The Toronto Raptors waived Sasha Vezenkov on Monday, after Vezenkov agreed to forego his entire guaranteed salary for the upcoming season. Contract buyouts are common, but a player agreeing to give back 100% of their money is pretty unprecendented.
Vezenkov is leaving the entire $6,658,536 on the table in the buyout, per a source.
The Raptors pay $0. He has no cap hit any longer.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) July 22, 2024
This has naturally raised a few questions. If Vezenkov was willing to walk away for nothing, why did the Kings need to trade him, along with Davion Mitchell and two second round picks, to the Raptors for Jalen McDaniels?
Simply put, the Raptors were in a position to force Vezenkov’s hand. If Sasha was willing to forego his entire salary while he was still in Sacramento, I imagine the scenario would have played out differently. The Raptors had to refute multiple reports of Sasha returning overseas, emphatically stating they expected him in training camp. The Raptors had time to wait.
The Kings did not. Sacramento needed to free up cap space to facilitate their free agency moves, such as the sign-and-trade to bring DeMar DeRozan to the Kings. In a choice between DeMar DeRozan and strong-arming Sasha, I happily take DeRozan.
I do, however, think it’s fair to question the process that brought Sasha to the Kings. The organization made a multi-year effort to bring Sasha over, and it failed pretty spectacularly. Plenty of Euro players struggle with the adjustment to the NBA, being away from home, dealing with language barriers, and adapting to a reduced role. Sasha was a star overseas, and was expected to fit in as a minor piece for the Kings. Add in a few injuries, and that’s the end of Sasha’s NBA career.
But I can still understand why the Kings made the effort to bring over Vezenkov. He was a Euroleague MVP with a defined NBA-level skill. Given Sacramento’s offensive style, he should have been a valuable piece of depth for the Kings. Had he been willing to buy into his role, I think he still could have been a solid bench player. But Sasha would apparently prefer to be the big fish in a small pond. I wonder if there was a way for the Kings to suss that out earlier somehow.
Sasha Vezenkov’s NBA career is over. It’ll be an odd blip in Sacramento Kings history. But I’m not going to spend much time worrying about the specifics of how it ended.
He’ll make that money back in about six months once he gets the Vezenkov Brickworks up and running.
Feels like we constantly have to make excuses for goofy moves our FO makes.
My brief .02 cents.
Yep. His signing is definitely one of the goofier moves the FO has made.
As fans we are always evaluating moves based on the information available to us, and that information is limited. When the Toronto trade happened, most of us expected it to be setting up another move, because the move was bad in a vacuum. Low and behold, it was a move to allow a move like the DeRozan deal.
I think it’s a very reasonable assumption that Vezenkov was not willing to talk away for free until this week.
As for bringing him over, I think it’s fair to question it but I also think it’s a little disingenuous to evaluate it with hindsight. At the time I was really excited about adding Sasha. But Monte is the first to say that this is a result-based business, and the outcome is what matters.
The main information available to us is the ultimate result; this franchise is now exactly 2 decades without winning a play-off series…
Without another decent PF, I am not sure this year will be different.
From the core rotation, Sasha’s TS% was on par with Keegan, better than Fox, Monk, Huerter and Edwards. His 3P% was better than Fox, Huerter, Davion, Keegan and Monk. Sasha’s RB% was only below Domas, McGee, Len and Lyles, better than Keegan. He had a decent steal%, and rarely turned the ball over.
I’m not suggesting Sasha was great and perhaps him leaving was a foregone conclusion, but who will fill the collective void that Barnes and he left at PF? Who will take the (spray) 3’s?
Options are dwindling, clock is ticking.
Cash was involved as usual. At least they got paid for some of this process.
There were no cash considerations reported in the Toronto deal.
I was not clear. When the Kings picked up Sasha there was money involved.
Toronto came out good in this deal if they were looking for cap room.
That may have been the whole point for them, knowing he wanted to go back to Europe.
Yes it could have been.
My sources might be off, but as I understand it, Alex Oriakhi was somehow also included in the deal.
It says the Kings knew it was not going to work. They took the definite result instead of what Sasha might do later.
Sasha did not want to come here for college. Sasha denied the opportunity to come to the NBA multiple times. Sasha goes home where he is happy. The Kings and the Raptors do not have any drama. Sasha is still a rich basketball player and a super star in his own bubble.
The Kings tried to make something work. Sasha cashed the checks. Everyone knew the deal. Ideally Sasha would have told the Kings his final intentions. I doubt Sasha knew for sure he could walk away. He said he was leaving but I am sure an agent and some attorneys had to sort some stuff out.
The Kings have had Three (3) EuroLeague MVPs on the roster: the Serbian Nemanja Bjelica and the Bulgarian Sasha Vezenkov and don’t forget Sergio Rodriguez (Spain). One has to wonder, have the Kings had the opportunity, per chance, to have any other EuroLeague MVP players on their roster? Maybe a Slovanian would have been a better choice. Just wonderin’, though I know I should stop (as one of our most quoted community members has been known to remark, “if you keep picking at the scab it’s likely to bleed“. I can’t seem to help myself and now a scar has set in. Sigh.
As for Sasha, I agree with the premise Greg has brought forward. He was possibly told that his role on the Dinos would be also diminished and he would be little more than fossil fuel (and possibly traded again). Sacramento had to move with alacrity for the various of deals that they were presumably involved with and I am personally hopeful that Davion will bear more fruit in The North than he did here in The West. Not all pieces will fit all puzzles.
I’m still not over not taking Luka. This franchise has shocked me countless times with boneheaded moves, but that was the worst, not only in the moment when I heard Bagley’s name called and then obviously the aftermath.
I remember that moment, burned in my brain forever. Sitting on highway 160 at Brannan Island Rec area heading to Sac, in stopped traffic while they worked on the bridge. Listening to Grant saying Bagley was going to be the pick, and then it was confirmed.
My wife sitting next to me, startled as many loud curse words came out of my mouth.
I legit thought the reports the few days leading into the draft that we were taking Bagley were intentionally pushed by the King’s FO to make sure no team trades with PHX to 1 to take Luka..I guess I gave Vlade too much credit.
It’s unfortunate that we had to give something up to get him off the roster but at the same time, I don’t think any of this is terribly surprising. I was highly skeptical of his ability to be an NBA rotation player when I watched some of his Euro League highlights because other than shooting, there just didn’t seem to be anything else to his game that really stood out.
Toronto gave up nothing to get him off the roster and saved 6+ million in the process .
So? Why does anyone assume that a zero dollar buyout was on the table in any way for the Kings?
Seems 100% more plausible than assuming Sashsa wouldn’t take any kind of buyout from the Kings, but would take $0 from Toronto to return to Europe.
Apparently he would not, or we’d be talking about that, wouldn’t we?
Let me put it another way; its just as easy to assume that the Kings 100% did offer him buyout options and Sasha just refused as it is to assume the Kings did not even bother to offer him one because… KaNgZ.
I didn’t see it either watching the highlights. But Monte loves him an unathletic, slow big.
I never thought he was NBA caliber either. Main reason being he never wanted to come play here. Somewhere in his journey he played against NBA guys and he knew what he was getting.
FO has a lot of crow to eat . Wasted money on both ends . Doubt Vivek is thrilled reading that news .
McGenius’d.
Adding this here for those who say the Kings should give up on Colby Jones.
Player A rookie season per 36: 12.2 pts, 4.1 rbs, 3.0 ast, 3.5 stl, 0.5 blk, 0.5 to
Player B rookie season per 36: 12.0 pts, 7.5 rbs, 3.7 ast, 1.3 stl, 0.9 blk, 1.9 to
Is there a clear winner between these two?
This Vezenkov news is really of no interest to me.
Player A is Keon Ellis and B is Colby Jones.
Colby’s rebound #s are excellent for a guard and his TO rate is bad. I didn’t post it here but his 3P% is terrible. Rebounds and TOs are roughly in line with his stats at Xavier. The 3P% is going to revert to the mean.
Given the comparisons here (and the eye-popping rebound total), I wouldn’t give up on Colby. What about you guys?
I was high on CJ becoming this year’s Keon- a rise from the G League to the big leagues but SL squashed that for me. Did not resemble an NBA player. I might be wrong, but he could not hit the floater and seemed out of control.
There are a lot of guards (7): Fox, Keon, Huerter, Monk, Jones and Mac AND Carter. Five is enough or even 6. Seems like CJ and Jalen Mc are trade bait unless Huerter goes, and it is tough to lose a potential shooter. If Huerter goes there are 4 guards who are short and don’t shoot the 3 that well.
The needs remain the same- rim protection, lob guy for Monk, size at 3/4.
DFS, Kuzma, C. Johnson ( less high on him- hurt a lot) or Stewart.
and this may take Huerter Plus Mc + CJ.
One should consider that most of Jones’ minutes were garbage time, not as a starter like Ellis. I don’t think the per 36 tell us much in this instance.
Yeah, I’m not sure how much weight to put on the numbers. The per 36 feels like as close to apples-to-apples as you can get. Keon only played in 16 games in 2022-23 but he didn’t start in any. I suspect it’s a garbage time to garbage time comparison, really, which may not be that telling.
CJ needs more time in the G League and isn’t ready for the pros, and that’s just fine, keep developing.
He’s a cheap investment in the G-League, and/or practicing and traveling with the NBA team.
If he doesn’t show anything, or another team is high on him for some reason, then trade him.
At this stage of his career, he is not vital to the team’s success, and they don’t need him to be. Let him keep working.
I think his move to leave $6+ mil on the table says more about his opinion of the NBA and ability to earn overseas than the Kings.
$EuroLeague$ + Happiness for him and his family > NBA $money$ + NBA uncertainty
Yep. I agree. Story is a big nothingburger at this point but Greg’s callout of the discussions had to bring him over definitely pique my interest as well. What did they tell him to bring him over?
The guy is under thirty. Been getting paid millions since he was a teenager. Can still get paid millions while being happy.
Great example of choosing ones own mental health and happiness.
I suspect his mental health and happiness would’ve been just fine if he’d been good enough to play big minutes in the NBA.
Big minutes but average player when used to being the MVP is different.
Maybe the playing time bothered him?
He can play more in Europe and be in the lifestyle that he had there. I think more Euros will stay there. No risk and the money there is good too.
I suspect the Kings are not bothered at all by this turn of events. The FO probably considered Vezenkov to be dead weight that needed cutting, and Mitchell was wholly expendable; he’s nothing more than a backup-level pg, and his departure simplified the backcourt mix. The Kings used the Raptors to get rid of two players that were taking up space, and filled that space with DeMar DeRozan. IMHO the losses of Vez, Mitchell, and Duarte are just addition by subtraction.
HB and a pick swap were also a part of the deal.
yes. Losing HB hurts but still retained more valuable Huerter. Monte treats second round picks like mangy dogs.
he should value them like the duds and TJD, who will be a future HOFer, says me sarcastically
I think it is proven that Monte sees little to no value in 2nd round picks, especially when he continues to sign undrafted free agents.
Opinions of whether that’s a good strategy or not are varied, I’m sure.
The Kings are on the hook for Jalen McDaniels salary this season at $4.7 million and I’m not sure he’s even been in Sacramento. If they could have agreed to the same buyout with Vez, they would have saved all of the cash they’re paying Vez, and Davion Mitchell at least potentially could have been moved for a rotation player instead of nothing.
Agree, It seems to me the Kings got the short end of the stick on this one.
It may come down to seeing what happens with McDaniels. If he is aggregated into some larger move down the pike, then things may come up roses. If, however, they simply cut or buy him out prior to camp…then yikes!
it looks bad but I think that Sasha was not ready for a zero payout-buyout with the Kings and at that time. I think he needed the shock of the trade and the Kings waned to move fast for the cap space.
This may be me with rose colored glasses
and I think Jalen is headed elsewhere
If the things being said in Greece are true he agreed to a record setting deal with his old team in July. He made a deal then made a choice to leave. I doubt he had a definite deal before the Kings traded him. The record setting deal could very well be more than what he walked away from.
I think he did not have a deal finalized with his team in Greece. As soon as he had a deal in Greece he had no reason to stay.
75% of the space used to sign DeRozan was made possible by trading Barnes, not dumping Sasha and Mitchell. Barnes makes $18M next year while DeRozan makes $23.4. Monte could have bought out Sasha for half of what he was guaranteed and still made the deal for DeRozan.
And how was he going to fill out the remainder of the roster? The sign-and-trade hard caps you at the first apron.
Is there any actual evidence of this? It seems unnecessary to insult the guy on the way out the door. I’d actually think someone who gives up $6 million in guaranteed money for nine months of work has pretty good reasons to do so.
Its been a relevant Raptors topic this summer, he’s said repeatedly that he wants to go back to whichever team he has a contract with in the Euro league. Its not an insult at all, just a fact.
Sorry Greg, but it was well reported that Sasha wanted to return to Europe well before the trade happened. Regardless if it was a buyout or a full walk away deal like he got in Toronto, Monte could have done something.
I also disagree that the trade was some necessity for landing DeRozan in a sign and trade. I may have been a cap opening move for “future flexibility,” but the trade took place nearly two weeks before DeRozan signed and days before free agents were even allowed to talk with teams. Had Monte done just a partial buyout of Sasha, the DeRozan S&T could have still happened.
Bottom line is, Toronto got over $6M in cap space and 2 second round picks for trading Davion for McDaniels. They got the better deal.
My thoughts exactly. Seems like a botched job by the FO and we need to stop making excuses for their ineptness. IMO.
Is it possible that Sasha wanted wanted to keep more money in the buyout when he was with Sac, and then he got to Toronto he realized that he wasn’t going to keep anything? So he just gave it all back.
We don’t know how the buyout talks went with either team, so it’s hard for me to speculate on how it all went down.
End of the day, he is gone, Davion is gone, and the Kings will move on.
His money was fully guaranteed in Toronto! He chose not to take anything to go back to Europe.
I can’t even recall the last time a player said “give my nothing so we can get out of a contract where you owe me the full deal.” Has it ever happened before?
Can someone have him counsel Ben Simmons?
I don’t believe it ever has, and that’s my whole point. The Kings would have been unreasonable to wait around expecting him to take that deal. They didn’t wait. Toronto is in a weird spot and had the time and flexibility to call Sasha’s bluff and force his hand.
The Kings doing a buyout of even a couple million for Sasha would have limited how much they had to work with to make a deal like the DeRozan deal happen. DeRozan was looking at other options, and the money we could offer was a big factor in him choosing here. As it stands the Kings currently sit less than $7 million under the first apron and about $2.5 million under the luxury tax, with two open roster spots. A couple extra million to Sasha would have had an impact.
Monte has stated he likes to maintain flexibility and this illustrates that.
A six million dollar experiment to test drive a Euroleague MVP for a year doesn’t seem like much of a gamble, despite how it worked out. Vezenkov was brought to Sacramento to do the one thing he does well: Hit threes. He didn’t do it.
The average NBA salary for the 2023-2024 season was twelve million dollars. The Kings invested only half that amount in a move that had a real chance of paying off. It didn’t, but that’s a roll of the dice you throw ten times out of ten.
These takes that bringing Vezenkov over at that price was “goofy” are nonsensical. A move not working isn’t the same thing as that move being foolish.
Was it really that “odd”? Or was it a fairly pedestrian maneuver by a FO that’s forced to spend money and mine talent in every way possible? They obtained his rights for next to nothing, and then offered him a guaranteed 13 mil and a roster spot. Not much else. If he came in and made an impact it was nominal risk with a decent reward. But he came in, played better than I thought he would, just not well enough to earn immediate plug and play status, especially after a couple of tough injuries.
I didn’t really think he was much to get excited about and really never understood the majority’s high expectations of him; transitions from the Euro leagues are notoriously difficult, especially for older players. He also plays a position that was fairly stacked last year. I wouldn’t have hated if he’d have given it another year, the team was likely fine letting him develop. He was not. He made it public. He got traded. I’d call that “par for the course” when it comes to taking mid level money swings on mid level talent. Nothing to see here, really. Especially when he was frequently in reports about wanting a buy out from the Raptors. I’m sure they’re happy to be rid of him.
It definitely was worth a try. The team gambled and this time it just didn’t pan out. The old saying is “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Too bad for both sides in this particular case. If it helped lead the team to change it’s thinking to something like: Let’s go for a more sure thing, like DeMar DeRozan, well then it might have been worth it! Guess well see on that one!!
This move saved the Kings cap space to get DeRozan and possibly still use McDaniels as a salary filler in a trade later (or hopefully not, a bench wing). Those are wins.
In terms of FO and Sasha…I have to give MM credit, he got off of Sasha fairly quickly and he took a low-risk swing at a former Euroleague MVP that’s a solid shooter. To me, that’s worth the gamble. It didn’t work but worth the risk. Obviously, we would have loved to add a contributer with that money – but hindsight is 20/20. Monte got off of the contract quickly.
My only issue is the FO touting Sasha as the major free agent addition from last summer and the magic fix-all (with internal development and chemistry). Signing a former Euroleague MVP is going to come with hoopla. However; having him highlight an offseason and it failing, is a bad look.
The FO either
All in all – worth the gamble and not worth me writing this much. The Sasha Saga is over.
I came here looking for the Orlando Robinson yellow banner signing. Where is it and who is he?
It all seemed forced from the jump. I’m pretty decent at reading people. I didn’t think the guy was ever comfortable with the idea of playing away from home, overseas, in the NBA, or however you want to put it. As stated, he seems to like being the big fish in a small pond.
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