a decent lineup with Sabonis, Keegan, Hunter, Lavine, Peterson; and a decent bench.
They ain’t going to win a title, but they could be formidable. Still would want to flush Lavine.
+If they are able to trade some players in summer or before next deadline, they could maybe pickup some more draft assets/young players. There’s a chance.
If I put both my feet on the ground, I still see negatives …
+They are well behind in a rebuild compared to teams they were ahead of just a few years ago including the Thunder.
+They don’t have assets to compete with teams like the Thunder, Rockets, Grizzlies, etc. for trades to get star players, and won’t even should they be able to pull off a Sabonis, Lavine, Derozan or Monk trade in the near future.
+I think we all agree that Perry’s judgment has been off, about as far off as McNair’s.
+Vivek. Never underestimate Vivek’s ability to fuck things up.
In the end, I didn’t kill my optimism, Vivek did.
I agree on all points. I wouldn’t even say they’re well behind in a rebuild – they haven’t even begun it yet. We need this team to lose miserably this season for Vivek to be forced to stare his folly in the face.
Sure. Fair point. That might very well be exactly how it shakes out.
The Kings will have to generate some sort of energy to be even remotely a desirable location for FAs the 2027-28 season. Fuck up our next two drafts and nobody will want to come here. Nail one or both and that changes the equation.
I’m not expressing optimism about this front office or ownership. And I doubt that Sacramento will ever attract top tier free agents. Our most likely route to improvement is through trades or holding on to our draft capital, something the team hasn’t done well for a while, clearly, I get it. But a lot will change over the next one and a half seasons.
I’ve already given up on the Kings being good for the next two+ seasons. I’m in the acceptance phase. So I’m just watching basketball and imagining what could be. Considering that we have the worst record in the league, I already know all the doom and gloom around this team. It’s already so depressing and echo chamber-y on this site that I only ever scan it briefly any more. I didn’t feel the need to add to the doom and gloom.
not good for 2 + seasons???????????????????
no, the hole is much deeper than 2 seasons. Kings have to build through draft or good trades, not free agency. 2026 draft is good- have to take advantage of that which means don’t win any more games at all. The 2027 draft is not so good. So jettison the vets this summer and wining some games this year is the incorrect strategy.
The “+” didn’t indicate that to you?
“I’m not expressing optimism about this front office or ownership.” Looks you do, in fact, share the same negativity about this team as many people on this site have.
I see why this site has become an echo chamber. Not a single person here has responded to anything basketball related that I posted about the young players. Nobody can muster a single positive thing to say about the 4 young players I mentioned?
Like what Max has shown. Good moves and touch around the basket. I think he can be a solid backup. Maybe he can develop into an okay starter. Needs lower body strength.
Like Dylan’s effort, D and rebounding. Worth keeping around longer than we kept Queta to let him develop.
Like Nique, needs to hit his shots or he’s destined to follow Kessler Edwards out of the league.
Completely disagree with you on Carter. He had a nice game last night, but I don’t think he’s long for this league. Decent D, but can’t shoot, not impressed with his court vision or handle.
Yup, I know I’m in the distinct minority on Carter. I would characterize his defense, though, as more than just decent.
I like all of them quite a bit.
Okay, I wouldn’t put Carter in the same group as the other three, but it’s true he hasn’t been able to put much together without consistent playing time. Hopefully that changes over these last ~30 games. It would certainly help to know what we have going forward from a PG perspective.
My main issue with this group (and despite my best intentions, have watched a fair number of games this season) is that they look like, to me, the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th guys on a playoff roster.
I like them, but respectfully disagree that any of them are starter quality to combine with a superstar. I think they are, or could be, the foundation of a really solid bench group.
But none of them, outside of the TBD possibility of Maxime, are starters on a playoff roster.
Yeah, I don’t know that I can make any definitive statements on the starter capability of any of those 4. They’ve all played between 25 and 52 total games in the NBA. It’s just not enough to make that determination for me. You could be right, but I just don’t fully know yet. The four of them have taken less than 16% of the team’s total shots this year while LaVine, DDR, RW and Monk have combined for more than 50%. That’s a big part of why I’m rooting for more playing time for the youngsters – I’d rather figure out what we have while losing instead of playing veterans.
Why we really needed to move as many of the vets as we could. If they are on the team you have to expect DC to play them. Disappointing.
Due to cap reasons I assume that’s going to have to happen this offseason. I’m kind of shocked that LaVine and DDR are still on this team after the deadline. On the other hand, who would want them with 1 1/2 years left? They are much more compelling targets this summer and at next year’s deadline.
Couldn’t agree with you more on this point!
I am super high on Dylan Cardwell. Dude is as raw as they come. In the short time he’s been on the team, I’ve seen massive improvement. Does that slow down at some point? Maybe. His effort and drive are as high as I’ve seen. You can see improvements from game to game. At some point, they will have to start benching him to continue losing games.
His next big step will be some type of offensive game beyond lobs, offensive rebounds and put backs.
I love his strength. Seeing guys drive at him while he’s stationary only to have him not move and them fall to the flow is fun to see. He shuffles his feet really well and seems poised to be able to eventually switch 1-5 on defense.
As long as they give him the full contract (I wouldn’t put it past this FO to mess this up), he’ll be a good prospect to develop.
Just my take, none of those project to be starters, let alone difference makers. Sure they are fun to watch, but they aren’t getting minutes on a playoff team.
In my mind it’s like getting excited bout Skal, Giles or Justin Jackson.
I hear you. I wouldn’t say I’m overly excited, per se. I’m just happy that we’re not compromising on defense while also having to accept mediocre offensive players. All four youngsters are scrappier than the three players you mentioned above, imo.
Yes, and that cap space was clear THIS season before they signed Schroder. They went from no salary commitment this season and next, to $14 million per year to $24 million with Hunter. And they’ve gained… maybe an average starter in the process? Ridiculous.
Yup, they are going backwards in terms of clearing space for future moves. They are now projected to be an apron team, which will come with a whole new collection of hurdles to “rebuild.”
Or the simple reality is they are just not rebuilding.
First, I’d glad you are still getting some joy in watching the games. My joy from watching is when they lose and I can dream of a franchise cornerstone in the draft.
In regards to Perry, I can’t recall a new GM taking damn near zero measure in reshaping a team in his vision. Both ATL and Denver got new GMs last summer as well, and those two immediately got to work remaking those teams. Perry just seemed to e treading water.
Which is basically what Monte McNair did for years outside of the Haliburton-Sabonis deal and getting one good year out of Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter.
Of course, I’m rooting for losses and lots of bench time for any vet not named Sabonis (and maybe Monk). I did have a twinge of wanting them to avoid a 10 game losing streak but don’t mind Vivek getting the clear message that his approach is failing miserably. That’s the beauty of giving up on my team – I don’t really care about losses at all, especially when I get to see the youngsters get some run.
Hiring the incumbent coach in Christie that seemed to make no sense also.
My fear that the vets- DS, DDR, Monk, Zach and Westbrick have enough in them to win a few games. Winning is BAD.
2026 draft is a good one, have to take advantage. Kings in drivers seat now as long as they do not win any other games. No more wins.
Same, Russ needs to go. He can easily add a few more wins over the last 30 games that can be detrimental to the team. Hell, I was worried DDR was gonna pull a rabbit out of his hat last night and squeak out a win.
This. They’re going to go on enough of a run in the second half of the season to take the Kings out of the superstar tier of the lottery. Vivek is too stupid to see this coming.
Raps are holding RJ Barrett out of today’s game due to “injury management.’ This could be relevant because teams need to file their injury reports between 11 and 1 local time.
Hawks now have Kuminga. Could the Kings make a trade. I read today the Kings could offer Derozan and a second for Kuminga Hawks could use Derozan. Come on Perry make this happen. Trade could also include a second or two. We have 2 high second round picks in this years draft.
PS. Now if we were to get Kuminga and Hunter could play shooting guard we would have 3 really good players starting. Hunter Murray and Kuminga. Buy out Westbrook and let Clifford and Monk take on point until we get either Peterson or Flemings in the draft.
I feel the Kuminga ship has sailed, Jack.
into the sunset.
I only see one good player, Murray, and based on my definition of “really good”, zero of those.
I would say that Keegan is only situationally a good player. He’s a good fourth or fifth starter on a high-level team, where you can let him spot up for threes, play defense and not do much else. If you’re asking him to create offensively, shoot off the dribble, pass the ball, or be anything like a third option or more, he’s not going to do well.
Definitely agree on Kuminga and Hunter.
I think you are underselling Keegan’s defense a bit here, but not enough to quibble.
Fair. The Kings are so bad defensively that it’s tough to judge Keegan’s individual defensive impact. I have him above average on defense, but not more than that. Put him on a strong defensive squad though, and maybe he’s top-tier.
Kum, Hunter, Murray ain’t getting you nowhere.
Not sure why the Hawks would want DeRozen vs Kuminga.
This FO should be doing everything in their power to obtain a top 3 pick in this draft. The 2027 draft looks weak. Get your franchise cornerstone this draft and build that roster.
Sounds like the grizz are still trying to trade Moron. Keep your fingers crossed that vivek doesn’t do it.
Scott Perry’s biggest contribution to the Kings might be to accidentally lock Vivek in a closet for the next hour.
“Kendrick Lamar stopped by and wants to show you his Grammy award and give you a signed t-shirt. Yes, he’s right in there.”
With a nod to George Maloof?
Ranadive gets a hard-on for a guy and he won’t back off. He wanted Lavine for years and he got his man — for close to $50 million a year (and his ball-handling and defense are at best questionable). Now he might think Morant is THE man as his brilliant basketball mind can see the future better than other GMs/owners. Why does the think he knows better than other front office folks? You all probably know this already but this: Ranadivé coached his daughter’s 12-and-under girls’ basketball team despite never, by his own account, having touched a basketball until he reached his 40s to a12-0 season and the National Junior Basketball championship in 2009. Lacking traditional skills, the team utilized an intense, unconventional full-court press to defeat far more experienced opponents.
This is a big one. It could also raise the floor of Indy this season and help the Kings in the lottery.
a top pick in 2026 draft, and getting Hali back next season, the Pacers should be right back to being contenders.
Benedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first round picks, and one second round pick!
What the heck is Sacramento doing?
All phone lines are busy because they are calling STH and begging them for their renewals.
Nothing. As always.
Don’t you know? It’s just injuries that have kept us from competing! With just a minor change on the periphery, we’ll be right back to competing for that 10-seed next season!!
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If it weren’t for the injures this team would be sitting around 20 wins right now and we’d be even more pissed off with a purgatory team that continues to tread water.
Right. Thank Gaia for the injuries!
Yeah, but we’ll have a draft pick coming in next season that will take half the season to fully integrate into the flow of the team and then he’ll hit the rookie wall. So maybe the next season we can go for that 10 seed!
But that next season they will have a coaching change, which will take time to get everyone up to speed on the new systems. So after taking a year to gel, the next next year….
Good point, but then we’ll need to fire Perry after hiring that new coach, so maybe 2030?
Crazy pick protections.
Becomes a 2031 unprotected 1st if it doesn’t convey this season.
How does this work? Does this mean if the pick lands 5-9, it’s the Clippers and if it lands 1-4 or 10-30, it’s the Pacers and Clips get the 2031 unprotected?
Yes.
Aren’t the results of the Aspiration/Leonard/Balmer investigation due soon? Will the league take away these picks since the Clippers already traded away their own for the foreseeable future?
I would have taken a similar deal for Domas
Nobody wants the Domas contract for what the Kings are asking in return.
Guess the Jazz won’t trade us Kessler for Domas either. Lol
Really should have moved him to Toronto.
Kings media spin on the trade deadline (maybe, probably):
The Kings really added another player to the roster: Dylan Cardwell. He will be promoted to a standard contract, which is like adding a player to the roster. Perry has a plan, and he is methodically making moves to address the roster and get the Kings back into contention. The 6 pillars are a foundation for the organization to build upon, and I think he is doing that.
Welp, back into hibernation I go…
I read that as inebriation, which also works.
lol, I’m committed to much less of that this year.
Can we get a one two three “Scott Rocks”
LOL, now do Westbrook.
And send LaVine home for the remainder of this season so he can contemplate whether he will forego his option for next season.
Wow!
At least we escaped the Ja Morant doom? For now.
Didn’t move any of the real dead contract weight. Just added a bunch of salary to clean up Vivek’s offseason mess without making the team any better short term or long term, and moved the team’s best asset and least bad contract to do it.
Your Sacramento Kings!!!!!
I don’t think you realize how hard this is. —- Scooter P
And I’m ok with this until the off-season as long as the Ls keep coming this season. If this team doesn’t get a top draft pick this year, everything that happened this season is a waste.
Don’t worry. Even if they do get that pick, they’ll still find a way to turn it into Marvin Bagley, or Nik Stauskas, or Jimmer Fredette, or Tyreke Evans, or Ben McLemore, or Thomas Robinson, or Spencer Hawes, or Quincy Douby, or Pervis Ellison, or….
Okay, I need to lie down now.
One thing that will make me lose my mind is if they play the veterans and go 12-18 in the last 30 games. They need to do what Doug did last night and play mostly young lineups to close out (and hopefully lose) games. There’s no need to fumble the f’ing football at the one yard line. Winning nets this team absolutely nothing through the end of the season.
The vets haven’t shown they can win this season, so playing them a lot probably won’t affect winning games.
Unfortunately, our remaining SOS is .455. I don’t want to leave anything to chance. Losses, please.
FWIW of our 12 wins, 8 have been against teams currently over .500(GSW, DEN, MIN, MIA, HOUx2, LAL & NYK) and only 4 under .500(UTA, MIL, DAL & WAS).
My thoughts exactly. And/or bench or waive someone which I think is unlikely. Just keep losing and let the lottery balls fall where they may
Now we know the picture of Vivek at the top of this article was actually just him ignoring that there was a trade deadline at all so he could keep his superteam together.
Too bad the Kings didn’t get Brian Gregory as their GM. He did the best job in the NBA this year.
I was keeping expectations low, and yet I am still disappointed
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