fbpx
The Kings Herald

Independent Sacramento Kings Coverage. By Fans, For Fans. | Support Us On Patreon

Royal Roundtable: Day One Free Agency Grades

The crew got together to discuss the first day of free agency.

Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

After one day, countless deals, and over a billion dollars handed out in contracts, the first day of free agency is officially over. Fred VanVleet was the only max deal of the day, Jerami Grant got paid the big bucks to stay in Portland, and Bruce Brown secured the bag in Indiana, while the Kings acquired Chris Duarte from the Indiana Pacers, re-signed Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles, and brought Sasha Vezenkov over from Europe.

We got the crew together to answer a few questions about the last few hours:

What was the best deal handed out on day one of free agency?

Tim: I hate to say it, but the Lakers performed extremely well despite their limited spending. Taurean Prince was a fantastic get with the bi-annual exception (2 years, $10 million), but Gabe Vincent was an even better acquisition at 3 years, $33 million. He’s a talented point guard who’s an upgrade from the Westbrook/Russell disaster of last season, and the Lakers should have an upgraded lineup across the board.

My runner-up would probably be Seth Curry and the Mavericks, as they also acquired him for the bi-annual exception. I think we’ll see quite a few additional role players sign for smaller-than-expected deals in the coming days.

Tony: I love what the Phoenix Suns are doing with limited cap flexibility around their stars. More specifically, Yuta Watanabe, Keita Bates-Diop, and Drew Eubanks. I’d have been thrilled if Monte McNair filled out the end of his rotation with those guys.

They also retained Cameron Payne, Josh Okogie, Damion Lee, and signed former King Chimezu Metu. I’m not a huge Metu believer, but this haul feels like a very solid roster for what amounts to near-league-minimum salaries. 

Brenden: I’m with Tim when it comes to the Lakers moves. The Prince singing seems like a value deal for them, but it’s primarily Gabe Vincent’s three year, $33-million deal that really stands out to me. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were desperate for spacing at times last season. Vincent is obviously elite in that aspect, but I thought his decision making and space creation in the pick-and-roll took a substantial leap last season. I thought Vincent would make more than this.

Also, quick shoutout to Keita Bates-Diop going to Phoenix on a two-year, $5-million deal.

Akis: Yes, the Lakers and Suns did have good days yesterday, but I think the deal that has the chance to be the best one signed this offseason was the 4 year, $54 million deal the Pelicans made for Herb Jones.  Herb will be entering his third year, and was a legit All-Defensive guy from his rookie year.  If he can get his 3P% to to even just 35 or 36%, that’s a steal for a long, defensive minded wing.  Every team wants one of these guys, and the Pelicans locked him up for not much at all, especially considering the cap increases that will play out over the next few years with the new television deal.

What was the worst deal handed out on day one of free agency?

Tim: There’s no question in my mind that Jerami Grant was the worst acquisition . Yes, Fred VanVleet is making approximately one billion dollars per year, but Houston also needed to spend the cash and they at least got a veteran ball-handler to lead their young guys. Meanwhile, Portland doubled down on mediocrity by locking Grant into a five-year, $160 million contract, and that was just before Damian Lillard demanded a trade. Grant is a solid player, but he won’t be easy to trade on this new contract, and now the Blazers have to motivation to win immediately. Woof.

My runner-up, which isn’t necessarily an overt overpay, is Dennis Schroder to the Raptors for a similar reason as above. Schroder is a massive downgrade from VanVleet, but the Raptors are determined to run it back with a worse squad that wasn’t great last season.

Tony: Tim already mentioned Jerami Grant and yeah, no arguments here. I’ll also throw Kyrie Irving’s new contract into the ring. Kyrie is returning to the Mavericks on a 3-year, $127 million deal, and while talent-for-contract wise it is probably better than Grant, I have zero faith whatsoever that this is going to work out for Dallas in the long-term. If this thing blows up and eventually leads to Luka Doncic’s exit, it’s going to be hard to argue that this wasn’t the most consequentially bad contract handed out this summer.

Brenden: It’s the Jerami Grant deal and it’s not that close. 32-million annually over the course of FIVE year is absurd (and puts the Harrison Barnes deal in perspective). The two-year, $45-million the Pacers gave to Bruce Brown is a massive overpay, but it’s just for two seasons as a veteran connector alongside rookie-deal talent.

I actually really like Grant as a third or fourth best player on a contending team, but you don’t pay $32-million a year for that guy. That contract last until he’s 34, so it’ll be interesting to see how it ages. 

Akis: Everyone has already talked about the Jerami Grant deal, because yeah, that’s the worse one, made even worse by the fact that Damian Lillard has now requested a trade. Who was Portland even bidding against? I think Grant’s a fine player, but paying a non-All-Star $30+ million when you didn’t even make the playoffs last year seems like a terrible decision.

Runner-up goes to the Mavs paying Kyrie Irving over $40 million a year when again, nobody was bidding against them, and your team didn’t make the playoffs with him.  But they’re all in on Kyrie after trading for him last year. I just can’t fathom giving a guy who has proven to be unreliable that much money.

How would you grade Monte’s moves on day one of free agency?

Tim: He has a solid B from me right now. I’m not a huge fan of the Barnes re-signing, even with the high cost of other free agents. We’ll never know exactly who the front office spoke to and what they offered them, but I would have taken Kuzma’s or Johnson’s deal over Barnes’ contract, even though they were much more expensive.

Conversely, I love the Duarte trade, which as of this authoring, has yet to be officially completed. The Kings could be looping this into the Holmes trade, which also has yet to be completed, or they could be working with the Pacers on another deal. Either way, I can’t imagine Sacramento is surrendering much more than a couple of second rounders in the transaction, and that’s fantastic value for a young(ish) guard/wing who showed some real promise in his rookie season. The move also gives Sacramento some flexibility to deal a higher caliber player such as Kevin Huerter or Malik Monk if a major upgrade becomes available.

I’m also happy with the Trey Lyles re-signing (2 years, $16 million), even if it’s a hair over what I would have preferred to pay. The Kings used early bird rights to bring back an important rotation piece, meaning they didn’t sacrifice any cap space in the deal, reducing my concerns about the per-year value to almost nothing. It’s a solid deal.

Bringing over Sasha Vezenkov on the room exception at 3 years, $20 million is also quality execution from the Kings from a cap perspective. They’ll retain their flexibility (around $13.5 million in cap space), and they secured Vezenkov’s bird rights if he’s worthy of another deal in the future.

As the flurry of transactions comes to a close, I have a real appreciation for Monte McNair’s manipulation of the salary cap. The Kings have managed to re-sign two quality rotational players, add two more via trades and signing, and they still have cash to spend. Perhaps most importantly, the Kings will be able to maintain control over all of these acquisitions in the future, as they own the full bird rights for Barnes, Lyles, and Vezenkov, while Duarte will be a restricted free agent when his rookie deal comes to a close. The last piece of the puzzle is what the Kings will do with the space from the Richaun Holmes salary dump, so I’m still in a bit of wait-and-see mode for this free agency period.

Tony: I’m writing this on morning two of free agency, so I’m going to include landing Sasha Vezenkov for 3 years, $20 million to my evaluation of McNair’s free agency moves thus far.

Locking up Vezenkov for 3 years at roughly $6.6 million per year is one of my favorite contracts anyone has signed. I’ll also give McNair back credit for trading a 2nd round pick to the Cavaliers for the rights to Vezenkov in the first place. He nailed this transaction from every angle. I am a huge Vezenkov believer.

I am pretty neutral on the Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles contracts. They’re fine.

And I love the Chris Duarte acquisition, which appears at least somewhat driven by his on-court familiarity with Domantas Sabonis. Duarte played the best basketball of his career with Sabonis in Indiana, and I think he’s going to have a great year rebuilding his value on this squad.

I’ll give McNair a B for now with a high likelihood that this grade is going to end up higher once we see what else he has cooking. The Kings still have a decent amount of cap space and moves to make. So far, so good. 

Brenden: Vezenkov coming over seemed expected, but it’s still good to see him officially ink a three-year deal that will likely be the room exception and still allow them more flexibility moving forward.

Signing Harrison Barnes to a three-year, $52-million deal looks like better value with each passing contract. I understand the frustration with “running it back” with the same starting lineup, but let’s not forget what that lineup and team last season was able to accomplish. They were one win away from making it to the second-round of the postseason and have a young enough group that expecting internal growth is reasonable.

As for Trey Lyles’s two-year, $16-million deal, that seems like fair value for what Lyles provides. He also made it very clear he wanted to remain in Sacramento during his exit interviews after building chemistry with his teammates on and off the court. I do have some questions about positional overlap between Lyles and Vezenkov, but that could dwindle based on what other deals are made.

I’ll go with a solid B+ up to this point. The Kings still need to find two rotational pieces before this is all said and done. A backup wing and center are essential, with a third-string point guard next up. Still plenty of players yet to be signed.

Akis: Probably a B grade from me.  There haven’t really been any exciting moves for the Kings, but every deal Monte’s made has been reasonable, and the Kings are a better team right now than they were at the end of the season.  However I do think the moves the Kings have made have only raised their floor, not their ceiling.  Sacramento is a deeper team right now, but they haven’t done something where I’d say they’ve taken the team to the next level just yet.  I’m not sure if that move is out there anymore, barring a trade.  But otherwise, solid offseason so far.

Patreon Membership
* indicates required


To prevent spam, our system flags comments that include too many hyperlinks. If you would like to share a comment with multiple links, make sure you email editorial@kingsherald.com for it to be approved.

62 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Adamsite
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
July 1, 2023 10:37 am

I’d currently give Monte an “incomplete.” Yes, the Barnes, Lyles, and Veznekov deals are good. No real complaints there other than finding minutes for all three of them. The Duarte trade looks to be solid as well as he could be a minor upgrade to TD.

My main concern is Monte has done little to address the defensive inadequacies this team has. There is still time and money left so maybe he has a few cards up his sleeve because as of now this team is still going to be giving up 120+ points a game while relying on superior outside shooting and perfect health to score 130 points a night.

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:51 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I agree. I’ll wait to personally grade MM until the next move(s) are made. Defense and couple bigs are still needed imo.

PlayoffModeT
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 10:57 am

I give it a B as well. I am very excited for the depth throughout the season.

I’d like to kick the tires on Dwight Howard. His big body and defensive communication/IQ is likely still better than what is available. But I trust Monte.

Also, Jake Stephens is someone I’m looking forward to watching during SL. I want to see his lateral quickness as I think he could be a possible 2way. Amazing length and shooting there.

OG_Aggie
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 1, 2023 11:00 am

Johnson was a restricted, right? And Kuzma? Meh. Barnes contract is good value and that team last year had a great vibe. Keeping it as much as possible works for me. Teams like the Lakers that churn through players, or what the suns are doing? I hate it.

murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:33 pm
Reply to  OG_Aggie

Would have had to go far above the contract Johson signed because Nets w could have matched it- what really was their limit? Kuz wanted to be the star. The music played, no one bit on him so he signed back with the Wizards for less money than he wanted only because no one bit at 30M per year and the Wizards had him by the basketballs. Grant- oh come on.
So the Barnes deal in comparison was fine. HB + Lyles less than any of them.
LAL and Suns will resemble pick up teams at the Y- good talent maybe but not a team. Because no on has bit on Reeves yet, they may still get him.
Disappointed in Kings missing on defensive wings- like Yuta and T. Craig. and T. Prince. Kessler is the consolation prize.

Milkman
Comments
Comments
July 1, 2023 11:26 am

Added shooting/stretch. Get the glass cleaner.

PretendGhost
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 11:45 am
Reply to  Milkman

I don’t think they need a glass cleaner per se, since Sabonis already does that, but they need a secondary rebounder which can play next to Sabonis and grab boards at a better rate than Barnes.

Vezenkov could be that guy, he’s big & strong with some good (not great) rebounding numbers. Lyles also isn’t a bad rebounder, and I’d be curious to see what happens if he replaces Barnes in the starting lineup.

I hope the Kings are talking to Plumlee and Lopez — either of them would improve our 2nd unit and take a lot of weight off Domas’ shoulders

Adamsite
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
July 1, 2023 12:30 pm
Reply to  PretendGhost

Lopez back to the Bucks. Plumlee might be the best option now.

eddie41
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 1, 2023 12:37 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I think Plumlee is overrated.

Adamsite
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
July 1, 2023 12:41 pm
Reply to  eddie41

You have someone better in mind that’s available for the backup role?

murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:42 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

Landale

Maximus
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:52 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

Mo Wagner is already better than Plumlee. Goga Bitadze if we want someone young.

andy_sims
Vote Up
Comments
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Vote Up
Comments
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
July 1, 2023 4:43 pm
Reply to  Maximus

Fact: Mo Wagner isn’t better than anyone.

eddie41
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 1, 2023 2:17 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I don’t see Plumlee getting any playing time with the Kings.

atwork
July 1, 2023 6:48 pm
Reply to  eddie41

Huh, I am all about Plumlee where the market sits now. He is not going to wow anyone but he ia solid.

murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:42 pm
Reply to  eddie41

me too. Sometimes I think since he has a rating, he is over-rated. He has hands of stone.

SuperShaka
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 4:08 pm
Reply to  murraytant

He has a 2/1 Ast/TO ratio and a similar TO% to Sabonis and shoots over 70% at the rim. Maybe you caught some of his bad games.

ArcoThunder
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:32 pm
Reply to  PretendGhost

Taking some of the weight off of the back of the Ox would be nice. Can Queta be that guy? I think he’s definitely worthy of a roster spot as the 3rd true Center with serious potential to be the number 2. If Monte gets a more established big man like Plumlee as an example then you’re talking about arguably the deepest roster in the league.

ajonez81
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 6:33 pm
Reply to  ArcoThunder

True Ox got overworked last year…flamed out in playoff run

murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:41 pm
Reply to  PretendGhost

DS is a unique player. Rebounds but not out of his area. Does not block shots. Perfect partner for him would shoot the 3 to open the floor, get rebounds and block shots. There are not a lot of these guys.
Secondary strategies are to guard more on the perimeter, to keep opponents out of the pant, to gang rebound and just make a shit ton of shots on offense.
One question is- does DS need a PF partner or does DS need a backup for when he sits. Lopez signed as did Bryant who plays no D.

OKC just signed another Euro and has more than 15 signed players. Hornets had 3 centers and drafted another. Landale was “released” by the Suns.
Trade deadline approaches. This is the toughest spot/need to address.

PretendGhost
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 11:54 pm
Reply to  murraytant

Pretty amazing that a dude can lead the league in rebounds without ever rebounding out of his area

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:53 pm
Reply to  PretendGhost

Vez and Domas as the 4/5 is going to be rough. Just not enough athleticism between the two.
We really need an athletic 4.
At this point, Wood or Bridges are probably the only options left.

PretendGhost
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 11:53 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

Feels like a tired trope to say that Domas is not athletic, given he’s very strong and has great foot speed and lateral movement for a guy his size.

Vezenkov is strong and long, dunno much else about his athleticism.

unfairweather
Comments
Comments
July 1, 2023 3:22 pm
Reply to  PretendGhost

How exactly are Vezenkov’s rebounding numbers good, not great? He is one of the top rebounders in Euroleague.

PretendGhost
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 11:51 pm
Reply to  unfairweather

Because I have no sense of how rebounding translates from that league to ours. Anyway, “great” is subjective, but it’s not like 6rpg is a jaw dropping number

unfairweather
Comments
Comments
July 2, 2023 9:42 am
Reply to  PretendGhost

His 7 RPG in is eye-popping and elite, good for second Euroleague, where typical FGA per game is around 55, vs 80 or so in the NBA. His 7 rpg is probably well north of a 20% rebound rate.

Historically, rebounding has been the stat which translated best from other leagues to the NBA.

That is not to say he is guaranteed to be a great rebounder in the NBA, but it is to say his numbers are excellent in Euroleague, and he has been among the best rebounders there every year of his career.

Last edited 1 year ago by unfairweather
GlassCleaner
Original Member
Original Member
July 1, 2023 8:37 pm
Reply to  Milkman

Put me in coach!

eddie41
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 1, 2023 11:34 am

I like that there will be competition for roles.

ArcoThunder
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:15 pm
Reply to  eddie41

Agreed. Their bench unit is already very very good.

Mitchell, Monk, Kessler Edwards, Vezenkov and Trey Lyles… Yeah… I’m looking forward to watching this team!!!

I get that there’s some let down from how excited (Fan’s) hopes for big acquisitions this summer didn’t come through. The use of the draft, big trades and free agency hasn’t resulted in an all star caliber player coming to sacramento. There was no “splashy move” like trading for one or both of the raptors all star forwards. Of course fans were/are excited about the idea of that. Slightly disappointed when these specific dreams with certain players surrounded bye all the rumors doesn’t come true.

Reality: this has been a pretty excellent off season for Mm.

Let us not forget that this magical team that was so incredible to watch had never played together before. Even guys like Fox, Barnes, Holmes who were already “used to” playing with each other were getting a new coach with an almost entirely new coaching staff. It was all new to everyone.

And look how they did.

Pretty insane when you think back on it. It’s why the season was so god damn fun to be a part of. It was a special season. Now, imagine that same team coming back for a second season together. Picking up where they left off and knowing how they can make themselves better. The role of each player mostly already defined.
all of them with playoff experience now… Sign me up.

So far, the 4 new additions to the roster are improvements to last years roster. ❤️

theres going to be more additions to this already VERY DEEP roster. ????

Im Excited about being able to watch this already very good team grow. ????

they’re going to be better. This is going to be fun.????

Last edited 1 year ago by ArcoThunder
Adamsite
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
July 1, 2023 12:41 pm
Reply to  ArcoThunder

I’m not ready to say Monte has had a “pretty excellent offseason” just yet. Lets go down the list:

1) He cleared cap space with the Holmes trade at the cost of the #24. We have yet to see what Monte is going to do with that space. That’s an “incomplete” in book as of now.

2) He looks to have drafted two solid looking dudes in the second round, but we’ve heard that before. The jury will be out for a while on those picks

3) He re-signed Barnes and Lyles. That’s great, but he is paying them a combined more in salary than last year. It’s a wash as far as I’m concerned, especially when it looks like a vast majority of the UFAs this summer have stuck with their previous teams. Still waiting to see how the Barnes, Lyles, Sasha, Murray rotation works.

4) He traded for Duarte. Ok. That’s a straight swap for TD. I’m not sure it moves the needle that much. Duarte also has injury concerns. He’s missed a lot of time the past two years, but at least he’s a controlled asset on his rookie scale. That’s the kicker for me.

5) He’s bringing over Sasha from Europe. That’s a win for sure, but I think an inevitable one in the end. Again, the jury is still out, but I think we will love Sasha on the Kings.

Again, has Monte done a great job? Well, at least he hasn’t fucked up like Portland, but I’m not ready to say everything is coming up roses. What Monte does with the remaining cap space will determine my final judgement.

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:56 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

Very fair take and in line with most of the roundtable: solid moves thus far but also meh in addition to HB and Lyles being slightly overpaid.
The level headedness of the rountable is appreciated.

SlamsonsRollerskates
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 12:47 pm

Formative Assessment: B+ Major roster continuity while raising the floor (depth) and ceiling (Sasha) of this team on fair value contracts with team control for multiple years. Still need a 3rd PG, and a backup center that can defend and rebound. Acquiring these two positions can bump the grade up to an A- or A.

Summative Assessment: Incomplete

RikSmits
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 1, 2023 12:50 pm

I would have given up 2 2nd rounders for Obi Toppin.

Adamsite
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
July 1, 2023 1:14 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

Except he would be totally redundant with Murray, Barnes, Lyles, and Veznekov eating all the minutes at 3/4.

AmateurNerd
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
July 1, 2023 12:58 pm

Surprised nobody mentioned Draymond Green in the discussion of worst deals. He’s not worth $25m per year right now, and that’s a 4-year deal with a PLAYER option in year 4. He’s clearly in decline, and will be 36 when the deal is up. GSW condemned itself to years of salary cap hell for the sake of one last (unrealistic) run at a ring.

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 1:03 pm
Reply to  AmateurNerd

Green is above criticism. Nothing he does can be questioned.

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 1:04 pm
Reply to  AmateurNerd

The luxury tax payments will be more than his contract alone.
Once they extend Klay, they are royally fooked after a year or two. I think their window is next season and after that their big 4 besides Curry are too long in the tooth.

Adamsite
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
July 1, 2023 1:18 pm
Reply to  AmateurNerd

I think the Warriors are just making good to their own. It’s entirely possible Curry, Green, and Klay all retire Warriors. That would be special for that franchise to have their big 3 who brought them 4 titles play their entire career there. The Warriors franchise prints money anyway, so it’s no skin off of their backs.

AmateurNerd
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
July 1, 2023 1:28 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

My slightly more cynical take is that their new GM doesn’t want the first thing he does to be breaking up a dynasty, especially when the fanbase is still convinced the dynasty is alive and well. He doesn’t have the reputational capital to pull that off and survive if any one of the “Big Three” ball out for a few more years on a different team. Keeping the band together and adding Paul gives him cover. In a year or two he can say “See? I tried everything I could!” then tear it down with everyone’s consent.

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 1:02 pm

Overall I like the solid, value oriented moves that have been made by the FO.
Having said that, we are essentially returning the same team, pending further moves.
So there is an aspect of stagnation here whilst the rest of the West seems to have improved quite a bit.

Nuggets: in a class of their own.
Lakers: clearly better, love the moves they have made since the trade deadline around AD and LBJ
Duds: better with CP3
Griz: add Smart which may be a game changer for them.
Suns: amazing value moves around their big 3 and didn’t even have to give Ayton up.
Clips: wait and see
Wolves: retained all their guys, another year of Ant improvement makes them better.
Pels: meh
Thunder: Chet returning and I think they’re ready to take a leap.
Jazz: much improved with solid moves.
Mavs: a year of Luka and Kyrie together, you never know.
Rockets: FVV perhaps gets the young guns to play winning ball
Spurs: sleeper play in team.
Blazers: lol

I don’t know, I can see us being a top four seed and easily being a play in at the same time. The West is just parity filled besides the Nuggets.

ajonez81
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 6:39 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

Nugz are nice, Jokic is the real MVP. I think Fox and D-Bone can compete as a duo with Joker and Murray. But ueah they may still be a bit above everone else, they don’t have a lot of depth though and Brown is gone. What is crazy is that these teams in playoffs were playing like 5-7 guys pretty much…maybe 8. So you only need 7 or 8 really good guys to win it all, maybe some depth in case of injuries.

R-man
July 1, 2023 1:15 pm

I love what we’ve done. We maintained the core. We maintained flexibility. We picked up a few pieces that could end up paying off big in Duarte and Vezenkov. Good low risk calculated gambles. If an opportunity presents itself, we have pieces that are movable. Incremental and internal growth.

Last edited 1 year ago by R-man
Adamsite
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
July 1, 2023 1:38 pm

Well, I can’t see Twitter anymore so I’m back to refreshing ESPN like the 20th Century. If others have news please feel free to share it here.

murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 1:44 pm

LAC trying to trade Zubac- and want Plumlee to replace him.
Bryant signed for minimum with? LAL

Mo Wagner back to Orlando for same money as Lyles- my goodness.

The music is still going and Landale is still upright. The challenge here might be contract. He was on minimum, probably wants more.
Wonder if Zubac at 10M might be had in a salary dump for a second round pick to an under the cap team Kings. Is that too much- does rebound.
These contracts may little sense except to the fools negotiating them.
Reeves and DeLo back to LAL
They actually have a rational team now with all positions filled. Have to jell and the two big guys have to stay out of the hospital

UpgradedToQuestionable
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 1, 2023 1:47 pm

Looking at the start of FA, post draft roster for this team that outperformed expectations last season (+18 wins) I am delighted.

If we analyze on paper and posts- Sacramento didn’t add a third star. Yet. They only have 2 All-NBA players and those guys were only 3rd team.

If only they could have added that almost 3rd star who would’ve been a star, for sure, on the Kings. They would be looking at, I dunno, Western Conf Finals ga-run-teed (Barkley that phrase).

Two stars is just not enough. It wasn’t enough for Kyrie and Luka, Kevin n’ Devin, Lebron and AD, not even the only other 2 All-NBA-ers- Jayson and Jaylen. So what chance did Sac have?

Kinda disappointing to be stuck with Harrison Barnes because he had an awful playoffs. Kuzma, Grant so much better. Worth every dime of better. Middleton and Dray stuck with their squads that made them look good because they win. HB is a has been/never been with a coat tail ring. But nice guy.

If only…

oh well. What can you say? Monte apparently screwed the pooch. Yes, I am facetious.

Look, no one’s saying that and there is both great excitement and understandable worry mixed with parts apprehension and disappointment for a bigger splash.

Expectations are now at a realistically elevated level after one magical season. But let’s not Gobert this squad just yet. Resurrect The Patience Preacher in a new role and let’s pump the brakes/take a deep breath/chill pill.

And get Domas two badly needed things:
First, a raise
Second, a worthy back up (not Lyles, not Queta).

And give Exec of the Year McGenius his props – B+/A-

UpgradedToQuestionable
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Patreon Supporter
July 1, 2023 2:47 pm

…and let’s pump the brakes/take a deep breath/chill pill.

Of course, that just my opinion.

murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 2:56 pm

Kuz or Grant are NOT the third star.
Who is third at Denver? MPJ? Really?

A good team can win, don’t need a proven vet with a lot of stats to be the third guy- If it happens, it does but not those 2 guys.

Damien Jones from Jazz to Cavs. Was he the backup to DS? no

D. Powell took large pay cut in Dallas from 11 M per year to 3/12 to re-sign.
The music is blaring, the chairs are scarce.
at least 3 centers gone today. Landale is standing and looking.

murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 4:52 pm

all the centers are gone Landale to Rockets
Powell to Mavs.
no more free agents.
Bring Len back?

Kosta
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 1, 2023 4:52 pm
Reply to  murraytant

How about bringing back that Koufos fella?

He’s kinda cool.

Last edited 1 year ago by Kosta
murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 5:04 pm
Reply to  Kosta

not quite sure what Monte was thinking. Or doing.
I guess Q is the backup center.
Jordi keeps talking about getting 1% better each day. Q better have had a lot of days this summer. Like 4 years’ worth.

murraytant
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 5:09 pm
Reply to  murraytant

or over pay for Plumlee or trade for Zubac or wait for Harden to go to LAC and swoop in for pieces.
If DS misses any games, then what?

ArcoThunder
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 5:05 pm
Reply to  murraytant

Giles

RattleSeattle96
Comments
Comments
July 1, 2023 6:15 pm
Reply to  murraytant

I believe Mo Bamba is still available and there is still the trade market. With Dame now requesting a trade we could help facilitate a trade by being the 3rd team with our salary cap space. It’s always good to remain flexible because players always become available unexpectedly every season.

Last edited 1 year ago by RattleSeattle96
Kosta
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
July 1, 2023 4:55 pm

EVERYONE TOLD ELON NOT TO MAKE TWITTER OUT OF CARBON FIBER AND DUDE DID NOT LISTEN

ajonez81
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 6:30 pm

I’d give this roundtable a C+, just kidding. Yeah Monte probably solid B rn, I’m a Lyles fan more than Barnes for some reason but both are solid, Duarte and Sasha should be fun and maybe surprise us a bit. Monte has shown that not rocking the boat and valuing cohesiveness/chemistry can pay off, I’m on board. Not sure how we ever fix our defense but maybe defense is dead in the NBA ???? and we’ll be the trendsetters to win without it…beam gone beam!

PatFenis
Original Member
Original Member
July 1, 2023 6:52 pm

Imagine if this asshole has destroyed Twitter yesterday.

FarmerGuy
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 7:07 pm

Just re-signed Len at 3.2 for 1 yr. Still hoping for a more legit big we can rely on more than situational matchups like they use Len. Is it basically Plumlee, trade or bust at this point?

Last edited 1 year ago by FarmerGuy
kgdobter
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 7:07 pm

Kings bring back Alex Len on a 1yr $3.2M contract.

LOUiE
July 1, 2023 8:31 pm

Sabonis 5/217 million!

NorCalKingsFan
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 8:42 pm
Reply to  LOUiE

source?

NorCalKingsFan
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 8:47 pm
Reply to  LOUiE

Nevermind, Woj reported it but Twitter is apparently still down. Yahoo picked it up and confirmed that Woj at least tweeted it.

“The All-Star center has agreed to a five-year, $217 million contract extension with $195 million in new money, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojanrowski. Sabonis was previously under contract for one more season with the Kings on a $19.4 million salary and $22 million cap hit, but will now be under contract through 2028.”

NinjaFetus
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
July 1, 2023 10:19 pm

I’m okay with the moves so far, for the most part. Kinda was wishing to see free agents like Bruce Brown, Jaxson Hayes and T. Prince but understand what Monte is trying to do here. Brown was a huge overpay, but the other two didn’t seem like to much. Oh well, just an arm-chair GM here.

Way for Hali to get paid though! Good for him.

Excited to see what next season holds for this team.

Badge Legend

Patreon Supporter Patreon Supporter   Registered On Day 1 Registered On Day 1   Published Post Published Post  Published Post Nostradumbass
Comment Up Votes 200 Up Votes   Comment Up Votes 500 Up Votes    1,000 Up Votes    3,000+ Up Votes

Comments 50 Comments   Comments 100 Comments    250 Comments    500 Comments    1000+ Comments