fbpx
Mar. 29, 7:00 PM
DAL @ SAC
Mar. 31, 6:00 PM
UTH @ SAC
Apr. 02, 7:00 PM
LAC @ SAC
Apr. 04, 4:30 PM
SAC @ NYK
Apr. 05, 4:30 PM
SAC @ BOS
Apr. 07, 4:30 PM
SAC @ BKN
Apr. 09, 5:00 PM
SAC @ OKC
Apr. 11, 7:00 PM
NOH @ SAC
Apr. 12, 7:30 PM
PHO @ SAC
Apr. 14, 12:30 PM
POR @ SAC

Chainmail: Talkin rebuilds, trades, wins, and much more

You asked, we answered!
By and | 15 Comments | Dec 16, 2021

Welcome back to Chainmail! This week we had some great questions about potential rebuilds, trade requests, rotations, and much, much more. Let’s jump right in!

From: RandyBreuersNeckHair:

Will the Kings make any moves around December 15th?

Tim: Probably not. While December 15th is key for allowing teams to trade a majority of the players that were acquired in free agency, most franchises are still trying to gauge their rosters right now. That’s why mid-December never sees some crazy flurry of deals like we witness every trade deadline. Teams are less desperate, General Managers still believe in the depth charts they assembled over the summer, and there are simply fewer players available in talks than two months from now.

All of that being said, there is one other team out there that may be as desperate as the Kings, and that’s the Portland Trail Blazers. They’ve dropped six straight, they’re currently 11th in the Western Conference, CJ McCollum is out for an unknown period of time, and Damian Lillard is watching all of the superstars around the league enjoy more success than him. While I don’t see a straight trade happening between Portland and Sacramento, maybe a three-team deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons can be worked on?

Will: I’m fairly convinced that we’re headed towards another Trade Deadline decision to pull the trigger on anything that might help the Kings reach whatever it is their ultimate goal is this. With rumors of ownership pushing a playoffs-or-bust ultimatum – I think we can all agree that sooner is probably better than later and yet, as Tim pointed out, no team is truly desperate enough to give up anything just yet. Obviously, we’re a few days of hindsight past the 15th and we haven’t heard anything significant on the Kings front and I’d expect it to stay that way until at least the new year.

From RikSmits:

How would you blow up the roster and start a rebuild?

Tim: It’s interesting to bandy words like rebuild and tank around the fan base and gauge reactions. Some have a visceral response bordering on hatred, some think it’s the only solution for this franchise, and some disagree politely, and all of that likely stems from 15 years of failed rebuilds. No one wants to lose for the next five years. No one. (Okay, maybe Marty, but no one else). And that’s completely understandable.

However, for competent organizations, rebuilds don’t take five years. They may not take three. Savvy organizations are willing to recognize when a minutes-core isn’t working, and they disband that unit and restart, or rebuild. That’s what I would be looking to do with Sacramento’s roster.

First, I’m getting rid of Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes, the former for his lack of defensive commitment and general me-first attitude and the latter because he’s the best combination of skill, value, and contract that the Kings can move. Buddy isn’t getting me more than expiring contracts and a decent young player, while Barnes should command and least one solid, young contributor and a mid-first round pick. Combo forwards who average 17 and 6 while popping off excellent shooting percentages aren’t exactly available at all times.

From there, I’m shopping the other veterans to see if they command any value, which they probably won’t. Alex Len might get me a second rounder or two, while Tristan Thompson and Moe Harkless probably don’t get me anything in return.

The two big decisions are De’Aaron Fox and Richaun Holmes. I’ll keep Holmes unless someone blows me away, as he still has one of the best contracts in the league, he’s a high-character player, and his ability to operate in the pick-and-roll is incredible for Tyrese Haliburton’s development. For Fox, I’ll wait until draft night to assess his value, how he plays the rest of the season, and if the trio of Fox-Haliburton-Mitchell can work moving forward.

Entering into draft night, I’ll have lost a million games, thus affording me a top-3 pick, I’ll potentially own another first rounder through the Barnes trade, and I’ll have young players in Fox, Mitchell, Haliburton, the player acquired in the Buddy deal, and the player acquired in the Barnes trade. I can hopefully draft my future number one option with my top-three pick, Fox can either be his wingman or he can be moved for additional, high-value assets, and the rest of my young core can support Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, or whoever is selected. Entering into the offseason, I would also have a billion dollars in cap space to absorb bad contracts or sign developing young players after shedding Barnes and Hield.

I’m maybe looking at one more year of poor play (especially depending on what I do with Fox), which means one more top-five-ish pick, and then the Kings are potentially on their way by the 2023-2024 season. Of course, this all depends on the Kings nailing their draft picks, but that’s the risk one takes in a rebuild.

Will: If I’m the general manager and this team has finally worn on ownership long enough to allow me to reset the team, the pitch is pretty simple: we’re aiming for two down years, another season or two of tinkering if need be, and then a push back up the Western Conference standings. We give ourselves a shot at two high-quality drafts, give Steph, Lebron, and Chris Paul time to age out of the league (or, at least, prominence) and well, we save some of that all-important cheddar in the meantime. Unlike Tim here, I have no qualms about trading Fox right off the bat. Love the guy, but because this wasn’t started until his 6th year in the league, his personal timeline is starting to look a little out of whack with mine. Will the player we see this year really be okay with two seasons of slogging through the mud then another two of getting back to where he is right now today? By the time our superteam (just young) is ready to Cleveland Cavaliers the league, he’ll be 28 and in the last year of his extension. I’m not giving him away for peanuts, but he immediately becomes my best trade asset. Maybe Phoenix slips after Chris Paul’s hamstring turns to dust and they’re willing to give up three or four picks for him. Maybe Dallas realizes what Vlade couldn’t and decides Luka needs a point next to him… there will be a return. If those calls come this year? I’m taking them. The same goes for Richaun Holmes. I’m happy to keep him as a vet presence and an indication of how hard you have to work on this new team, but he’s valuable as hell and we’re thirsty to drop. We’ll say he stays till the deadline next year.

Any version of this team without any combination of Fox, Holmes, and Barnes (who gets shipped out along with an incredibly basket of fruit as a thank you for his time) is going to be rough. I won’t be so confident as to claim we jump into the Top 3, but Top 5 is certainly right there. Pretend like Sacramento ends up with a #4 or #5 overall: I’m grabbing a small forward like Patrick Baldwin Jr. or a talented shot-blocker and passer in Jalen Duren and I’m incredibly happy to do so. We’ll say Baldwin Jr. just for the sake of who we’re going to aim for in the next draft. Starting line-up for next season: Mitchell, Haliburton, Baldwin Jr., Harkless/Metu, Holmes.

The entirety of the 22-23 season is dedicated to two things: building a structure of accountability within the team and ensuring we have a shot at the #1 overall pick. We’re going to drop a stack of cash on someone like Kenny Atkinson who can both develop players and run an offensive set in the half-court and then uses this time to play the third team in every trade this season, acquiring draft picks, young underdeveloped players with potential, old guys with bloated contracts and time to evaluate. We’re trying to turn this around quickly, but future first round picks and young talents in need of a scenery change will always be handy. The team I’ve built is bad enough that we’re getting into the Top 3 for the 2023 draft – all eyes, ears, hopes, dreams are squarely centered on picking Victor Wembanyama – one of the most talented center prospects ever. He’s 7’2 with a 7’9 wingspan, mobile, with fantastic shot-blocking instincts and a shooting touch. I’m sacrificing my own family members in dark rooms to Adam Silver shrines for the first overall pick in order to get him, complete this rebuild and head towards a bright future. That being said, if the Kings get Kangz’d, end up third or fourth, we pick a star guard in the making like Scoot Henderson, a SF like Emoni Bates, or a center I really like in Dereck Lively.

From there, you continue to set your culture, promote your young stars heavily and allow a year or two to gel and tweak. If you’re blessed with Vicky W? You’ve got your distributor in Hali, lockdown defender in Mitchell, star level scorer in Baldwin Jr., and your all-world talent in the post and defensive anchor in the french superstar. If we’re denied the pleasure of Top 3 picks either year, you’ve still got shot-blocking centers in Duren or Lively, scorers like Baldwin or Emoni Bates at SF, or a star guard like Scoot Henderson or Jaden Ivey and trade capital in Mitchell or Hali. There won’t be a shortage of talent or kids trying to prove themselves. In the gestational time, you don’t make panic moves, you continue to draft smart and you own every single bit of this losing streak. You eat the punch, make it part of your identity and you get back to the playoffs with real, championship window potential somewhere down the line.

From Adamsite:

Now that we’ve fired the coach and had the “official” players-only meeting, how long before a Kings player “officially” asks for a trade and who will it be? It’s the next logical step in a dysfunctional process, amirite?

Tim: Marvin Bagley or Buddy Hield

Will: I mean Marvin and Buddy have both already asked, so they can’t count. It will 100% be Fox if anyone new is going to do it.

From Kosta:

Why did Tyrese Haliburton only take two shots in the game against the Toronto Raptors?

Tim: This is both a scheme/coaching issue and a Tyrese Haliburton problem. Too often, the Kings go away from what works for them. Their best basic play is the Haliburton-Holmes pick-and-roll, which opens of the rest of their offense, but De’Aaron Fox (justifiably) needs his touches, and Buddy Hield also wants to get his. Tyrese also just needs to do a better job of taking shots – he has a little Rondo in his offensive game.

Will: The Kings are terrible, Tyrese defers too often and Toronto also knew that he has absolutely zero escape dribbles in his arsenal.

From citykidd:

Why would McNair’s job be in jeopardy if Vivek has the final say on all proposed trades?

Will: I feel like this is like asking “Why would the Watergate Seven be in jeopardy if Nixon has the final say?” Vivek sets the expectation (playoffs), McNair fails to live up to that expectation so Vivek fires him.  Whether or not the expectations were ludicrous – that plays no part in it. McNair took the job under the pretense, agreed he could do it, and if he fails, even to delusional thinkers… he failed. Ownership needs a scapegoat regardless.

Tim: Do we have any proof that Vivek is looming over the trade decisions, making this call or that call? Listen, I understand that Vivek has been a bad owner. I get that he’s interfered in the past, but one of two things are occurring. Either Monte McNair hasn’t been particularly effective at his job and can be replaced, or Vivek is a puppetmaster and cannot be stopped. I’ll choose to believe the former.

From TyrekeFan18:

I’m not asking you to find specific trades for each player, but what is the trade value (expiring contracts, picks, nothing, whatever) for each of Sacramento’s rotational players?

Will: Fox is worth a good young player and a few first round picks, Haliburton and Barnes are probably the same but lesser players and more protected picks than Fox. Richaun is a protected first round pick or a lower-end starting player. The rest is a gigantic shrug that changes week to week.

Tim: De’Aaron Fox is worth a strong young player and multiple, valuable first round picks. Tyrese Haliburton is worth a strong young player and one good pick or a couple of decent ones. Harrison Barnes is a solid young player and a pick. Richaun Holmes is worth a first rounder or a solid young player. The rest…uh…pass.

From deepshot22:

Assume no trades are coming – where do you see the Kings record ending up now that we’re a third of the way through the season?

Tim: I had the Kings at 39 wins to start the season. To reach that mark, they’ll need to finish the year 27-26, or a pace of 42 wins. Right now, they’re winning at a pace of 33 games. I’ll drop by a couple and say they finish at 37.

Will: I’m sticking with the original prediction I made this season – 35 wins. Barring injuries, trades, COVID, etc. they’ll be right there in the 10th seed race for the last few weeks.

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 [email protected] for it to be approved.
Subscribe
Notify of
15 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
sonny
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
December 16, 2021 2:35 pm

Can we trade Andy Sims to Sactown Royalty?

But Love you lovetime Andy!

sonny
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
December 16, 2021 2:36 pm
Reply to  sonny

long time i mean…

andy_sims
Vote Up
Comments
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Vote Up
Comments
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
December 16, 2021 3:48 pm
Reply to  sonny

I’ve timed you. It’s not long at all.

Feel free to single-entendre that til the cows come home.

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
December 16, 2021 2:46 pm
Reply to  sonny

Does STR still exist? 🤪

Hozr
Comments
Original Member
Vote Up
Comments
Original Member
Vote Up
December 16, 2021 10:19 pm
Reply to  sonny

But who would we want back? That looks like a shitty trade to me.

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
December 16, 2021 2:44 pm

Love Will’s lengthy and detailed response to the blow it up / rebuild question. Every player that has value should be traded if a fair deal is offered prior to the deadline save Hali and Mitchell as they are the two high upside unknowns on this roster.
Fox and Holmes should be on the trade bloc as they would accrue the most return.
If in March 2022, Buddy, Barnes, Holmes and Fox are miraculously not on this team, I’d be pumped. Until then, I continue to not watch this team.

SelecaoKOJ
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
December 16, 2021 2:52 pm

Big trade targets using the Kings as leverage to end up somewhere more desirable,More deck chairs. A couple Minor moves, No real progress, miss the playin by a game.

Rinse and Repeat.

TheGrantNapear
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
December 17, 2021 7:06 am
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

That about defines the Vivek era.

Adamsite
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Nostradumbass 14
December 16, 2021 3:21 pm

OT: Well, shit. Hope none of these guys get seriously sick. It seems like things are going to get worse before they get better.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1471620001618710534

BuffaloDiaspora
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Comments
Vote Up
December 16, 2021 3:27 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I suspect the next 2 games are going to be postponed

SelecaoKOJ
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
December 16, 2021 3:59 pm

highly doubtful.. Other teams like the Bulls, have missed numerous players and they still had to play. Even if the Kings pull up players from the G league, they will have to play.

SelecaoKOJ
Comments
Vote Up
Comments
Vote Up
December 16, 2021 3:59 pm
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

Hornets had 6 out and the Kings still lost.

TheKingsWhine
December 16, 2021 8:31 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

And Doug wasn’t wearing his mask last night. Who will coach now?

Yakshi
Comments
Nostradumbass 21
Vote Up
Comments
Nostradumbass 21
Vote Up
December 16, 2021 3:50 pm

Both of your rebuilding plans are simultaneously inspirational, because they could really happen, and dispiriting, because they won’t.

I am now going to put myself in Covid health and safety protocols.

RikSmits
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
Patreon Supporter
Comments
Vote Up
Original Member
December 16, 2021 9:35 pm

Thanks for answering my question in detail.

Good stuff.

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