A quick roundup of Kings-related news from the past day or so.
Jordi Fernandez will coach Team Canada
ESPN Sources: Sacramento Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez has accepted an added assignment as head coach of the talent-laden Canadian national basketball program: https://t.co/Za0kzxG6zg
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2023
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that Jordi Fernandez is replacing Nick Nurse as head coach of Team Canada. This won’t impact his role with the Sacramento Kings, but will be an additional role similar to how Mike Brown was an assistant for the Warriors and also coached the Nigerian national team. Jordi also nearly replaced Nurse as head coach of the Toronto Raptors this offseason.
Canada has a really good team, and this is a big honor for Fernandez. I think we’re very likely losing Jordi to another team next summer as he seems destined to become a head coach in this league.
Talks resume with Harrison Barnes
According to a league source, the Kings and Harrison Barnes’ camp have restarted talks. No word if he will sign a new extension, but they are back at the table.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) June 28, 2023
James Ham had reported earlier this week that the Kings had been near an extension with Harrison Barnes before the NBA Draft before putting negotiations on hold. Now Ham reports that those talks have restarted.
I know a lot of fans would be disappointed if the Kings don’t upgrade Barnes’ role in the starting lineup, but the Kings also don’t want to let Barnes walk for nothing if they don’t have another option lined up. The Kings could also be working with Barnes on sign-and-trade possibilities. The landscape shifts fast this time of year, and we likely won’t get clarification until Friday.
Personally, I’d love it if the Kings could find a way to keep Barnes on a team-friendly contract for a bench role. It would be difficult to sign and upgrade and retain Barnes, but the Kings have significant cap space and a lot of ways they could use it.
Wembanyama won’t play in the California Classic
The Spurs say Victor Wembanyama will join their summer league team in Las Vegas but will not travel for the two games in Sacramento beforehand next week. San Antonio’s first summer league game is July 7 against Charlotte.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 28, 2023
Marc Stein reports that Victor Wembanyama won’t play in the California Classic or attend the event. A bit of a bummer, as that would have made the event even more fun.
Apparently nobody told Wemby that De’Aaron Fox won’t be playing in Summer League so there’s no reason to duck the Kings. Oh well.
The Spurs are letting Chet Holmgren be a lesson learned. Don’t play your gangly, young, 7 foot futures in games that don’t matter.
Side note, Wemby v Holmgren should be fun for about 10 years in about 3 years.
I just hope Jordi won’t get injured while coaching Canada.
He’ll be fine – he has a type “eh” personality.
oof
Yeah, but he’s going to play in Vegas, so it’s not as though they are not running him out.
I do wonder if there was any pressure from the league to have Wemby debut in Vegas instead of Sac.
Bank on that.
Absolutely. The big stage.
The draft was embarrassing in that regard- way too much hype for the league and the “new players” and devoid of substance. The announcers on both stations were terrible or uninterested or just happy and not informative.
I suspect that the NBA had a great deal of influence over the product presented that evening.
and, of course, their newest baller crush will be saved for the big stage in Vegas. I bet there is a red-carpet type thing- something over the top, like a Liberace show. or Celen Dion.
Barf.
A Liberace show would be a sight to behold…
I certainly agree that the draft broadcast was largely terrible, but I’m not sure how focusing on “new players” is seen as a negative. The new guys are the whole reason for the event.
If either of them holds up physically for those 3 years.
Related to the Barnes news, I posted this in another thread earlier this morning:
I will say that I do not have to squint very hard to see the Kings extend Sabonis, re-sign Barnes at a reasonable cost, add Vezenkov and/or bring back Lyles, add Jones, and find a low cost backup center, bench wing (maybe Ellis or Edwards) and an emergency PG (or maybe Ellis or Jones). On the surface it would be an uninspiring summer, but the impact of the new CBA is already being felt, and the Kings may oddly benefit by being in the position of not having to deconstruct their core.
Selling a 1st round pick (and its cap hold) along with Holmes’ contract to extend Sabonis is less than pristine, but it does put that issue to bed, and you’ve done it for the cost of a Prosper or Sensabaugh or Leonard Miller or such. All things considered, not the end of the world, though not exactly exciting.
So basically in the next 48 hours the Kings would need to use their new cap space to:
1) Give Sabonis a raise on his current deal.
2) Then extend Sabonis up to 140% of new deal.
3) Use remaining cap space the extend Barnes on a team friendly contact of say…$12-15M per year.
4) Then hit free agency with hopefully a bit of cap space left to bring over Sasha or sign Lyles
5) Lastly use any available exceptions and vet minimum deals to round out the bench with a back center and PG.
Sounds like a lot of ducks to get in a row rather quickly. I also saw this morning that teams still haven’t received the final copy of the CBA from the league.
Let’s say, just as an example, the Kings gave Sabonis a raise of $7 million and then agreed to a new deal with Barnes for $15 million. That uses $22 million of their $30-$35 million in cap space (I keep seeing different numbers so I don’t know exactly). The Kings would still have in the ballpark of $8-$12 million to sign another free agent (or multiple). The Kings can then go over the cap to re-sign Lyles (as long as they don’t renounce his rights to release his cap hold), and could use the Room Exception to sign Sasha.
I actually think this is a win over paying the likes of Kuzma $22M a year and losing Barnes. Kuzma is no major upgrade to Barnes and I don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze. As you state, Lyles and Sasha can be signed over the cap. This is the path that maximizes return on our available salary.
Signing Barnes plus a non-minimum free agent(s) is better than Kuzma plus vet-min guys (IMO). Other than the playoff challenges Barnes had (which is a few games), I’m not sure why many fans are so adamant about getting rid of him. He’s still an NBA starting level player and probably will be for another three years. And is a hub to the positive culture of the team it seems.
These are big flashy moves, but many big flashy moves reek of desperation more than value.
I think they can sign Kuz first, then go over to sign barnes and fit sasha and lyles in the exceptions.
Forwards could look like:
SF – Murray, Barnes
PF – Kuz, Sasha, Lyles (also small ball 5)
They can’t do that. To have the significant cap space they would first need to renounce Barnes to release his cap hold, and then they would not longer be able to exceed the cap to retain Barnes.
The window is equally small for signing free agents when you get right down to it – probably 90%+ of the major deals get done within the first few hours of free agency, and a vast majority of the RFA offers, which can tie teams up for the 72 hrs. that is granted for a team to match.
My only cause for concern is that Monte has had the past week to get the Sabonis and Barnes deals done (if there are deals), but it hasn’t happened yet. I’d assume Monte had preliminary talks with each camp prior to the Holmes trade to see if there were mutual interest.
Just waiting for the banner at this point.
My blind guess is that the front office is taking this time to explore all options and angles before determining the best (or maybe only?) path.
And 1 – We live in this age of instantaneous (mis)information. If we don’t hear something every five minutes, we begin to panic. Meanwhile, the truth of the matter is that the draft was barely a week ago, free agency does not start for a few days, and really, only a few deals that could legally happen in that time frame have taken place.
Could be keeping the Barnes deal for later so he can use the cap space elsewhere and go over the cap for Barnes.
They could still announce it, just make his signing later.
Very true
Hard to keep 2 offers in the air for 72 hours.
I don’t see the Kings as a team that can expect to sign RFAs yet. Would love to be wrong.
It’s certainly the least appealing option, due to the waiting pattern that it puts you in, unless you have a team that is cap strapped and likely won’t want to match.
the waiting period has been reduced from 72 to 48hrs
it also helps next year, having an extra 12 million to work with.
You also have smaller, more moveable pieces should an opportunity arise at the trade deadline.
I’m not trying to spin this as a win – I’d love to see a significant talent upgrade to the roster. But it’s also not all gloom and doom if we don’t.
yeah, I’m think that this year’s trade deadline will be busier than normal due to the new CBA salary limitations
100%, also this team is mainly guys entering their prime and still adding pieces to their game. 2nd year in a system is always vastly improved, especially defensively. National media torched Kings for passing trade deadline and they just got better being together more, same could easily happen here, we are a very talented team as is.
If they did all that but moved the resigning of Barnes to the last item on the to do list then they can still sign a potential upgrade to him and then go over the cap to resign Barnes. Sasha and Lyles should fit in the two exceptions as well. It’s all about the order of operations for these money issues.
Barnes has a $27M cap hold. If the Kings renounce his rights they can’t go over the cap to sign him. It makes more sense to re-sign him early so that he counts for his new salary and not the $27M.
My understanding is that the luxury tax starts over $162 million, $28 million over the salary cap where the Kings have $35.5 million, which means the Kings could spend up to $63.5 million this off season and not pay tax. My numbers may be outdated, but the concept remains valid, the Kings have a fair amount money to spend this off season over the cap without paying the tax if ownership and management chooses to do so.
As going over the cap restricts the ability of the Kings to make trades and sign free agents, the trick is to sign the players in the right order so that the cap doesn’t prevent a signing of a free agent, so players with Bird rights are signed last (I think that this would be the Sabonis extension, and, also if the Kings decide to do it, a Barnes one). This could be why we haven’t heard anything yet from McNair.
Would love to hear from people with expertise in this area.
I’m not saying the Kings should spend up to the luxury tax line. But McNair should seriously consider doing it if he sees players available that could make the Kings a Western Conference Finals or NBA Finals team. Of course, the bottom line is whether ownership will pay the price of admission.
A lot of going over the cap comes down to timing. You may exceed the cap to re-sign your own free agents, and there are things such as the mid-level exception and bi-annual exception, and the Kings do possess a trade exception for the Holmes deal. However, there are also cap holds that count against the cap until a player is signed or renounced, which can restrict how frisky you get. For example, the Kings would need to renounce the cap hold on Barnes in order to spend big money on another free agent. If they do that, I am not sure that they can exceed the cap to re-sign him conventionally.
A team like the Dubs far exceeds the cap due primarily to the re-signing of their own players, then back-filling their roster with exceptions and rookie or vet. minimum signings. I don’t think that the Kings are really in that position.
I find this a much more informative discussion compared to the reductionist “the Kings are $35.5 million under the cap”, which tells me very little about that Kings can actually do, and the pluses and minuses of the alternatives. It actually gives a false impression of the options available to the team.
Timing is key. You can resign own free agents and go over cap. Over cap teams get bi-annual exception (8 M) and the mid-level exception at 12 M and under the cap teams lose this but get “room exception” at 8 M I think.
that trade exception could be a big trading chip.
To the best of my understanding the Kings are operating under the cap, which means they can’t go over the cap then start using a lot of the exceptions (like mid-level). But there are some exceptions they can use (room exceptions and bird rights). Expectation is that Lyles gets signed with ealry bird (2 year $20M), Sasha gets the room exception (up to 2 year $9M). I think Lyles would have to be signed after the rest of the deals. And I think they could go over with Barnes since we have full Bird rights. So there is no reason the Kings can’t go over the cap by using their $35M on new contracts, and still keep Barnes and Lyles, plus bring Sasha over. But then again, I could be completely wrong about all of that.
Agree. A Monte- meticulous well or over thought-out move.
I wonder if the something up his sleeve was Reid who signed with Wolves or Middleton/Lopez who will sigh with Bucks
The pivot on HB occurred after Reid signed. On the other hand, this was not a great FA class, so why spend all the money for a third guy who does not deserve that.
The Kings had a number of off-season goals: get a backup for DS, move Holmes, get a combo guard and get more athletic at the wing spot. Two of those were accomplished.
I believe all your projected moves are on point: Ellis, Jones as emergency PG, Sasha as an improvement, extending DS and all the re-signings. I would add Lyles.
In addition, there are some peripheral moves- use the cap space for a real third PG- Orlando has a ton of them. and get length on the wing with Yuta although Toronto is trying to resign him and move to the Suns. In that regard the Suns have a few URFA and RFA that might become available- Craig and Landale.
yes, take on the team option for Edwards
I could live with this. Take care of our own guys first then see what’s left. #1 priority should be to lockdown Sabonis long term then go from there. If we screw this up and the Big Man walks next year we are right back to being the Kangz!!!
I can think of worse things than bringing back HB. depends on the price of course, but he’s still a shooter, switchable defender, and reliable player who is not on load management. There were many times last year where he took over for stretches. He knows how to draw fouls, which can help stop other team’s runs. and continuity should be a good thing for high IQ players and a returning coach building upon last year’s foundation.
Yeah, if you look at Barnes statistically and add in his durability, he would be a somewhat appealing free agent as depth at the 3-4. He is a bit of a wonky fit with Sabonis and Murray up front, and at his perceived price tag he would project to be an expensive bench piece. But you do know that his personality works with the existing core and that he will never cause problems for you.
Running him back ain’t perfect, and not upgrading the starting front line would be disappointing, but I can’t help but think that the overall conversation would be a little different had his shot in game five been 1/4 inch more accurate.
that’s true. and sometimes going against former teams can be weird. Look at how Sabonis played against the Pacers in Indiana and how Monk played against the Lakers in L.A.
Do you think Lyles might fit better next to Keegan and Sabonis?
I think that Lyles is an outstanding bench piece that would be outclassed as a starter. And more importantly, I don’t think that Lyles is a better player than Barnes, and for the most part I like the best players in the starting lineup. I can see the argument for Monk as a bench sparkplug, for example, but I don’t see Barnes in that same light.
Adding, I do wonder if the front office would try to approach it in the aggregate. That is, make a two-headed monster at the four out of Vezenkov (who is apparently a good rebounder) and Lyles, while planting Barnes behind Murray at the three (and of course there would still be times where Murray and Barnes share the floor). Sprinkle in Edwards and/or Jones when you want a little more athleticism at the three.
Bottom line, I know nothing. Never forget that.
Sasha really is the unknown here. If the Kings see him as the starting PF to complement Sabonis and Murray we really are in the dark to Monte’s plans for the cap space.
If Sasha really is “that guy” that they can fit into the room exception, then oh boy does Monte have some play money to fill out the roster!
I kind of see Barnes as the ultimate “innings eater” at this point. He would be a very valuable bench asset. The problem with that becomes the price point.
It sure is a lot more fun spending this time on making a good team better than a bad team play-in competitive. And a lot less stressful now that the former front office is the former front office.
First time in 17 years we had some kind of winning core that needs some fine tuning, rather than hoping the free agents signed in the off season are the saviors that will get us to a play-in spot.
$45M over 3 years is a good price for basically a very good 6th man wing. When you consider typical 6th man of the year worthy candidates make round $20M, that would be a good price for Barnes.
Agreed – Anything at or below 3/$45m is very palatable.
HB is our “utility-wing”
I can’t forget that because I have the same condition.
In a perfect world I don’t think you want either Barnes or Lyles starting next to Keegan and Sabonis. You would much rather have them come off the bench behind a legit 3/4.
My gut says (along with the rumor that Monte is chasing OG) is the Kings see Keegan as their future 4 and would prefer a defensive 3 and D wing.
inches indeed! going home 3-1 if he made that shot.
think of Milwaukee. Durant’s left foot was barely on the line when he made his last shot in regulation in ECF Game 7 two yrs ago. Had it been a 3 pointer, Giannis is still without a ring.
He has value but as mentioned below he is a wonky fit with Keegan and DS. This would be better if DS was a conventional 5 but he is not- minimal rim protection and interior defense but his overall unique value overcomes that. A Jaren Jackson would be the perfect fit- rim protection and floor spacing but he is cemented in Memphis.
There is a game of musical chairs going on here and Monte is trying to time the open chairs.
The trade exception for Holmes can be used within the next year and there is value there.
I still believe that there are quite a few unbalanced teams out there with too much talent at a single position, too many new coaches and new system and too many teams that will want to dump salary at the trade deadline. Long game.
But isn’t this always true in the NBA? If the players are there now, Monte needs to go get them with the money he has. If he isn’t happy with what’s on the market, I’m OK with waiting, and trying to swing a deal.
the thing is, the players available now in free agency might not be the right puzzle piece.
I think everyone is jumping to the conclusion that having cap space means they can land a superstar who will fit perfectly, solve the defensive issues and shoot like HB. hmm. … well, umm, …. that would be … uhhh …. still looking ….
Long game.
I’ve just heard that teams must spend 90% of their cap space by the start of the season under the new
CBA. If true, the Kings must act now before a Sabonis extension takes away their cap space.
I’m confused as to why we feel the need to defend Barnes, I don’t think anyone has said he sucks, he just so happens to be on the decline and we if we have an opportunity to upgrade why wouldn’t we? I don’t think he particularly helped himself in the playoffs where at times he looked like he should have been benched for Kessler Edwards. Kuzma is a clear upgrade in terms of size, age, and athleticism so of course he’s gonna demand 25 plus a year for his services. Keeping Barnes at 17m a year and running it back is a missed opportunity in my opinion, if that’s the case I’d rather sign a couple of shooters at the wing and forward position and have depth rather then overpay to keep Barnes. Sentimentality doesn’t win championships, talent does.
HB shoots better than Kuzma and Kuzma has a reputation for being a below average defender.
No-one said 17 million. Not sure where you’re getting that.
In other words, there was no reason to add Charlotte and San Antonio to the Classic.
I have a gut feeling that Domas will finish out his contract and leave for the Lakers or Clippers. His wife lives and works in L.A. and he’ll have two young children by the end of his contract. The opportunity to go home to his family after a home game may be too good to pass up.
For family reasons I could completely understand if that’s what he ended up doing but man… if he left us for the Lakers that would be a real kick in the dick lol
Although it’s only an hour flight and I’d like to think he knows the impact he brings to the team and city, and the perfect fit he is in our offense. In my opinion, family stuff aside, the Kings are set up for success way more than the 2 LA teams for the next few years
He also has his estate in Napa.
I’d much rather raise my kids up this way compared to LA…no thanks, he should bring them all to his Napa home.
The thing is, though, that when you’re worth nine figures, the only difference location makes in your quality of life is the weather.
I think Sabonis likes it here, likes what Brown and McNair are doing, and feels good about the trajectory of the team. Given the extra money he can get by staying, it seems like something would need to go horribly wrong in Sacramento for him to decide to go elsewhere.
Location does matter in terms of children being raised in the environment of said location and I’d take nor cal society over LA 7x a week and twice on sunday.
Mike, you and I don’t live in remotely the same society as someone like Damontas Sabonis. The kids won’t be taking buses to public schools, and there won’t be twenty liquor stores near their home.
Vast wealth is its own neighborhood, and makes its own society.
OT: Hornets extend QO to PJ Washington and Miles Bridges.
https://twitter.com/MarcJSpears/status/1674141137999917057
Also, anyone know why tweets aren’t showing up anymore as an image in these threads? Now it just shows the link.
I emailed TKH staff about it, haven’t gotten a response yet.
Makes sense to take a run at PJ, his QO is about $8.5 million. I’d throw out something like 4yrs/$50 mil and feel good about it.
As to Bridges…
He did some reprehensible shit. Is there any contract amount that you would offer that would make you feel less icky about it? (His QO is about $7.9 mil.)
No
No…but if you’re talking strictly basketball the dude would be a massive get for this team.
Aye, there’s the rub…
Vucevic agrees on 3 year $60M contract extension. Barnes should definitley be far cheaper than that. 3 years at $45M for Barnes seems very reasonable.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1674141947710062600
Not a fan of Kuzma, but I will say this. After watching Aaron Gordon’s transformation from knucklehead on the Magic to the the Nugs’ 3rd best player in the post season would make me okay with giving Kuzma a try, IF Brown and McNair talked to him and wanted to give him a shot.
Taurean Prince was waived by the Timberwolves. He could be a decent back up 3/4.
Also, antics aside, Dillon Brooks is looking a more appealing option too. I don’t really want to root for the guy though.
After being waive by the Wolves, I’d be interested in bringing in Taurean Prince. Good size at the wing, typical 3 and D.
is he better than Torry Craig who might be waived by the suns
They’re pretty similar IMO. Either one of them is a good get to add bench depth off the bench.
Not bad if you can’t get anything better, I’d much rather have Barnes as a backup. Prince averages like 4 rebounds per 36. Does shoot fine though.
Rattlesnakes strike. It’s what they do. It is intrinsic to their nature. Seizing opportunity. Preying on an advantage. Patient in waiting, then boom. Our GM is a rattlesnake. Case in point: last week’s draft. McGenius strikes again!
Ah yes, it is all coming together as the Doomers fade into the bushes like a Homer Simpson meme. Where my Doomers at? I miss my Doomers. Come back Doomers! When the PG proved extraordinary, the GM proved exemplary, the team proved scintillating, the forecasts proved idiotic, the Doomers disappeared and pondered their r’aison d’etre. Existential crisis born. Discredited and dismayed, the Doomers retreated to the rock from which they crawled under, or became Pacer fans.
I faded too, for another reason. I had nothing left to say. My work was done. Wisdom dropped, akin to the owl from Winning the Pooh, offering guidance and logic, from his lofty perch, where the air is crisp and clean, vision clear and insights profound. The owl of the NBA is back. Ca-coo! Ca-coo!
There was a time when I would say every move we make is about Fox. Catering to him. Putting him in a position to excel. Every move considered to maximize his talent and justify his salary. In a roundabout way, the Haliburton pick was about Fox, though it did not seem so at the time. That is the genius of the Rattler. If he was not so keen and cunning, he would be named Mitch Kupchak, a demented old fool, Vlade personified, taken Miller over Scoot, need over BPA, when talent upgrade, and figure it out later, was the prudent course.
BPA Haliburton became Sabonis, the wonderful complement to unleash Fox and allow him to focus upon his lethality as a scorer and budding defensive prowess. The team took off, led by a player many fans previously wanted vanquished. Cry babies bemoaned the loss of the “better” PG, seduced by the smile, overlooking the mataor defense, average speed and lateral limitation. Haliburton can play, on one end at least, when he’s not butthurt over his exodus. Living in the past, unable to process rejection, he can’t stop talking about us, like a spurned lover. We’ve moved on. Maybe one day he will do the same.
Fox has no such hangups. From disrespected underachiever to All-NBA, the vision for what Fox could be has been actualized. We are only scratching the surface.
It took Fox one half of playoff basketball to figure out playoff basketball. Ponder that, Kings fans.
However, the calculus has changed. It is not what is best for one cornerstone anymore when we have two. This was the beauty of last week. The identification of priorities with action aligned. Why waste 5M guaranteed on the 24th pick who may or may not be rotation ready, when we can sell it to a sucker for the bargain price of 25M? We can now reward Domas in two ways: financially and on the floor. 35M to play with, and another 7M on top. Spending spree, LFG. We can reciprocate Domas commitment to us for playing through a broken thumb, embodying sacrifice, selflessness and epic productivity.
We can make him a happy (happier) man and a King for life. We will extend his lifespan as an All-NBA playe if we can help preserve his body with next level addition(s). That guy does not include HB. He’s not good enough. Adios amigo. His tenure as a King is done. If you cannot see that I do not know what to tell you. Except open your eyes and mind.
The same fans who want to entertain the notion of Cam Johnson, Brook Lopez and Draymond are angling for the scenario in which HB returns. “Run it back, derp, continuity is king, derp, bird in the hand equals yada yada in the bush, derp derp, 30 is the new 21, derp derp.”
HB is a player I defended. I respect him. But it’s not about respect. It’s about winning. HB is an acronym for ‘hella boring’, and that’s what any team is in store for as his career winds down. The invisible man, the happy go lucky role player, the diplomatic statesmen going through the motions too often. Instead of opening the door to his return, it needs to be slammed shut. Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord, split ya, enjoy your time with the Pacers, the old gang of world beaters reunited”.
HB is a durable player. He keeps himself in elite shape. He was a constructive voice in the locker room to help us to end the streak. He preached poise and temperament. He exemplified professionalism. The newbs soaked it in. The newbs aren’t so new anymore. Monk, Fox and Keegan have gotten a taste. They can take it from here. “More advice from you? Nah man, we good.”
The intangibles HB provided was not backed by the tangible, including a -58 net plus minus in the GSW series, zero rebounds in Game 7, benched in Game 6 in our arguably most triumphant moment, an anemic 12% defensive rebound rate (DRR), reflecting his absence on the glass when we desperately needed someone in Game 7 to get the damn boards, with Domas occupied with Looney.
Instead we got cowering from physicality from HB and a brick to end Game 4 when we could have taken a stranglehold on the series.
The poise that HB preached turned out to be a “do as I say, not as I do” message.
Is there accountability for this or is this acceptable?
Any serious Kings fan will agree with me that this is completely unacceptable!
HB choked. There’s no two ways about it. Huerter’s choke job was rough too, but forgivable, given his age and lessons likely garnered, specifically the need improve his cardio, core and leg strength so he has his legs under him on his bombs. Huerter has 3 months to ruminate upon his 21% from 3s (6 for 25). And let this be the fuel that lights the fire in 2023-24.
Redemption is less likely with HB. His problem was not conditioning or health, it was the magnitude of the moment. And talent disparity that is likely permanent.
Our summer-to-do list is not hard to anticipate. All that one needs to do is study the history of the brilliant decision maker to deduce the probable course of action. No one can say for certain, but I suspect our Next Level Plan looks like this:
Plan A:
1a Renegotiate and extend Domas
1b Sign Kuzma to 3/75 with a team option on 4th year
2 Sign Sasha
3 Sign Lyles
4 Pick up option on Kessler
5 Bring back TD to keep him away from the Suns, Warriors and other rivals
6 Do something unexpected because this is how MM rolls
Kuzma has a 6’5” skill in a 6’9 frame. He is potent out of the high and mid post. He would become our second best post player upon arrival. He has a potent face up game with quick first step. He can square you up or back you down. HB is not nearly as dynamic or versatile, only efficient out of the block or isolated at the top of the key with space against a mouse in the house. HB is situationally dependent to produce. Kuzma is a bucket. I know his efficiency leaves something to be desired but if he was 60% TS% we would not be having this discussion.
Kuzma has swagger like Monk and Playoff Jimmy, rubbing off on teammates to provide an extra edge. Kuzma is an intuitive cutter, which Sabonis will love. Kuz can be a nifty interior passer. He’s good in transition, able to grab and go, with better leg speed than HB. Huerter and HB cannot keep up with Fox. Kuzma can to the extent that any player in the league can.
The predominant variable that will enable Kuzma to blend right away is his ability to read and react, to move with a purpose, quick and decisive, without hurry, mindfulness not mindlessness (see Marvin and Buddy), with or without the ball. When you have a group of guys who do this, with talent to execute, you create magic.
This underlying component pertains to the drafting of Colby and the signing of Sasha as well. Do you not see a pattern? it’s not that HB is incapable of backdoor flashes and swing passes and hot potato style hoops, but he tends to be more comfortable in a methodical and deliberate pace. It’s part of what makes him expendable. He is a suboptimal player for the Brown motion offense with Sabonis as the high post hub and multiple actions out of this setup. Kuzma will take to this like fish to water. He’s agile, long and hard to contain anywhere on the floor.
We already create mismatch galore with Fox and Ox, one or both requiring a second defender. Huerter pulls the defense to him off every cul and weak side fade. Imagine another player who demands as much attention, it’s game over. No team is sweating HB. If you try to hide a poor defender on Kuzma as you may with HB, you are going to get cooked. The Kings will feast. In addition the best wing defender will be assigned to Kuzma granting more opportunity for Keegan to exploit his advantage against the lesser defender. The ripple effect is exciting.
It is not the most important consideration but the void through the depature of HB will necessitate Fox And Domas to step up as leaders. This needs to happen as the next step in the evolution of the team. The best players on the team need to be strongest and loudest voices. HBs return could delay this dynamic from occuring.
Here’s what a few Wizards fans say about Kuzma:
Now let’s look at the competition.
Team with Cap Space (Amount Available): Wings under Contract
1. Houston (60 million): Amen Thompson (#4 pick), Jabari Smith, KPJ, Tari Eason, Jae Sean Tate
2. Detroit (28 million): Bojan Bogdanovic, Ausur Thompson (#5 pick)
3. San Antonio (38 million) : Keldon Johnson, Doug McDermott, Jeremy Sochan
4. Orlando (18 million): Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Isaac, Chuma Okeke
5. Indiana (32 million): Nesmith, Duarte, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson, Jarace Walker (#8 pick)
6. Charlotte (41 million): Gordon Hayward, Cody Martin, Kai Jones, PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller (#2 pick)
7: OKC (18 million): Bertans, Poku, Jalen Williams, K Williams
Analysis: Our competition for Kuzma is bottom feeders and OKC. Kuzma can go into a rebuilding situation or return “home” and play with a legitimate contender for WCF before a raucous crowd with two All-NBA players. It is tempting to say it is a fait accompli but trying to get into the mind of another person and determine their thought process is frought with presumption. One mans paradise is another mans apocalyptic outpost but logic would dictate SAC tops the list of any rational thinker. We have the coach, we have the players, we have the training facilities, and most of all, we have the beam. Through logical deduction, there is a 60-75% chance that Kuzma will become a King.
The Rockets are stacked at the wing and alleging will offer VanVleet 2/80M. The Magic and OKC would need to move salary around to be serious bidders for Kuzma. San Antonio and Indiana are theoretically our strongest competitors, should they choose to pursue. The idea of playing under Popovich with the Unicorn Wemby might be enticing, but they are two years away from being two years away, and San Antonio is one of the worst cities in the NBA to live, IMHO.
Playing with Haliburton might appeal to Kuzma, when he’s not sulking over the team that kicked him to the curb, but I would rather have Brown as my coach than Carlisle. The Hornets are going through an ownership change, cannot draft to save their lives. Going the from the Wizards to the Hornets would be like going to the Wizards again, from one terribly run team to another, Kangz of the East I to Kangz of the East II.
In the event Kuzma receives an offer from one of the Texas teams, Rockets or Spurs, perhaps the Kings would match the offer and add to the amount of the deal to compensate for the cost of living in state-tax state. Beyond this there is NO reason for us to get carried away and bid against ourselves. Our GM did NOT misjudge the market when it came to Holmes. Holmes wanted 20M per year over 4 years. He ended up with less than half. There’s no reason to worry he will get stupid. A constant theme wih him is “aggressive but disciplined”.
Cam Johnson is a good player. He duplicates Keegan. Dude came to the NBA at 23. He’s 27 now, same as Kuzma. His TS% (60% career) is nice. His 3% is nice (39% career). He doesn’t make mistakes (0.7 TOs). He’s not a self-creator except for one dribble mid-range pullups. Does this remind you of anyone? The difference is Keegan is more likely to improve relative to a player with four years in the league. We’ve already seen Keegan trend up defensively and on the glass. He’s a quick learner as the playoff series also demonstrated. The biggest leap often occurs from freshman to sophomore year. If this is the case with Keegan, Johnson becomes even more redundant.
I would not be mad, well maybe a little, if we lured Cam away from Brooklyn, but its not an optimal use of resources. We are not going to revert to the lottery acquiring players of this caliber, but were not inclined to get to the Finals either. There is also the issue of Cam not being comfortable as an alpha. His efficiency suggests he should be more aggressive looking for his shot.
Cam is no better of a rebounder (14% DRR) than HB (14% DRR) and not much better of a shot creator. Sasha does not project as much of a shot creator either. Keegan was teased for having “no bag” by his teammates. Fox cracked a joke, or maybe he was serious, that if he wants as bag, he should train with him in the off-season. We can only hope this offer was formally made, and Keegan accepted.
Keegan shot 60% TS% despite in an inability to self-create. Maybe once and a while he would shimmy shake or get crafty to get loose, but not often. In Washington it was my turn, your turn basketball. It was the same ugly brand of hoops the Mavs played after adding Kyrie, with him and Luka taking turns on their way to the lottery. There’s NO way Keegan would have been as efficient playing for the Wizards as with us.
The point to be made here is if Joker has the ultimate bag, weighing a full pound or 16 ounces, lets say Fox has a bag at about 12 ounces. And just so we are clear I am not talking about Gucci or Louis Vuitton. I am talking about the moves a player has to create space, stymie a defender, counter to counter, and ability to consistently be unpredictable and potent with an array of you can’t guard me hokus pokus. This is a bag and no player has a bag like Joker.
Keegan has a bag of about 6 ounces. Kuzma has a bag of about 12 ounces. Put Kuzma in our system with his bag and his efficiency will rise accordingly, about 57 to 58% TS%. Put Keegan in the Wizards system and his efficiency will plummet accordingly, about 54% TS%. In an ideal world, Kuzma (as a King) learns to shoot like Keegan, and Keegan develops a bag approximating Fox or Kuzma, and ceiling of the team is blown to the stratosphere.
Draymond Green, an obnoxious bore, insecure in his value and skill, is not worth discussing. A few words will suffice. His value is quarterbacking an offense from the high post. We already have an All-NBA player to do this. And unlike Green, our quarterback can call his own number. Green will pester and be effective defensively to the extent the ref does not whistle him for the hold and grab. His defensive effectiveness is predicated on getting away with shit.
The sucker puncher can move his feet a little and hold his ground in the low post. And swipe at the ball. Whoopee. Based on present value, or reasonable forecast of future value, not past glory, which is the proper valuation approach, makes him a 15M per year player.
Teams will pack the lane, make us play 4 vs 5, an extra defender for Fox and Sabonis to contend with. You don’t think our GM knows this? He knows like a fish knows water. I don’t care if Brown wants to name his first grandchild after him, Draymonda if it is a girl, this dirty scrub will never be a Sacramento King.
It is insulting to as a Kings fan to even suggest the possibility of Draymond Green, both practically and personally…. gross. What we could do, and what I have no problem with, is feigning interest to run up the contract that the Warriors end up paying, allowing ourselves to be used as leverage against a rival to hamper them financially.
.
What else do you need to know than this? Kuzma will be a King in three out of 4 parallel realities, and the fourth reality is not one I want to be part of. At 3/45, HB is worth becoming a placeholder and trade chip if Plan A disintegrates. Draymond, go eff yourself. Cam, you’re no Keegan. The owl has spoken.
Appreciate the thoughts, insight and effort that went into this. The owl has hooted. Draymoron is a jerk and as a BB plyer, would totally gum up the works. Cam is too similar to Keegan.
Kuzma is the best of the bunch, I agree. He wants $$$ but as you point out, who that has it wants to give it to him. IMO, none of the under the cap teams should give it to him. He will just gun them into deeper mediocrity.
He could be valuable in a more disciplined Kings system. But, will he think he is the man, will he think as he has done in the past, that all my shots are good shots?
The calculus for him is- will his behavior change, will he accept a lower deal than 30 M vs. is there a better deal at the deadline when teams just get tired of all that salary and no results? or would a wider range of assets be more valuable.
“The same fans who want to entertain the notion of Cam Johnson, Brook Lopez and Draymond are angling for the scenario in which HB returns.”
Not me. While I’m not as enthusiastic about Kuzma as you are, I’d certainly prefer him over resigning HB without any significant upgrades to the roster.
I like Cam Johnson, but I’ve come around to the idea to making an offer to an RFA is dangerous given the amount of time required for the Nets to respond as other FAs sign.
I’d trade for Anunoby, but is he available? Personally, I’d prefer Brooks given his defensive skills, and a signing of a backup center, but coming around to the notion that I’m underrating Kuzma as an off ball player who would work well with Sabonis.
It would have to better than another season with HB as a starter.
HB is an exemplary person, good locker room guy etc. but in size and temperament he is a SF (3) and as such is mis-positioned on the Kings. He is best at the 3 on a slower, more deliberate team. Kings need a faster 4 guy. Is Kuzma that guy?
Heard Toronto is delusional both about value for their players and about potential in East in 2023-4.
They will be one of those teams that hang on for too long, too late realize their mistakes. Wizards of the North. So OG is not available. an offer to a RFA -unless it is the only offer- slows down the process to a 48 hour crawl. and all the other guys sign elsewhere. and Cam is not a 4.
I didn’t know Kyle Kuzma has a burner on this site.
Kuzma is a good player, but he’s asking for a lot of money over four years and he does not make the team better defensively, and it’s questionable whether he would improve the team offensively because his 3 pt % is below the league average.
Last year’s team was special and Keegan, Huerter, and HB all played big roles in it. If the ideal fit were available in free agency, I’d take a swing. If not, I have no problem running it back with HB.
The noise suggests Kuz is looking for something in the $30 mil/year range, and that’s just too much. I’m not a fan of his, but if he’d sign for around $20 mil, I think I’d make the offer.
I still don’t think that would be worth it for the Kings. For another team, maybe.
I read every word. Thumbs up for effort and entertaining content. You got me rooting for Kuzma now. My only concern with him is efficiency. I think the Kings have the coaches and team to work on that. The Kings don’t have a lot of youth. The 2 All-Stars have 5+ years of NBA experience and Davion and Keegan played multiple years on college so they don’t need a babysitter in the locker room. Would be happy to keep HB on as a first big off the bench but at the right price.
Longest comment in TKH history.
Comment synopsis: Kuz > KD
So, is Monte a genius or a snake?
Kings picked up Edwards team option for next year ! (Woj)
I wonder if this means Yuta is off the table.
But a good thing.
And they can pay him to go away, should circumstances dictate.
Seemed like a no brainer at his price. I think they could still chase Yuta. Can’t have too many 6’7′-6’9″ guys these days.
This was a near certainty to me, but glad to see it made official; I really like the potential of Edwards and I hope he continues to develop since his current play is already decent on the defensive side.
Disappointed Wemby won’t be there, but completely understand. We’re going to the Calif Classic with pretty good seats and it would have been nice to say we saw his very first NBA game. He’s probably been playing BB non-stop the past 10 years. Needs to say no to the extra curricular stuff to focus on the NBA. Really needs to focus on strength and conditioning with his frame against full grown men looking to make a name for themselves.
Zion, if you could get him, and have him available, even if only by playoff time, would be the most talented player ever seen in a Sacramento Kings jersey. IIWM, that’s the kind of talent I would want to stake my career on.
He fits the roster perfectly. He could plug their two biggest holes, as both the dynamic forward to start at the 4 spot, and the back-up center behind Domas. He’s the generational heir-apparent to Lebron, his impact, when he plays, is like no other, and he’s everything the Kings front-court isn’t. That’s a guy Barnes could feel ok about backing-up, and Barnes would be the perfect back-up for Zion, and Murray. I realize it’s a fantasy, but it’s an exciting fantasy, with the suspense, and drama, to bring all eyes to focus on Sac., and spotlight the Kings, center stage, in the world of sports.
Just my personal take on Zion…
IMO, Zion wouldn’t even rank top 100 in Kings history in terms of talent or skill, although he would be the organization’s most explosive athlete ever.
Zion doesn’t have any real skills other than his explosive athleticism (which BTW is amazing). I might be quibbling here, but athleticism is like height, you either have it or you don’t, it’s a physical trait more than a skill or talent. It can’t be taught or learned, what you have might be honed or maximized through training, but it won’t go beyond that. Zion is an athletic freak, but he is not a talented basketball player by any stretch of the imagination. Without his athleticism, he doesn’t have anything to offer his team.
Think about Webber after his major injury, he needed to completely change his style of play to be a finesse player as he could no longer play above the rim once he lost the athleticism that set him apart earlier in his career; despite his injury, he ended becoming an extremely skilled and talented big man out of necessity.
Does anyone really think that Zion could do the same? It seems to be me he won’t even do the minimal rehab work that his injury requires, much less learn entirely new traits and/or skills needed to be a talented basketball player that contributes to winning games.
Ok, I give up
Want nothing to do with Kuzma. He is a very inefficient player. Whether he was getting more touches in Washington. Or even less in Los Angeles. He was still one of the most inefficient players in the league.
The Official Narrative is that Kuzma is an improved player having a career year last year. The real story is one that plays out every season somewhere in the NBA, and which fans and analysts for some reason love to believe: he’s basically the same he’s always been, but he’s getting more minutes, more touches and a green light. What he’s doing per possession is about what he’s always done — he’s just playing more minutes and using more possessions.
The only efficiency stat that’s up significantly from career averages is two-point field goal percentage, and it’s almost to the level he reached at age 23 — in his second season.
If you want to jump on that imaginary hype train. Have at it. For all the accolades some of you shine on Kuzma. I am assuming you haven’t really watched his career enough. You’re spending your time looking at highlight reels. Instead of looking at the big picture.
looks like Pacers have turned attention to Max Strus. One less competitor for Kuz ?
I’d rather just make a play for Strus.
Or HB.
what if, just what if Sasha is backing up Kuz at the 4 and Barnes is backing up Spock at the 3?
I agree. There is no way Kuzma is a positive difference maker for the Kings. Like you said, most of his advanced stats have been relatively the same for his career, and this last season USG% jumped 4 points.
Monte did try and trade for him a few years back, but that was before drafting Keegan and brining in the new coaching staff. My guess is that Kuzma is no longer on Monte’s radar, especially at the price tag Kuzma is asking for. Just re-sign Barnes for half the price and move forward with building continuity and stability in the roster.
OT: I think this definitely effects Monte’s decision making going forward with the cap space. Teams can’t sit below the salary floor anymore to save space for the deadline/trades. The new rule requires every team to spend 90% of the cap, which is $122.4M, BY THE FIRST DAY OF THE REGULAR SEASON. Kings have to spend $24.5M by opening night.
https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1674467490460577797
that’s easy. They would already be there after signing HB, Lyles and Vezenkov. They also have to sign one or two backup centers.
Sure it’s easy to spend, but teams can’t sit on cap space like they used to anymore and use it to eat bad contracts for future assets. I personally like he change, but it is a clear strategy shift in the league. OKC played that game for years and now has more picks then they know what to do with. On the other side of the coin, tax paying teams likely won’t find teams to eat their bad contracts at the deadline because few will have the room.
I have to believe that every front office of every franchise had an advanced copy of the CBA as it wasn’t pulled together at the last minute in a closet.
Whatever is in there, including the 90% rule, which allowed teams to absorb player salary by the end of the season and is changed to the start of the season is understood by Monte McNair and his front office staff. This isn’t GM Divac flying by the seat of his pants.
We’ll find out soon enough (24 hour countdown to the start of Free Agency has started) what the McGenius strategy is. We just have to hope that whatever is planned will go off as planned.
And though I trust double M to adjust, adapt and proceed – this is also the staff that struggled with the Divincenzo and Bogi messes (which they cleaned up nicely) and the apparent last minute shift from Kuzma/KCP for Buddy Heild which turned into Russell Westbrook (and thankfully bit LAL in the butt even though they were salvaged by Danny Ainge).
And that makes me wonder where Sacramento has shifted in the Sports Agent arena. Have the Bill Duffy’s of the world taken Vivek’s Kings out of the leper colony? That so many draft picks made their way this Summer for work outs may be an indication that all is well or at least better than it has been. Winning cures so many ills – Agents may be “less not okay” or even “alright, I guess” about having their clients in the Cali Capitol to play for the Coach of the Year, The Executive of the Year and two All-NBA players . Will this translate to more National TV exposure? Who knows?
I think the Kuzma/KCP for Hield trade was upended by Lebaby and his people at the last minute.
Also, Bogdanovic might seem like a miss on a potential deal, but I think Monte just wanted to be done with the contract and start fresh.
He has always mentioned “maintaining flexibility” and previous moves have shown that. Until he royally screws something up, I will continue to trust that he has a good idea of what he is doing and can run an organization.
Neemias should be one of those back up Centers.
Rooting for him to have a great summer league and finally land a spot with the big club.
Is he on the summer league team? It’s his third season. So I believe he isn’t.
He is. Queta, Ellis, Keegan, and Kessler all on the roster.
Thanks. I should have checked: https://www.nba.com/kings/news/sacramento-kings-announce-2023-california-classic-summer-league-roster.
Yeah, this seems like a shit-or-get-off-the-pot season for him, and that aspect is on Mike Brown. He’s got to get more than just token minutes in Sacramento. We know he can dominate in the D-League, but if the Kings aren’t going to invest in finding out it Queta is an NBA player, then they should move on and invest in other candidates.
Based on what I know, I think he can be, at minimum, a serviceable backup center on an NBA team. If he can hit threes at even 33%, it would make it very easy to play him.
Eddie- I hope to get out of your man crush on Jalen Slawson doghouse. You liked him, I pooh-poohed that. Now I will go see him in person at G1Center.
Hope you are right. His videos look good.
If Kings use some money on DS contract, sign HB, Sasha and Lyles and a couple of real back up centers they will meet all the requirements.
Some interesting players being dropped- Mo Bamba (pass), Eric Gordon ( pass),Nikeal X Y from Minnesota and the other Mcdaniel’s guy from Philly.
and Yuta is out there.
Orlando may want to dump a PG.
Kings may still keep the Holmes trade exception for a year.
Centers- D. Powell from Dallas
I liked Reid for the backup 5 spot, but he’s gone and Powell would be a decent backup option, but I don’t really see him as an improvement over Queta. Personally, I don’t think we need another C as long as Lyles is brought back. IMO, Neemi should be the guy.
Cool. Keegan and Kessler are also on the list. And Neemie a Ellis. The two draft picks. And the other Xavier guard. Justyn Mutts is intriguing. Will’s crush Jake Stephens who looks a bit like Tristan Vukcevic. Oh, also a Mike Daum sighting. Remember him?
Lakers waiving Mo Bamba.
https://twitter.com/JakeLFischer/status/1674507929976729612
Harden and the Sixers are working out a trade. Remember when there was a rumor last year that the Kings are about to acquire a big name player and the agent decided to block that trade cause he didn’t want his client to be in Sac? Turns out it was James Harden.
Would Monte do a sign and trade. Barnes for Harden? I know it doesn’t make sense right now but if that rumors were true, it won’t be out of the realm of possibility they try to do it again
Where’s the source that the Kings tried to get Harden?
I don’t remember that rumor.
I also don’t think Harden is a player who could get this team (or any playoff team) to the next level.
Harden doesn’t make any sense. He is antithesis of a MM-type player: a one-way, inefficient chucker, on a horrible contract (no matter what he ends up getting paid).
I agree, but the two did spend many years together in Houston.
With the Collins trade to Utah, is there any chance of a trade for Markannen? I think he’d be a great fit.
Barnes back with the Kings. 3 years, 54 mil
At least they told us before I bought tickets … just aked my son last week if he wanted to see Wemby.
It would be sooooooo NBA-like for them not to mention it.
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