NBA free agency kicks off on Friday, June 30th, at 3 PM PT. Despite that being the first moment teams are legally allowed to negotiate deals, it more realistically represents when teams can announce the deals that they’re negotiating at this very moment. As we approach Friday, the landscape starts to clarify itself, with one notable exception:
Nobody has any idea what the Kings are up to.
Quite frankly, I love it. There’s been speculation about Draymond Green, but now the rumor mill says he’s probably heading back to Golden State. Bullet dodged.
There’s been people wondering if the Kings are pursuing Khris Middleton, even though most people expect him to return to the Bucks.
The most common assumption at this point is that the Kings will use their space to sign Kyle Kuzma. And in a lot of ways it does make sense. The Kings nearly acquired Kuzma in the failed Lakers trade a couple years ago. Kuzma would help address some of Sacramento’s issues with rebounding. There are concerns about whether Kuzma would buy into a smaller role given his past propensity for chucking. Kuzma is also a capable defender but isn’t always engaged on that end, it’s hard to see him being a player who fixes Sacramento’s defensive woes by setting a tone. I share a lot of the reservations around Kuzma, but I’d buy in pretty quickly if that’s the direction the Kings go.
But at this point I’d be surprised if that’s the move, simply because Monte McNair rarely does what any of us think he’s about to do. Last year at this time we had no clue he was about to trade for Kevin Huerter and sign Malik Monk. McNair has me expecting the unexpected.
I hope the Kings have a big splash lined up. This is likely Sacramento’s last chance at operating as a team with cap space for the foreseeable future, and they have a chance to make a significant improvement to the roster. Personally, I believe the Kings have a plan, because I don’t like the idea of yet another Kings GM trading away a first round pick to create cap space and then scrambling to figure out how to use it. I know we all have that front office trauma we grapple with, but I’m choosing to trust the reigning NBA Executive of the Year until he gives me a reason not to.
Three cheers for uncertainty!
And without question, uncertainty is a hell of a lot easier to live with when the decision-maker has proven to be pretty shrewd making moves, unexpected and otherwise.
His name is McGenius.
I don’t think any of the rumored players will end up being Kings. That rules out Kuzma and draymoron, one can only hope. These rumors are most likely smokescreens.
I think we’ll be pleasantly surprised and happy with whatever this FO does in FA.
I’m intrigued by Cam Johnson, but as always, it’ll come down to the particulars of the deal.
Are there any poison pills that could be added to an offer that could push Brooklyn away from matching?
Greg right now:
Life of a Kings fan in free agency:
[Monte does something]
I would like to think Monte has a plan. Moving Holmes for cap space with the loss of a servicable pick was risky. I think many wanted to believe that there is a plan. If the plan was Collins or Reid…ooopps.
Lopez, Kuzma? seems a bit old and desperate.
Maybe us the space to get the DS contract settled and re-sign the current free agents.
Rumor that Suns will move Ayton to the Mavs for McGee, Holmes and Hardaway. Makes Dallas a lot better and helps Suns. Can Kings get Landale? Craig?
Landale + Craig + Yuta + Sasha + DS contract and resign Lyles and Barnes would make Kings better but just how much?
I think HB has 1-2 years of serviceable time left.
Is there any way to finagle Siakem loose?
You would like to think the Executive of the Year has a plan? Is that what you are going with?
yes, sort of going with that.
Siakam is my hope…
I would love him too. Siakam would likely cost us Davion, and before we trade Davion we have to see if Colby is any good. That may take summer league and the 20-30 games of next season. Then there is the fact the Raptors GM is delusional, another barrier to overcome.
Davion Mitchell is not going to be the linchpin as to whether we get Siakam or not. If the rest of the deal is right and Toronto asks for him to be thrown in, there will be not one second of hesitation on McNair’s part.
I personally don’t think Monte is going to do a big move this offseason. And by “big move” I’m referring to signing 1 player to a 20+ million per year contract (Kuzma, Cam Johnson, etc).
I can see them just re-signing Barnes hopefully at around the $16-$18m per year contract, and go after guys like Thybulle, Plumlee, Oubre, Brooks, Lyles.
I think Monte freed up the cap space with the intention to add more depth rather than signing one FA that would demand 20+ million.
The only way we dont sign Kuzma is if he makes a poor decision and chooses another team later. More on this later. And the only way we sign HB is just some Plan C or Plan D failsafe and as 15M “asset” to faciliate a trade for OG when the price comes down.
test test,1,2,1,2
missle incoming, er missive incoming
standby
The only reason you would not want Kuzma is because you are not paying attention. The guy is a star. HB choked away Game 4 then he choked away Game 7 and could not get a board to save his life.
So Kuzma is the Kings savior? Is that what you are going with?
Now he’s not a savior. But its how we get to the next level. Standby for new post. I will elaborate and you are free to disagree.
He’s been the number 3 option on two teams and still was an inefficient chucker. His D has regressed too.
His TS% has basically been the same his whole career.
Perhaps Brown can make him buy in and get back to good D and eliminate the bad shots, but those are big ifs. Especially if we’re going to break the bank for him.
Do you know how easily we would have dispatched of the Warriors if Kuzma was our PF over HB? We would have shredded them in 5 games. Instead it was a brutal and bitter defeat that still stings upon reminiscence to this day!
We folded against a team that was ripe to be dispatched, especially deserving after the brutal chest thomp by the obnoxious vulgar crotch grabbing thug!
Now there is a portion of the fan base wanting to welcome to the team….disgraceful! More to come on this…stand by.
Kuzma is a very good to great player, more on this to come too, standby.
I’m curious to hear how we would have beaten the warriors with a guy who is a worse shooter than Barnes & can’t get to the line, while playing defense on about the same level.
stand by, moron this to come!
That is a liberal use of the word ‘star.’ He’s a ‘star’ on teams that are fighting for the play-in. He won a championship when his ass was planted firmly on the bench.
Yup. Interestingly enough, the more minutes Kuzma has received the worse his team has performed. When he was a bench player for the championship Lakers in 2020, he had the lowest usage and minutes of his career. In his last two season with the Wiz where his usage jumped and minutes increased, his team hit 35 wins twice.
What did you expect, some kind of Wizard to make that Washington team better?
Oh, wait …
Kuzma is a very decent to good player. With him we would have beaten the Warriors in 3.
More on this to come soon.
Haha.
Love the certainty of the counterfactuals! 🙂
He’s 6’9″ with skils of a 6’5″ SG. He’s also a very good passer, seeing over the top and cross court.
This may sound blasphemous, but the way KD finsished his season, and the way his skills are diminsihing, I am not sure how much better KD is than Kuz, lets call it about even!!!
Contrary to popular belief, he’s not a black hole. He will make the simple read, make the unselfish pass to the open man.
It is hard to believe a portion of the fan base would prefer HB over Kuzma, the choker over the star.
But it is easier to understand once you recognize that many fans lead with sentimentality over objective reality. That is WHY there was such a strong initital backlash over the Haliburton trade.
There are players I love and players I dont care for. I have zero sentimentality. That is why I said that Sabonis trade was an A 5 seconds after ithappened while other fans were having a temper tantrum.
When we sign Kuzma, God willing, it will be a repeat of this emotional irrationality.
How you gonna say this and follow it up with this:
I see a user name change soon: kuz4ever
It’s difficult to make a compelling argument for Kuzma in my opinion, and it is not being helped with absolutely unhinged takes like Kuz = KD.
Did you see KD versus the Nuggets? Yikes.
I must’ve missed the series when Kuzma beat them single-handedly
Getting back onto the conversation of Kuzma vs. Barnes, I will say that Kuzma brings some defensive chops, passing and rebounding that is far above what Barnes has provided. And Kuzma shot 41% on corner threes last year, so if he is amenable to getting fewer shots but better shots in this offense, he would be a nice fit.
It’s not seamless – I don’t think that any free agent or trade this off season is. But Kuzma over Barnes come playoff time would make me feel a bit better about this team. As it pertains to Barnes’ locker room presence, this team belongs to Fox and Sabonis now, with a splash of Monk. While I greatly appreciate what Barnes has done for this organization over the years, it may be time for everyone to take the next step.
Thats right Rob. You are right. Now say it again with more confidence and gusto!
Shout it from the rooftops: Kuzma! Kuzma! Kuzma!
If Kuzma would take Barnes money to play Barnes role, it could be an upgrade (though Barnes is a much more reliable C&S threat). But he doesn’t want that. I’m comparing Kuzma to the guys whose money and role he feels he deserves. In that case, Kuzma is a bottom tier option.
You had the conversation with him about what role he feels he deserves?
No reason we can’t bring him back as backup wing, we can go over the cap to retain him. Now is the season or two to spend. Good teams bring guys like hb back even if going over the cap.
I’ll consider it.
I don’t see a contradiction between these two statements.
Kuzma has a face up game and back to the basket game.
At 27 he’s more spry and explosive than a dude at 33 coming off a torn achilles.
Its very easy for Kuzma to create his own shot or press the issue to force help and create a shot for a teammate. This is no different than what KD does and tries to do.
The second comment you quoted above is pure facts. This site lost their collective mind when Haliburton was dealt while I was dancing around in my underwear because I knew it was a homerun A+ trade.
Who was right and who was leading with sentimentality? I don’t automatically root for the guy with the Kings name on his chest.
No one was more critical of Willie Cauley Stein, Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley than I was around these parts. I was called a hater for stating the objective truth!
And again I was proven right on those counts, though I will say Buddy had a nice year with the Pacers, playing close to his modest potential in games that amounted to nothing.
It’s strange that you’re pretending to not be sentimental, while also being irrationally excited about Kuzma and irrationally disdainful of HB.
And you’re also trying to argue Kyle Kuzma over KD which just…there’s nothing to argue? No accolades, no raw numbers, no advanced numbers, no percentages, no defensive contributions, absolutely NO area during ANY season – including this most recent one – in which KD isn’t light years ahead of Kuzma. Like…this is a weird thing for me to even have to type out.
You want to talk about ‘objective reality’ well then
KD >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kuzma
Why would I be sentimental towards Kuzma, he never played on my favorite team.
HB is a player than I defended vociferously for many years and posts. I said NO way is he going to be traded when other fans wanted him gone.
I know his value or lack thereof.
Do you understand that teams and players are in a constant state of flux? Do you subscribe to the premise like I do that players and teams are either getting better or worse and there is little to no stasis, thereby necessitating the need to do continuous real-time assessment?
Do you know under what circumstance HB will return? I will tell you…
We will sign him to 3/45 deal as an asset to be moved for OG or another wing when the asking price becomes more reasonable.
We will only retain HB if Kuzma does something really dumb and chooses another team over us.
I did NOT say Kuzma is better than KD. I am just saying a lot of the raw skills at this point of their respective careers are comprable.
it is just COMPLETELY bogus that fans around here are like “Kuzma is a chucker, bring back HB…”
HB cost us the chance to advance to the 2nd round. He served his purpose mentoring the newbs who had never been to the playoffs: Fox, Monk and Keegan.
HB’s job is done in SAC. Adios amigo!
Dude, I just wanna take a second to thank you for making me seem not quite so crazy
This comment thread that you started has left you with no credibility. Kuz is better than KD haha.
I am not saying Kuzma is better than KD. I am saying in the context of an ability to get a quality shot and force the opponent to send help to prevent said player from getting a quality shot, there is NOT a lot of separation from KD and Kuzma at this stage of their respective careers.
And this is because Kuzma is very skilled as a face up threat off the bounce or out of the high or mid post backing down and rising up over the smaller defender.
Is this nuance hard for you to understand?
Calling a PER 25.9 guy equivalent to a 14.2 guy and saying they are “about even” removes all credibility. PER isn’t everything but FWIW Barnes and Kuz had about the same PER and Kuz had a worse box +/-. They each bring something different, but Kuz is about as good as Barnes as a basketball player, albeit with a different set of tools. Maybe he’s a better fit, and is a bit younger, but he’s no major upgrade.
So it’s Kuzma or HB? lol
I don’t want anyone who is going to take shots away from Murray and slow his development. I consider this a priority.
So this makes Kuzma problematic, paying more for someone than HB who is a bit of a volume shooter. My recollection is that he wanted out of LA because he didn’t get the ball enough. Despite the possible improvement on defense, doesn’t sound like someone that McNair would want.
Given this, I would consider these players: (1) Cam Johnson (2) O. G. Anunoby; (3) Dillon Brooks and (4) Draymond Green. I actually think Brooks would be a good fit here, but there is a possibility that his declining play is associated with him instead of the environment in Memphis.
I get it with Green, but he’s a perfect fit for a franchise with a lot of other players who can score. Might need Sabonis to improve his midrange, though.
No one is slowing Keegan’s development. Have you seen Kuzma? The guy is a very to good to great player. There is ZERO chance we will sign Green. ZERO!
You know what we will do however? We will feign interest to get our rival to overpay for that obnoxious sucker punching scrub.
The guy is NOT good. His skill is running the offense from the high post. Guess what? We already have an All-NBA player to do that.
There’s only one basketball. If Fox, Sabonis, Kuzma and Monk are shooting it, that means fewer shots for Keegan. The future of this team offensively is Fox, Sabonis and Murray. A player who can score, but willing to accept a subordinate role, while defending, like Johnson and Anunoby, are ideal.
This is why the Nets are concerned that Johnson could get a big offer that would be hard to match. Josh Hart would be great, too, but I can’t see him leaving the Knicks.
I’m also uncertain that Kuzma will accept scoring less than 20ppg here.
As for Green, his skill is running a team’s offense and defense like a coach on the floor. He’s ranked 4th because of his age and inconsistency. But he’s not coming here, anyway, I just used him as an example.
I’m with you. Big fan of Brooks, too. People talk about him like he killed someone’s dog. Everything I’ve seen suggests that he’s a pretty normal dude who’s a good teammate and just happened to get embarrassed in the playoffs by the best player to lace up in the last 2 decades. If losing to LeBron makes you toxic, then everyone is.
Monte seems like the kind of guy who likes to dig through other teams’ trash to find quality rotation players on the cheap – Brooks seems to be picture perfect for this team. All things equal, I’d prefer Josh Hart – but Hart is probably going back to NY and seems like he’ll be more expensive, too.
I’m out on Cam Johnson just because I’m disinterested in paying him what would be required to wrest him from Brooklyn. Pascal is my #1 target, but I’d be very happy with OG, too. I’m out on Draymond, tho. An expensive, over-the-hill, locker room problem that has beef with Sabonis AND can’t space the floor? Nah.
Yup I would be fine with Dillon Brooks as well especially with the reports that he would only command around $12M per year. That would still give us a lot of money to spend on other FA (Barnes included). Brooks would definitely give this team some needed edge and toughness and Mike Brown absolutely loves those type of guys. I would say it again, don’t be shocked if the reason we freed up cap space is to add more depth to the current roster rather than adding 1 big FA.
Probably many fans would be disappointed if this is indeed the route Monte takes but for me I’m more than okay with it.
Man, when a team as dysfunctional as Memphis taps out on a player, it makes me doubly nervous. Brooks is right behind Draymond Green on my do not want list.
I can understand this sentiment, but unless there’s some CRAZY stuff going on with Brooks behind the scenes, I really don’t know what the concern is. He talked shit and it didn’t work out. Who cares?
What tells me there is stuff behind the scenes is he went from starter on the #2 team in the West, to his team telling him to pound sand in free agency. They actually went out of their way to announce he would not be returning before the playoffs even ended.
But what if the FO just felt totally disgraced by Ja + the end of their season and decided to place it all on the heat magnet? If there was nothing going on behind the scenes, would you be onboard? Because that’s the information I’m operating with. Obviously Monte needs to do his due diligence though.
If there were nothing behind the scenes and he could keep his emotions in check instead of acting like a wing version of DMC, then yeah, he would make sense, but he’s shown on the court that he can be a liability. How many flagrant fouls has he committed over the few playoffs?
He has also spouted $$$ that I don’t think that he will come close to, so he may wind up just generally PO’d with whoever signs him, as well as everyone that didn’t.
From The Athletic, shortly after the Griz let Brooks know that he was out:
So here we have a team in the Kings that is looking to upgrade its playoff performance and composure under pressure, and we have Dillon Brooks. I do not think that these two things match up well.
Ok, well stated.
If you put a gun to my head and I had to take one of them, I’m taking Green. Brooks seems like virus that really doesn’t make anyone around him better. Green on the other hand is a virus that does makes those around him better.
With their rumored asking price and age? I’ll go with Brooks at $12M and is still 27 rather than Green who is commanding $25-30M and is already 33.
I honestly don’t get the Brooks hate. I mean he didn’t punch a teammate and from what I heard from other players from Memphis is that they like Brooks. He was made the scapegoat by the Memphis FO which I think is BS. Ja got hurt during the playoffs and was suspended prior to that. Adams was injured and was out the entire playoffs so as Brandon Clarke.
If all those guys where healthy during the playoffs, I’m pretty sure their FO would be singing a different tune right now.
Personally, I’d say “neither” to Green and Brooks and then wager that that not every gun is loaded
Brooks is one of my favorite options. Most of us here agree, the Kings could use a little crazy, a little. Screaming in Lebron’s face is crazy, but he didn’t kick him in the balls, or stomp anyone, or punch any teammates. Brooks brings the kind of fire this roster could use, and he could contribute in Sac..
I do like the option of many players rather than one. So many teams are going for the big 3 or 4 and leaving a vulnerable bench. I do think bench strength and depth make a big difference.
I do believe that Kuzma is better than some think and worse than others have recently proclaimed. He will cost a chunk of the cap and preclude the signings of others.
There are a few defensive minded SF’s out there- Torry Craig and Yuta and there are teams with a ton of one position- Orlando and PG’s, Nets and SF’s. It may be possible to get in on some of that.
The move now might be the long game- getting the DS contract settled and gathering more assets as reasonable prices for the inevitable trade options for just the right guy.
That said, Kings need a backup to DS. Poertl is too expensive. Plumle limited. Bryant? Landale? and oh my god, I never thought I would say this. JaVale?
Neemias is your backup to Sabonis. He’s earned the chance.
Lets look at this a little differently.Who ever if any one is picked up in free agency or if Barnes is resigned hey will probably be the #5 go to on the starting five. They wouldn’t have to be a big scorer but someone who is IMO young can play team ball, shoot the 3 to spread the floor but more importantly play defense. That’s how they would contribute as a King. IMO Kuzma, Johnson etc would cost too much as would a trade foe someone like Anunoby although to be that would be a really good option. I am looking at someone who is a really good defensive player and can guard spots 1-5. Great defensive awareness with a high motor. He is not a star but is IMO a winner. Will work well with Sabonis. Doesn’t have to have the ball to make an impact on the outcome although shoots the three at 35%, scores almost 16 points per game, has 5 rebs per game and 2.5 assists. That’s PJ Washington. Only 24 years old so not even at his peak yet.Won’t cost you 25mil per year(more like 17) would allow Monty to extend Sabonis and bring in Vezenkov if possible pick up a backup center like Plumlee and keep Lyles. Starters : Fox, Huerter, Murray, Washington and Sabonis. Backups: Mitchell. Monk, Vezenkov, Lyles and Plumlee. IMO an improvement over last year. GO KINGS!
Too many possibilities! Anyone think that Brook Lopez could play next to Sabonis? He’s a stretch guy who defends well, if it would work it would fix some holes… Beyond that, I think realistically the kings extend Sabonis and then getting one or two of the Barnes, Josh Hart or Bruce Brown group of players and add a backup center. My true hope is Siakam though. Any way to get him and keep Fox, Sabonis and Keegan is a team with championship aspirations.
The issue with Lopez is the same issue as with Naz Reid. Both guys are drop coverage defenders, who cannot check stretch 4s. So then you ask Sabonis to do the chasing, and this leaves the best reobunder in the NBA out of rebounding position.
It is a bad idea to ask Domas to prospectively chase stretch 4s when you simulataneously want to extend him through 2027-28.
This redeems your Kuzma take.
agree.
and I think Monte believed Collins had too many flaws for all that money.
This uncertainty is a pleasure because we finally have stability and trust in a real front office. We have no idea what is going to happen but there is a clear pattern and history of intelligent and successful moves.
This is far better than the certainty of making a horrible pick in the draft lottery and then placing all of our hope in injured or G league talent to be the saviors.
Resign Lyles
Sign Brook Lopez
Get one either Kyle Kuzma, Harrison Barnes, OG, or Siakam
I think we’ve all heard some version of Brooklyn not wanting to go beyond $25 million for Cam Johnson, so assuming we let Barnes walk (or keep him on a surprisingly-reasonable deal), what would you be willing to offer CJ?
I’d lean toward offering him up to $30 mil, ideally on a declining contract over four years. He’s shown growth each year in the league, he’s just twenty-seven, and I think he elevates the ceiling of the team with his ability to stretch the floor. CJ starting at PF alongside Keegan at the wing gives us a long, athletic starting lineup.
(I’m betting that he can be a better rebounder than the 5.4/36 minutes he’s had so far, and I think that Mike Brown can get that from him.)
how about $112MM/4yrs ($28M/per)
Monte leaking fake trades like:
So, the Mavericks are involved?
Just my hunch, Barnes comes back on a team friendly deal, Sasha comes over and takes over Lyles minutes, and the rest of the bench is filled out with “meh” players that make very little difference. Kings roll out near the same roster as last season, hope Murray makes a jump, all while still spending below the cap. Same as it ever was.
Yeah. I predict a pretty conservative off season.
That will disappoint many folks.
If a conservative offseason includes locking up Sabonis, bringing over Sasha and filling out the 8-15 spots on the roster, I’d be pretty happy tbh. Leaves us with enough $$ and flexibility to bide our time until the right deal comes along.
Yup. Monte staying flexible and ready for the right deal to come along has been something he has done consistently.
This is my preference with this FA class not being ideal for what this roster and system needs.
Many have been talking about extending Sabonis as a disappointing outcome this offseason. Having arguably your most important piece locked up long-term, when the alternative is potentially losing him for nothing in free agency, should be enough to make one click their heels.
What I don’t get is that it’s my understanding that even if Monte did not traded Holmes, the Kings still could extend Sabonis. Trading Holmes did not make a Sabonis extension any easier, just cheaper to the payroll.
I read an article about this I may not get it 100% correct but this is the jist. There is a cap on the extension, it’s 140% (I think) of the existing salary. Given that Sabonis is at 19 mm/ year that means he’s only eligible to get to around 27mm per year, that’s not enough to get him to agree, when he could go to market and get $40mm over 4 years from someone else. So the extension thing is this, if you renegotiate his existing pay to increase him to say $30mm/ year, then you can extend him now, lock him up long term and he gets the equivalent of the 40mm/ year extension but it costs you 10mm in salary cap this year. basically you give him Richaun Holmes’ money and he will accept an extension from the kings.
If that is the case that Holmes had to go to clear space in the 2022-23 season, in order give a raise to Sabonis in order to extend him, then it needs to happen in the next 48 hours. I’m pretty sure that is how Indy got Myles Turner to sign an extension in a similar fashion.
If Sabonis is not given that extension soon, then Monte must of cleared that space for something else.
yes
Exactly what they did with Turner.
This sounds right, and “the right deal” is probably much more likely sometime around the deadline when teams get desperate, and there are less options for moving guys. Or maybe Monte has a deal, in place, for Zion.
I wonder if they will try to use the cap space to extend Sabonis this offseason or are they going to wait till next year?
Kings were not below the cap last year, were they? Below the tax, but above the cap, I thought.
You are correct. Above the cap but below the tax by about $7M.
And the only playoff team from last year with palpable cap space this off season. Which is something when you consider that teams like Memphis and Cleveland spent less on payroll last year but have less off season cap space – I think maybe due to new contracts kicking in?
The nice thing is the Kings didn’t blow their financial load last year trying to get into the play-in. They built what appears to be something that (injuries notwithstanding) can be sustained and built upon.
If all the Kings do is extend Sabonis, re-sign Barnes and re-sign Lyles and/or Vez, it will be a bit of a letdown summer, but it will also lock up Sabonis. The Kings will then have to rely on growth from within to get them to the next level, which is not out of the question (also not the preferred path of yours truly). Whatever happens, I’m sure looking forward to this season, and not for the sardonic laughs that sustained me of over a decade and a half.
I think the key to very good sustainable dynasties is grow from within and be opportunistic with trade and free agent possibilities. The Kings not taking on John Collins is telling to me. There’s someone they want more, because Collins was dirt cheap. I don’t think it’ll be a bunch of small time players, I think he’s got someone in mind who fits this team. My money is on Josh Hart, I know it’s not flashy, but he fits our needs.
I am pretty ambivalent in all honesty, about the players available right now free agent wise.
I don’t see Lopez being the best choice for that money available, as Domas did not enjoy playing the 4 with Turner in Indiana, and Brook is just the ne plus ultra of what Turner can do.
Kuzma and even Cam are pretty lateral moves when it comes to production per dollar when compared to Barnes.
Perhaps because of my advanced age/fandom, if there is not a specific player MM & crew has targeted, then I would rather just keep cleaning up the margins and maintaining flexibility until their top choices are available, whether by trade or FA. Brown has only had this team a year. It was the first year that Sabonis/Fox/Keegan/Huerter/Monk have played together. Are we sure what this team is yet? I am sure we all think we do, but thinking is different than knowing.
At this point I don’t even know if Keegan is a 3 or 4. I can see why people argue that he is one or the other, but I am not sure I would be spending 20-25m/yr, or a lot of assets, to find his front court mate after one year unless it was just so obvious to McNair and Brown.
If they have an attainable target, and they lock in, then great, do your thing. But just choosing an adequate option out of a pretty meh group one year into building a perennial playoff team seems short sighted from my perspective.
Very solid, level-headed take.
Yup, this is why I don’t like blowing the cap space on a fringe 3rd star. Murray me end up being that very guy, while still on a rookie deal.
I’m in the camp of adding some solid ancillary talent to reasonable deals. They fills the asset cupboard without putting most of your eggs in one basket.
Bring over Sasha, sign some solid bench pieces like Yuta, Plumlee, White, and/or Wood to fair and movable deals. Kick the tires on Keon Ellis and the 2nd round picks then make adjustments as the season goes on. Build around the core of Fox, Huerter, Murray and Sabonis. I guarantee you there are going to be some teams selling by the deadline to cut salary.
Despite some of my other takes, I have no argument with the logic here.
I think too, that with most good players being on some sort of extension, that trading for a significant piece is far more likely than one coming up in Free Agency, which is where the second tier players seem to become available.
Having several useful players with fungible contracts like Lyles, if Barnes re-signs, Huerter, Monk, and Davion, it gives MM flexibility if his true target becomes available, or another team has to makes moves due to injury or bad planning.
I could totally see Monte signing some guys like Yuta and Wood then flipping them and change for a player like OG by the deadline when his price is far lower than it is now.
I feel with Holmes gone now, Monte doesn’t currently have a lot of “chips” to in on a big deal if one should bubble up. I’m guessing the only tradable assets right now are Monk, Huerter and Mitchell. Go get some more solid contracts and explore opportunities down the road.
The cap space is a chip unto itself with the new CBA coming. And we’ve seen some of that via the number of salary dumps with small returns this off season. That said, that chip may have more value at the deadline, when organizations are scrambling to off load contract before tax liability hits.
You are referring to the cap space our GM created with his savvy deal making? The cap space that did not exist if not for his prudence?
This cap space did not magically appear. McGenius created it over 3 years of judiciousness to result in the cleanest books in the NBA.
So forgive me, but you need not worry about “blowing the cap space” when the cause of the creation of the cap space will choose how it is spent, thank you very much!
Wood doesn’t play hard. He’s selfish. He’s WCS with better shooting touch. After a decade plus of futility, it is absurd to advocate for his acquisition.
Christian Wood, really?!
He’s not an upgrade over Lyles. And I would rather see what Queta can give us as a complementary shot blocker and passer out of the high post and rim runner. Wood has failed too many times with too many chances to be given another chance.
There was a time Wood was worth a flyer. Not now, after the Mavs needed someone at center to team with Luka and he flopped badly.
Wood is the type of player that resulted in many 50 loss seasons for us.. welcome aboard! The Mavs tried to give him away at the deadline and found no takers.
Keegan turns 23 in August.
Why would you not want to acquire a third star, i.e. Kuzma, so as not to depend upon Keegan to be a legitimate star before his seasoning and development takes it natural course?
Keegan may explode in Year 2, but thats a good problem to have and a nightmare for the opposition if you have 4-5 star caliber players.
Nevertheless, Keegan is going to reach his apex as a player as most to all players do, after 3-5 years in the league, then lasting another 3-5 years in his prime.
Until then you lessen the burden on him and actually making it easier for him to blossom with a running mate like Kuzma who will create so many easy shots for Keegan, with the better wing defender assigned to Kuzma, allowing Keegan to feast upwards of a 65% TS%.
Can you imagine how good (great) of a team we will have with Keegan or Huerter as our 4th and 5th option? And Sasha, Colby, Monk, Lyles, and maybe Queta off the bench?
Wow! Nuggets are doomed!
The reason you create 35M in cap space is to acquire a star on a fair market deal. (And in our case also extend Domas)
What you are advocating for is what you do when you are limited in your cap space, when you have to rely on the cap exceptions to sign fringe players.
The idea of “blowing your cap space” is applicable when the decision maker does not know what he is doing. For you to presume this to be a possibility or probability flies in the face of empirical evidence.
I agree with you about CWood. My admittedly limited exposure to his play suggested that he had nearly no interest in defense. He would bring size and rebounding to the four, so if the money was right, I’d still consider him. If it ain’t, I’m good with Lyles getting decent minutes.
It may be, as others have suggested, that any “big” move may not happen until the deadline approaches. Wood could be part of a trade at that point.
Best guess is he asks for about twenty million per year, but probably won’t get it. If he can be had for around $14 mil per year, he’d become a fairly movable asset, here or in a trade.
All of this, of course, is contingent on what Vezenkov decides to do. We’d not need both of them.
Wood- ? he can shoot, sometimes but he is a brain dead basketball player.
Kings want smart BBIQ guys.
Yup there’s a reason why Christian Wood can’t seem to stick on an NBA team. Guy does not play defense at all and has a low BBIQ.
If you think Buddy was frustrating to watch, wait till you watch Christian Wood play.
What about PJ Washington?
There will be very few coaches who will put their better defender on Kuzma, who has a much worse TS%.
Just let Kuz take all his quality shots at a low clip and when he has one of his hot games, figure it out on the fly.
just don’t sign, to sign. Not the greatest FA class- so extend DS, sign Sasha, sign Lyles and HB 9 or sign and trade him. Pick up some second level FA’s.
HB and/or Lyles. Who would you prioritize, why, and at what price?
actually Lyles- at 6-7 M
HB at 12-15
I think we can get lyles and Sasha under the exceptions. So if I’m not mistaken we have 36ish mil left to sign 1 or 2 bigger fish that we want and then go over the cap to resign barnes.
Big fish like Lebron James and Chris Bosh in 2010?
that seems reasonable.
Middleton would be a major score. I observed time and time again how the Bucks were a completely different team without him. Even with or without Giannis, they were more negatively affected by not having Middleton… his skill set would be a perfect fit for this team.
No argument, even with his recent injury problems. He’s got a $40.3 mil option for the upcoming season, so the question would be that if he opts out to get a longer deal, what’s the per-year damage going to look like? At 31, and coming off a rough season, he’ll likely get offers at a lower number than he might have, so the question is, what can/should Sacramento offer, if they offer?
At his age, maybe you do three years at sixty million? Ideally, you’d get a team option for the last year, but is he a guy that can be reasonably expected to move the Kings up a notch?
(I’d imagine he’s looking for $25-$30 mil per season, and that feels like too much money after his injury-filled tenth year in the NBA.)
he missed most of last season and was then put on load management. back-to-backs were icing days.
Been out for a while, and I don’t know if this has been said, but the Colby Jones pick could easily be made by a non-savvy GM at 24. Instead, the Kings got Colby and boatload of cap space by some maneuvering. Man, never been this excited since Game 1 of the Playoffs last season.
“Personally, I believe the Kings have a plan, because I don’t like the idea of yet another Kings GM trading away a first round pick to create cap space and then scrambling to figure out how to use it.”
Personally, I don’t think he does have a plan, he’s winging it. It doesn’t matter as long as he scrambles effectively.
I’ve been starting to come around on depth vs big splashes. In my opinion, if we ended up with Brooks, Thybulle, Sasha, and Lyles I’d be happy with how it shook out. Adding 2 wing defenders would go a long way for this team. It wouldn’t solve the rim protection problem but I do feel if we could have players on the court to at least not be a revolving door straight to the basket, it makes Domas’ job on defense a bit easier.
Brooks isn’t a lights out shooter but he’s someone who’s shot you have to respect, while playing the heel role, and playing solid d. He won’t break the bank and I’d bet he’s not accepting any donkeys stomping on our big man.
Thybulle is more of a stopper, who can occasionally hit the corner 3, as shown in Portland. I’d like to say our offense can mask a little bit of his offensive short comings, but his defensive abilities would make a big difference for us. Davion is a beast on defense but him not being able to guard anyone over 6’4 limits us on that end of the court.
If we ended up with Kuz I wouldn’t be mad but I feel like him at 30m isn’t the best use of the cap space we have to play with. Friday will be interesting
Spending the money on a SG/SF makes no sense because, drumroll
we have one of the worst interior defenses in the league and after Keegan’s soft rookie year you have to pigeon hole him a sf next to Domas
”upgrading the defense” is done by getting Domas much needed help in the paint
thats why when I heard Kuzma is actually an underrated rim protector I knew the rumor was true
Sounds like Kings4ever might slice his wrist if Monte doesn’t pull the trigger on Kuzma.
Poor guy. Kuzma is a great player? Probably the first person anywhere on earth, other than Kuzma’s Mom or siblings making that ludicrous claim.
He’s a 16-6 career avg. lifetime 33 percent from 3. Lifetime.
Sweep away advanced stats, Metrics, and your 6th Margarita. He’s an average player.
Espousing and Exaggerating his ability is funnier than 2 hours with Sebastian Maniscalco.
Believing Kuzma is the difference between the Quarter Finals and WCF? Oh, yeah! Power ball is 468 mil.
Vote No on Kuzma
Slawson is better than Kooz
… at defense.
Kuz is a good player, but signing him to a large contract would not make sense for the Kings. I’d rather have a Matt Barnes type of player at a bargain than overpay for another scorer who shoots below the league average from 3.
To be fair and honest, no one knew what the Kings were doing before. Are you going to try and convince me you saw us drafting Papa G?
That’s an outlier, buried in a field of outliers. No one on earth had any idea that VD would just waste a lottery pick.
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.
next year, it help also.
Speaking of juice that isn’t worth the squeeze, we could just skip Vezenkov, IMO. If he comes over and “is that dude”, then great. But there’s a reason he’s 29 and still playing in Europe, let’s be real. And it sounds like he wants Barnes type money without having any understanding of how well he can adapt to NBA rules and competition. So if Monte is going to swing on this guy for that kind of price and he ISN’T “that dude”, it’s not going to go well at all.
Haven’t logged in to post in a while. Howdy. I wanted to share here that I think Brook Lopez would be the perfect acquisition for this team. Here’s why.
Pros:
Cons:
Thoughts and comments welcome!!
And-one: I forgot to mention that he sets meaty screens.
I’m not buying in on Kuzma at all and bringing back HB sounds kinda pointless, he is so average. A trade for someone like Siakam sounds good, I’ll take OG.
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