NBA Draft Day has long been the biggest day of the year for Sacramento Kings fans, especially during the recent playoff drought. The Kings were annual staples at the draft lottery, and new draft picks represented hope, a chance at ending the malaise the franchise found itself in.
But these aren’t the same Kings anymore. The chances a rookie was going to crack the rotation, especially with the picks the Kings had (24, 38 and 54 going into the night) was unlikely. For their part, the Kings did end up with two players in Colby Jones and Jalen Slawson who appear to be more NBA ready than others, but as second rounders, expectations aren’t high.
The more important move the Kings made was opening up almost $15 million of cap space by packaging the 24th pick with Richaun Holmes to send to the Dallas Mavericks. With that move, the Kings can now have around $35.6 million in cap space to play with this summer, the fourth highest amount of any NBA team. The Kings are also the only team with significant cap space that made the playoffs last season.
If the Kings had stayed at 24, that player was unlikely to help the team in the near future. The history of late first rounders is spotty at best. For every Jimmy Butler, Serge Ibaka or Pascal Siakam, there are dozens of other players who never made a mark in the NBA. But with the cap space the Kings have opened up, they have a chance to snag a real rotation player, even a long term starter, and while the Kings haven’t necessarily had the best history with free agents, they’ve also never been a more attractive destination.
Holmes, for as good as he had been for the Kings in the past, was lost in Sacramento’s rotation. He barely saw the floor last season despite the Kings’ need for a consistent backup option for Domantas Sabonis. It’s unlikely he would have suddenly had a resurgence in Sacramento and returned to form where his contract would have been worth it. Whatever the reason, he just didn’t fit in with what Mike Brown wanted from the backup big man. Now, Holmes gets a chance to hopefully rejuvenate his career in Dallas, and the Kings can use that space to hopefully find a player that can fit in Sacramento’s system and help the team long term.
There are many intriguing free agents available this summer that could help the Kings that thanks to this trade, could now actually be in play. We’ve known for a while that this front office likes Kyle Kuzma, having tried to trade for him at least once before. Now they have a chance to actually sign him. Guys like Josh Hart, Jerami Grant and Bruce Brown are now real options. Even on the lower end of the spectrum, you can afford to add someone like a Naz Reid or Mason Plumlee. The additional space might also make a difference when it comes to Sacramento’s own free agents in Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles, among others.
Having space also opens up the Kings for trade opportunities. For some teams, simply clearing salary is very valuable. Now that Sacramento has space, they could absorb a player into that space without having to send any contracts back. Is that enough for a team like the Hawks, who might not have wanted to take a Richaun Holmes back for John Collins but would like to get off Collins’ salary? Who knows, but the point is that the Kings now have options, and all of those options are more likely to help this team win over the next few years than simply drafting a guy at 24 would have been.
This also might be the last year in a while that the Kings have any space to work with, so maximizing the opportunity now makes sense. Domantas Sabonis will be due for a big raise and contract extension after next season (which could also be done this summer through some contract maneuvering), and Malik Monk will also potentially need to be re-signed next summer. Keegan Murray will only be a value contract for a few more years. There’s unlikely to be another chance for the Kings to be major players in free agency any time soon, especially without big market competition.
The last time the Kings made a cap dump move to try to get free agents, it didn’t pan out well. Vlade Divac dumped Jason Thompson, Nik Stauskas, a pick swap and a future 1st rounder to sign Rajon Rondo, Marco Belinelli and Kosta Koufos. That move was awful for more than one reason, but in particular because the Kings didn’t have a stable foundation in place where free agents would really matter. That summer, Sacramento’s supposed free agent target was Wesley Matthews, but Matthews opted for the stability and bigger market of the Dallas Mavericks. It’s hard to blame him, as the Kings had been stuck in a rut for years and weren’t likely to be going anywhere anytime soon. Even Rajon Rondo, who ended up being Sacramento’s marquee signing that summer, only chose to come to Sacramento on a one year deal, hoping to rehabilitate his image across the league and get a bigger deal after the season, which he did.
But Sacramento’s image isn’t what it used to be. The Kings are coming off their best season in years, and with Monte McNair and Mike Brown at the helm, a state of the art arena, a rabid fanbase, and two All-Stars in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento is more attractive than ever. The Kings have a real shot to make a splash, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do in the coming weeks.
Options! It’s always better to have more than it is to have less.
Lopez would definitely check a lot of boxes, but how do we feel about Vucevich? He’s not much of a rim protector, but he rebounds well and is serviceable in stretching the floor.
Lopez’ age and injury history concerns me.
Vuc and Domas starting would be bad on defense. Given that Vuc should still cost a pretty penny, I think that money would be better used elsewhere.
I’ve been wondering if getting Kevin Love on a reasonable 1-2 year deal might be a possibility.
Might be, but if Miami would offer that same deal, I’d imagine he’d stay there. Seemed like a good fit and they might feel like they have some unfinished business
We could sell him by reminding him that he won’t exactly need to bust his ass playing defense.
Love on a team friendly deal would be good. A true vet to work with Keegan, but would need to be very team friendly
Love- 10 years ago- would have been perfect.
Lopez no. Vucevich, Hell no!
Copy-paste from the Slamson thread:
If Monte’s gonna blow that cap space on Kyle Kuzma I will be quite annoyed.
If we get Naz Reed or Hart, I will be quite pleased.
Also, time to undo the mistake of getting rid of Delon Wright. Washington are sellers.
Why are people so excited about Kuzma, aside from the rebounding and the unimportant ‘matching of the timeline’? Andre Iguodola was 34 in 2018? Anybody caared about how he fit the timeline of Greene, Klay and Steph?
I’ve seen a lot of Wizards games, and he is just an awfully ineffective chucker, who hasn’t seen a shot he doesn’t like. His defense is very spotty, apart from aforementioned rebounding. Not the most intelligent team player either. Maybe Mike Brown can teach him discipline and shot selection, but after being virtually the same guy in the league for 6 years, what you see is likely what you’ll get.
I’m not a Kuzma fan. I’d take guys like Naz, Jerami, Rui etc. over him.
I’m very surprised that so few people mentioned Rui for SAC. It would be a great fit for the team. And stealing him from LA would be a bonus, like Monk.
Rui’s going to be a very good player, think SAR with a 3 pt. shot. I wouldn’t hate stealing him at all. Defense would be my only concern, hopefully Rui took notes from the postseason.
You know Rui is Kuzma without the rebounding and the playmaking.
TRB% is within a point. Rui also boasts a better shooting percentage and 3pt% (though on half the attempts from 3). Also a better defender, and a few years younger & cheaper.
Not a huge fan of either, but given the option + roster/cap considerations, I’d take Rui.
Yeah Rui is fine if he is the 3rd forward. We are trying to improve our starting lineup.
Rui is a career 34% shooter from the corner. Kuz is 38.7%. Kuz is a good defender last year. I think he keeps his opponent FG% to 3 or 4% below their average. He is also a pretty good passer although he chucks way more shots than he passes.
It’s not that I like Kuz but we do need extra defensive rebounding and secondary playmaking in the starting lineup.
Rui helped himself a lot with a very efficient (55.7%-48.7%-88.2%) 16 playoff games
They don’t play the same positions, but that aside I think Rui is a better team player by far, plays better defense and is so coachable. Everyone around here covets the stretch 4, he’s well on his way to becoming that. If he can stay injury free that guy has a really decent ceiling, IMO.
I was looking at the list of forwards in free agency and it’s hard to find a real upgrade to Barnes. Barnes is a good player. The only guy that I would consider over him is Cam Johnson. I agree with you about Kuz. Inefficient scorer that is spotty in other ways. The team consistency of keeping Barnes around outweighs any perceived upgrade with Kuz. I more expect MM to use the cap space in a trade to get a real impact player and/or keep HB rather than make any outright signings. The Kings core is good and it’s worth keeping them together. Keegan can add to his game and even Fox/Sabonis can make improvements in the offseason that could put them over the top. Add some depth at center, which they can do with Holmes money and that may be enough. If Colby Jones or Kessler Edwards can come around and provide guard/wing depth, all the better.
I really like Cam Johnson. Plays really good defense. On offense shoots the 3 at a 40% clip. Fits Monty’s timeline. Also likes to attack the basket. Would fit really well along side Sabonis. As a backup SF who plays defense at 6’9″ and can protect the rim and tied for fourth in NBA as a 3 point shooter I really like Yuta Watanabe. Also has a high motor and can run the floor. I’ll take those 2 as starter and bachup SF.
PS I’ll take Naz Reid as backup to Sabonis. Can also play along side Sabonis. Only 23 a has improved every year. Has not reached potential yet.
Johnson is a PF though.
He’s a tweener like Keegan, who can defend on the perimeter and in the post
Running it back with the same squad and hoping for internal improvements without adding any potential high impact players would seem like a disappointment.
It’s also most likely the best path forward. We are not yet at the point to go all in. They won’t be running it back with the same squad, as at the team is likely to have 3-5 new rostered players.
This makes sense to me, and your probably right. Monte has 3 years left on his deal. He’s more likely to go all in on flexibility moving forward.
I’m with you. I’m not a fan of blowing $30ish million on a guy like Kuzma or Jerami Grant. I’d like rotation pieces that complement the two stars. Maybe Monte can swing something like Hart for $15M, Reid or PJ Washington for $12M then round it with guys like Yuta Watanabe and Coby White in the $3-5M range.
I prefer to get smaller, and more importantly, movable pieces that will allow Monte flexibility down the road. From everything I’ve read and heard the new CBA makes things difficult to have the max level players, so let’s swing from some solid doubles as opposed the one homerun.
I agree.
I’m thinking Reid could be had for less than $10m. Good luck outbidding the Knicks for Hart’s services.
If that happens then do it. He will be a King for a long time..
Since most competitive teams only have the $12M MLE, the Kings can offer two players $4M or $5M more. Over a three year deal that would be a $38M vs a $53M offer
Are you sure most teams can offer the $12M MLE? If they’re above the 1st apron,(or something like that, confusing AF) I believe it’s a smaller exception. If they’re above the 2nd apron they get no exception. Oh wait, that’s next season, but teams are still planning/trying to get under those levels for when they kick in. I still think Reid will come to Sac for the full MLE, and I really like that move.
I like the way your thinking but, I won’t be surprised or disappointed if, after paying a 1st rounder for that cap-space, they save some of it for in-season trades. Why not see how the team does as constructed, after adding a decent back-up for Domas, re-signing Barnes, and re-organizing the end of the rotation. They can hopefully re-structure, and extend Sabonis, and possibly still have some room (room=flexibility) because Monte may get more bang for his buck after the season starts and teams get more and more desperate to dump salary, as the deadline approaches.
yes, the trade exception may come in handy when teams just give up, like the Hawks, and want to dump salary.
Have to agree here. Kuzma is not better than Barnes and probably won’t be over the next three years. His only benefit is age.
I consider the draft a win for us.
Getting out of Holmes’ contract opens up FA for us, the fourth most cap space is no joke.
The two guys we drafted are seasoned and therefore have a chance to contribute in year one.
I hope that $36 million is spread over multiple players to fill the starting 4 spot and a 3nD wing as opposed to signing a big name. Now if we can somehow sign Jerami Grant to less than $25 million I’d be on board with that. So many options and routes for MM to take and for once we have a GM we can just trust to make good decisions.
Suffice to say, a version of Kosta, Marco and Rondo are not walking through that door.
Was the TKH website not working for others as well last night(back half of the draft)? Or was it just me.
No, was a general issue. A foreign bot attack, apparently by European Sasha Vezenkov fans.
“Foreign” bot.
Hmm.
i would love for us to target Brook Lopez. Checks of paint protection, rebounding, and spaces the floor on offense. I also would not mind adding a guy like Dillon brooks to add shooting and toughness (which this team has always lacked). Yeah he runs his mouth and has said some stupid things but for the most part during the game he plays hard and keeps it within the 4 lines. We need someone who isn’t afraid to check someone after pushing one of our guys off the rim and break his wrist, or someone to deliver a hard foul after someone stomps on someone’s chest.
i would love to go after Josh Hart over Brooks but I don’t think that’s gonna happen as he will likely command a lot more.
PLEAS DONT TARGET DRAYMOND GREEN!!!!!!
As frustrating as Cousins could be, I can’t fathom a season of Draymond Green.
And really, the NBA is crying out for a year of locker room CP3 / Draymond.
To be a fly on that locker.
Fly lands on Paul, Paul flops.
Fly lands on Dray, Dray stomps fly’s chest.
“Flops and Stomps” your 2023-2024 Warriors season recap.
Draymond kicks fly in the balls
LOL!
He’s a better defender than Sabonis, sure, but otherwise duplicates everything Sabonis does (except generally not as well) and can’t shoot even a little. Signing him makes no sense. And he’s in the Cousins/Matt Barnes area for me as a guy I absolutely can’t stand.
Thanks Carl. Long time, no hear.
We need to stay young and in tune with Monty’s timeline. Lopez is ood but IMO we can get a younger player who fits in the scheme of things. I like Josh Hart but Brooks can go play for someone else. Would really disrupt the chemistry of the Kings.I agree with you. NO Green.
I think Brooks would be a great pickup. He’s a starting caliber, defensive minded wing that can make an open shot, make the extra pass, and rebound. I also like that he’s got an edge to him, even if LeBron isnt the guy to be mouthing off to. He knows that now, and the Kings need dudes with that edge.
Memphis clearly had a very bad culture, with Ja as ring leader. Seems like a lot of young guys with big egos and free reign. The problems went far deeper than Brooks, he was just the scapegoat for what ultimately the Grizzlies FO and coaching staff were responsible for creating.
Take a tough, tenacious guy like Brooks and plug him into a disciplined and “know your role” culture under Mike Brown, he could be really special. I think this year has humbled Brooks (as well as knocked some $$$ off his future salary) which makes him one of the best value pieces on the market imo.
I agree with this, but would prefer Cam Johnson.
Good idea. I like Brooks as well, especially at the two, with some minutes swinging to the 3. It seems we all agree, the Kings could use some nasty. Brooks may be a bit of a meathead but, he’s still a shit-talker, compared to Poole-punching, ball-kicking, chest-stomping, Draymond, who is a legit menace, and dirty player. Mostly, I like the idea of waiting to see who gets left out, after the initial FA feeding frenzy, and landing a guy on the cheap. If Monte misses out on all the impact FAs, then wait and see who’s available mid-season, because there are going to be large contracts being dumped ahead of the coming rule changes, and not a lot of places to dump them.
That’s a F’n solid ass argument.
just sayin
Again, that timeline nonsense.
There’s nothing wrong with having a vet or two in the rotation.
Having Green around didn’t hurt the Nuggets, did it?
The reason I said that is if we can get young established players like Johnson and Watanabe and up and coming young players like Reed then let them play together an not worrying about age and contracts then IMO we have a solid team for years to come. Adjustments need to be done so we are not stale each year. This year gives us a real boost to do this.
It’s a chess match. The winner isn’t necessarily the player who can think 3-4 moves ahead. It’s the one who makes the best moves, with the most impact, each turn, right now, and no mistakes.
I don’t see how the timeline of Fox & Ox is considered nonsense when it’s been a guiding philosophy in building the team up to this point so far.
Because talent trumps timeline/age. Nobody in their right mind would pass on better talent (all other things being more or less equal) just because of age.
MIL would have traded Lopez, BOS Horford, DEN Green etc.
It’s just a guideline, not a hard rule. Sure, you want the majority of your core to fit the timeline, but nothing wrong with a few good vets.
We agree about the need for a few vets and what you said was true, “nothing wrong…with a few good vets”, but the key word is few because the timeline consider is real.
I wasn’t advocating against signing vets, I was arguing that when you’re spending resources, you absolutely take into account the timeline that new piece will be on (in terms of readiness to compete for a ‘ship) compared to your core players (Fox & Ox).
Still disagreeing. If we somehow could get a starting lineup of Fox, Paul George, Barnes, Domas and Lopez and reach the WCF, you think people would care much about the
timeline?
And my point started about people dismissing players because they don’t fit the timeline or coveting players because they do.
Talent trumps timeline.
Lopez would be fine, if he’s on a decent price. It doesn’t hurt to have some quality vets.
But I would be pissed if we traded Keegan for PG, trading an up and coming player for an injury-riddled, past his prime, plays-35-games-a-year-Paul-George.
Not taking a target’s age into consideration is ridiculous. Why don’t we just make a run for Udonis Haslem, Andre Iguodala, PJ Tucker, Chris Paul, and Taj Gibson? They are all talented. We could even save money by bussing them all to the games directly from the convalescent home.
We could argue specific players all day, and while its not the end-all, be-all factor in determining whether to make the move…a responsible GM absolutely takes into consideration the age of a free agent or trade target. Doing otherwise is professional malpractice.
Why would the Bucks let Lopez go “on a decent price,” unless they know something everyone else doesn’t?
Pardon my interruption Mr. Smits, but WCF should not be the goal. And, in this imaginary scenario, where the Bucks decide to let a still on-top-of-his-game Lopez just walk away to sign a team-friendly deal in Sac, WCF is the best-case outcome. The median, likely outcome is far less fortunate, and far more likely.
Other than that, your exactly right.
I’ll pass on green, brooks and Brook.
“I like Dillon Brooks, but can’t stand Draymond Green,” he stated, having created an entirely new and unique thought that otherwise would never have existed.
At least Draymond is a winner.
They’re two completely different players. And last season included, Dillon Brooks has been part of a team that has consistently won more games than the Kings. I’d say they’re both winners but Green obviously is a champion and part of a group full of veteran HOF talents.
Not sure what the issue is with not minding if we target a young talent like Brooks and not wanting an aging player like Green.
“At least Draymond is a winner.”
I would say Brooks would have a better chance of getting a ring in GS, than Draymond has in Memphis. GS won in spite of Draymond, (except when he kicked Lebron!) not because of him, until they didn’t anymore. Sure, GS still says all the right things about him. We’ll see how they really value him, when we see what kind of contract they offer him. Draymond is a cancer who was mostly benign, and now has turned completely malignant. Here’s hoping the Warriors continue to support him, while he continues to weigh down their chances of getting back to the big game, and tainting their legacy!
whiner
I am going to need to see your math on this one …
I do feel like his percentages would improve in Sac where he wouldn’t be a primary option, and likely would get easier looks. His efficiency went in the tank this year, after falling last year, as well. His volume of shots has almost doubled in three years, on a team without a lot of options. I wouldn’t commit much to him, but for the right price, I like his game, and what he would bring.
Just reading that Vlade trade gave me PTSD.
I still remember the trade was the day before or on the 4th of July. Made for a ton of family/friends chatter. Most fans that I knew actually liked the trade and signings of the ill fated three. Go figure.
May I remind you of the JJ Hickson trade?
I think they call Atlanta and ask about Hunter. Hawks are in cap hell and need to shed.
Maybe take off the protections on the 2024 1st round pick and offer them some 2nds as well.
I like Hunter and Bey, but I wonder how much better either of them are than Keegan or Edwards who both need rotation minutes (and are much cheaper). Obviously having many starting caliber wings is never a bad thing, but it just feels like spending assets on redundant skillets. Wouldn’t hate a trade, but not my first choice.
Either of those guys would be a considerable upgrade over Edwards. I can’t imagine that keeping him would stand in the way of any deal.
I like D. Hunter and I’d definitely give ATL a call to see what would be required. The fact they already have one of our future picks only makes it easier to deal with.
I agree with you about Hunter, he could be one of those players who could fill the “missing piece” hole/
Missing piece hole. Oooh, baby.
I might like Hunter, at his price, if they’re willing to send Bey with him, along with next years 1st rounder back.
Atlanta apparently has heard from ownership that they want to cut salary. The Hawks currently have the 4th highest payroll next season and perform like a fringe playoff team. That’s not good. There could be some bargain gets that fit into the Kings available cap space there. I still don’t know why they gave Bogi that extension.
yep
Any UDFA signing updates?
Anyone know how that 35.6 mil figure is calculated? Based on a 136 mil cap and subtracting Holmes number from the BBref 23/24 salaries page for the Kings, there’s about 40 mil left for nine players. Add three minimum salary holds for three players and it would be around 36-37 mil. Just want to see if I’m missing something.
Also, is a raise and extend possible for Monk? I know extensions on two-year contracts were prohibited, but not sure if that’s still the case.
Draymond playing here?
Changing one the softest teams in the history of the world?
Now watch Monte go out and get Draymond and Dillion Brooks.
What does this team need?
Why not Draymond?
Winning is allowed.
All kidding aside, I would have serious concerns about the spacing between Domas and Green, and I don’t want to pay out for Green being a backup to Domas.
Green did not impress me in the least during the playoffs – so wildly inconsistent. He’s on the back end of his career. One year at $12m? Maybe. Beyond that, I’m not buying the memory of Draymond Green Past.
Well, he just opted out of $27M so he definitely isn’t going to come cheap at $12M. I’m guessing he’s wanting $60M over 3 years at a minimum. That’s a hard pass for me.
I second the hard pass
………and he wants to win. Kings can do that now.
That’s probably around what he’ll get…it’s been mentioned a few times on DLo & KC that he’s looking for $90/3yrs
He will get that from a team looking to win now.
Well said
spacing would be terrible. and they both need the ball at the high post
Hard no, just on basketball issues
Draymoron makes no sense on or off the court.
Beyond emotional responses he makes a whole bunch of sense on the court and off the court.
I’ll have one Naz Reid, por favor.
Two would be even better!
Knowing Monte, the big move will be one not expected.
Hi Monte. It’s me, 1951.
Since you are reading this and now know you have a lot of options, one bit of advice:
In Monte We Trust
(deleted)
Just noticed the picture of the article. The first thing that popped into my mind was Mr. Burns.
Cam Johnson would be the best fit to go out and get for what’s available and potentially attainable.
IMO Cam Johnson would be a better fit than Kuzma. Will cost less plays far better defense and on offense shoots the 3 way better.
I completely agree…also Cam is objectively more efficient (career 60% TS, 39% 3PT at 11 3PA/Gm) than Kuzma (career 55% TS, 34% 3PT at 9 3PA/Gm) and this team is built around maximizing efficiencies. If MM even makes an offer to Kuzma, I will begin doubting his decision making.
*Edited to correct Kuzma’s TS shooting from 45% to 55%
Free Agents
No
D. Green
D. Brooks
K. Kuzma
N. Vucevic
J. Richardson
K. Oubre
Yes
C. Johnson
H. Barnes
J. Hart
N. Reid
P.J. Washington
Y. Wantanabe
IMO, Barnes is the 2nd best SF available in FA behind Cam Johnson and I would be completely happy to just bring HB back on a 3yr/$60M deal that could be moved in the future. There are better SFs than HB available via trade, but as always it depends on the price.
Do you believe the Pacers will be hot to trot for him as its currently rumored. Could we sign Johnson,snt HB and get some assets back from Indy? I’d so which?
The Pacers could go so many different ways, they need a starting SF and PF and a high quality backup PG (they fall apart as soon as Hali sits).
I like the idea of an S&T for HB but I don’t know all the limitations or details for how that would take place and I’d only want to do that if we were to find an upgrade at SF (or maybe almost as good but much younger, like Trey Murphy).
What would Trey Murphy mean for Keegan, if you get Johnson?
Murphy was only an example of the type of player that I would be happy with moving HB for in a S&T.
I would prefer to do an HB S&T for OG or Siakam, but if the Kings just decided to move on from HB and wanted to get younger with a player who still fit the team but who isn’t as good as HB is right now, then Murphy would be the type player I would target.
With three years and less than $80M left on his contract, John Collins likely fits better than anyone on either of your lists, and is almost certainly cheaper than Johnson or Kuzma would be. Offer to drop the restrictions on next years pick, and add a swap, and a 2nd rounder. It could work.
I suppose it could work, but I’ve never really liked his game much, he’s very one-dimensional IMO (offense-only) and like Kuzma he thinks he’s better than he is.
PJ to me would be a solid fit next to Sabonis. Still super young at 24 and I have no doubts he’d look better as a King with our coaching staff than whatever the hell they’re doing over there in Charlotte. Not sure what his price tag might look like but if it’s in the range of 10-20m a year I’d be more than happy
The problem with PJ is his lack of rebounding. He might look better with our coaching staff, but he’s small. Mike Brown, as good as he is, won’t make PJ Washington a dominant rebounder.
If PJ were coming off the bench then I think he’d be fantastic as a backup in the same role as Lyles had last year. I’d still try to bring Lyles back too.
If Queta isn’t ready to be the backup 5 to start the season, Lyles and PJ would be decent backup front line pairing. Between the three of them and potentially Sasha, I like the options available to MB.
Frontline Options:
Sabonis, Queta, Lyles, Washington, Vezenkov
Someone said not to long ago if the Kings offer 16.5 mil for PJ the Hornets would not match. I like Cam first then Washington. Very complete player with no glaring weaknesses but a lot of strengths. He’s just good at almost every facet of the game. Not great but is a team player and I believe he is also a winner. Can defend and also stretch the floor. Has played some center for the Hornets.
I would take a chance on Brooks if Johnson is not possible.
I think that my favorite thing about Watanabe is that he doesn’t give a shit if he gets dunked on. He always challenges when a player drives hard to the hoop for a slam, and I’d rather have a guy who’s on a hundred posters than one who fades out of the play like a complete coward.
How do we feel about Grant Williams?
Kings need length and athleticism at that position. Grant has none of those, like the other Grant.
with this cap space and the Trade exception, one option is to become the receiver of a teams overflow- as in, we don’t want this guy, he costs too much. So become the taker and since Kings have to give back, then use the draft rights to Bojan Bodoriga.
Sit around and hope the right team walks away from a good player and that player has no other choice to play here.
Building an empire.
I’m listening to conversations about extending Domas. If they give him a raise and extend him, he can get about $220M. If he turns it down, and opts for FA next year, he can get about $240M, if everything falls in place. Having the cap-space to offer him this kind of $ now is the bonus in the Dallas deal. Of course, he can choose to wait for next offseason, and bet on getting a bigger deal then. Players, and especially their agents, rarely choose that option. They take the opportunity to become wildly rich right now, over the chance to become wildly rich + $20M next season. It’s too risky, too much can go wrong.
Domas can cash-in on his All-NBA status now taking the extension, or Monte should take advantage of his chance to sell high and shop him. It’s a bit of a litmus test. Guys don’t turn down the $ unless they don’t want to stay with their current franchise. If he doesn’t accept the extension, it isn’t because of the $20M. It’s because he doesn’t want to sign in Sac, trade him now!
I’d be shocked if Domas didn’t sign if the Kings offered to extend him this summer. I expect it to happen.
Are you sure about those number? From my understanding, under the new CBA, the Kings can offer Domas 140% of his current deal, which is up from 120% of the old CBA. 140% of his current deal starts at around $30M per year, which is roughly $150M over 5 seasons. But If he enters free agency next summer he can ask for over $40M and approaching $50M per year on a max deal.
They can give him a Raise-and-Extend if they are operating as a “room” team. That basically means raising his salary to $30M this season using available cap-space, and then extending him 140% of 30, starting his extension next season at $42M, with subsequent 8% raises thereafter.
This sample contract is based on what he would get based on similar salaries players have received recently (Ayton, Adebayo). It includes the bump in salary effective this season, and 8% annual raises, but not the full 140% he would be eligible for.
From Hoopshype:
Ahhh, ok. Isn’t that similar to how Indy restructured Myles Turner’s deal? IIRC, he got a raise then an extension.
Your probably right, idk.
I’d like to state my position on Draymond. If you suggest, we should plan a bank heist downtown, that can get us more money today than I’ll ever see in my life working, I’ll accept your logic, but not your conclusion. Right is right, wrong is wrong. Punching, kicking, and stomping guys, is not theatrics. Draymond crosses lines, and goes way out-of-bounds.
Also robbing banks is risky. The payday is arguably worth the consequences, but that’s a tough sell, even if I’m hard-up. The Kings aren’t in a dire situation. The argument for a moonshot in Sac are not strong, and Green wouldn’t be cheap. This team is easy to root for. Paying guys who act like pros has been working just fine. Why would you jeopardize that? Especially for a guy who’s game is obviously in decline? $30M for a guy who may punch Keegan in his face during practice? Who may spit on some bystander on the sidelines? It’s not just a bad idea, it’s offensive.
Agree.
as a person he is despicable- fakes being funny, entertaining and cute but underneath he is an a–hole. I have had bosses like that.
as a player, he is in decline and he fits one system- the one with the duds. He does not fit- talent or basketball wise in Sac. Yes, he can still do some things but more than likely he will just get in the way.
After selling the #24 to offload Holmes’ bad contract, it would be a shame to replace it with a larger deal for another older, undersized player, whose career trajectory is headed the wrong direction. Draymond is likely to poison the locker room, and divide the team. If he has a bad game, and decides to taunt the fans in Detroit the way he did at G1C, it’ll be a riot, and we’ll get to relive the Malice-at-the-Palace.
The Warriors are going to re-sign him on the cheap, (no competition for his “services”) and even if we don’t get to see him punch CP3, hopefully we’ll get a revenge series here in Sac.
A lot of people will hate me for this but if we somehow sign Draymond + Brook, i think we have ourselves a WCF team.
If we sign Draymond and Brooks, we have ourselves a WWE team.
Brook Lopez is who I’m referring to but Brooks isn’t that bad either. Draymond/Brook/Brooks. /ducks
Among these choices I prefer /ducks.
LOL Exactly!
Came here to say exactly this.
But a contender, nevertheless.
I’ve always been a Cam Johnson and Naz Reid supporter. I feel Naz could be had, however, the Nets will counter any offer for Cam. OG and J Grant would be too expensive, as well, as Siakam(who I would love to have here). Josh Hart would prob stay with NY to play with Brunson. NO on Draymond. I think a feasible choice who I think would be a perfect fit would be Johnathan Issacs. There are rumors they are going to waive him or possibly trade him(maybe for Davion). I know he’s injured often, but reports say he would be ready in the start of a new season. He is your perfect 3 & D wing that we always needed. If not, HB is a default…
Issacs is also offensive. Hard no.
yes, that too
He seems pretty nutty, hence a risk to a cohesive locker room.
Rumour- they tried to trade him and no takers so they will consider doing a buy out.
I’d take a short-term flyer on Issacs if there were an open roster spot and the rest of the team needs have been met.
His defensive appeal is real but I wouldn’t count on him playing a single minute and he would be a reclamation project (although one that could be payoff tremendously). Again, I would only do this if I knew we wouldn’t need to rely on him at all. If he did end up playing or even being available to play, it’d be a bonus but I wouldn’t count on it.
Intolerance won’t be tolerated in Sac. It’s hard to imagine him in a Kings jersey.
I get that, but as long as he hasn’t hurt anyone, I try not to worry about someone’s beliefs no matter how much I agree/disagree with them.
You’re talking about Issacs right? He would probably not be great for the team chemistry. He’s friends with far-right Christian extremists.
I would swing for the fences and try for Evan Mobley. Cleveland already has two 5 year max players and are paying Allen 20 million a year. With the new CBA, I doubt they can max Mobley out.
Huerter and a future 1st. Not sure if that would get it done, but the Cavs would get some picks back, shooting to spread the floor and cap flexibility.
Would you give Mobley a max deal?
He’s great on D but can’t space the floor. Cleveland has an interesting decision looming as it will be tough to pay everyone.
He may not be attainable, but that’s the type of deal we should be looking for. Swing for Jaylon Brown?
I don’t know if I would want Mobley on a max extension. HIs play over next 2 years will dictate that.
The point is there is no possible way you are getting Mobley for Huerter and some type of middling first. He still has two years left, potential 6 years of team control and just turned 22.
He is at worst probably one of the Top 20-25 most valued assets in the league currently. I don’t think he is realistically attainable without throwing the kitchen sink at the Cavs and also they don’t have to make that decision for a couple years. Why would the bail on him early this summer?
Well Mobley would definitely be very nice…
News on the Sasha front: It looks like the Kings made an offer to Vezenkov. I can’t tell how much from the reporting, it seems to be around $8MM (not sure if that is annually or for 2yrs)
Question: Akis, Bryant- anybody
Kings offered Sasha a contract. If the offer is part of the mid-level exception, then it is 3 years and Kings get Bird rights. MLE is for teams over the cap. which the Kings can get to if they use the cap space in advance for Sabonis extension or other free agents.
Question- if the offer is part of the under the cap exception- is this also 3 years and Bird rights or is it 2 years and no Bird rights (not good).
I could be mistaken but Sasha would be under his rookie contract with the Kings so at the end of that deal he would be a RFA. If his first deal is only two years the team would only have Early Bird Rights. But the Arenas Rule would apply meaning he could be signed for up to the MLE his first 2 years of his next contract but up to the max for years 3 and 4.
What I heard from James Hamm was that if the Kings go in the direction of keeping the MLE and the bi-annual exception they would have to be over the cap. The MLE can be broken into pieces, is worth 8 million per year and goes for 3 years. Thus, the Kings would hold his Bird rights.
On the other hand, if the Kings acted as an under the cap team, they lose the MLE and the bi-annual but have cap room plus the “room exception”. The room exception is? $ and lasts only 2 years, the Kings do not retain Bird rights, maybe early Bird but can offer only a limited raise and other teams could offer far more. Hence, If Sasha is a good player, the Kings sign him as a room exception, they could lose him. Similar to the duds and Donte and Bruce Brown with the Nuggets (he signed for 6M but can only get a 7,8 M offer from the Nuggets but far more from others- hence, he opted out and into UR FA player at the end of 2 years
Bruce Brown is already in his second contract. Sasha would be under his rookie contract and the Kings would have restricted rights to sign him. The Arenas rule was created after Gilbert Arenas signed a deal with a team that the Warriors couldn’t match. The mechanism used to sign Sasha doesn’t change the Kings restricted rights to him after his first deal.
thanks
Listened to that too Murray and after I thought it was pretty clear what they will end up doing. I think priority one is a new Domas deal, by increasing the current contract and then offering an extension (the reason for the draft day trade). I think they then will have between 25 to 20 million to enter the market post that. I think it will be Kuzma but I wouldnt be shocked to see it parlayed into two mid levels. They then add Sasha in the room and likely another addition.
Your Vezenkov point is fair but it’d be hard for me to argue for the alternative. I think forgoing the exceptions really does offer the most pathways to improvement this window and longterm security with the teams priorities.
The Kings current SL Roster
Player Pos Yr Born College
Dane Goodwin – SG – 1999 – Notre Dame
Colby Jones – SG – 2002 – Xavier
Justyn Mutts – SF – 1999 – Virginia Tech
Jalen Slawson – SF – 1999 – Furman
Jake Stephens – C – 1999 – Chattanooga
where is Oscar Tsheibwe?
He signed with Indy on a 2-way deal.
that was impetus for the above, I was looking into where Tsheibwe might go
Monte is looking at guys with lots of experience. No youthful upside in those guys. He seems to want players ready to contribute now.
Those are all that I could find so far, we’ll see what it looks like when the full roster is out.
Maybe MM is trying to speed up the development curve of Jones and Slawson by having them play with experienced players. That way you aren’t wasting time trying to develop others you know won’t be on your squad and you get to see what you have in Jones/Slawson sooner than if you had a team full of inexperienced players.
Slawson, if he pans-out, projects as Draymond w/o the criminal behavior. I watched his highlights, and there’s a lot to like there, as well as with Jones. He’s a good-sized forward, with hops, “pristine” defensive footwork, and knows how/when to help off his man. He’s a little older, for a rookie, and has obvious flaws, but his game is well developed. If he can adjust to a BIG jump in talent level, and competition, even in Stockton, he can be valuable. He’s definitely a long-shot, but you can see why they’re rolling the dice on him.
He’s also a VERY efficient passer from the elbow, out of the pick-and-roll, pick-an-pop, in transition, and loves the DHO (sound familiar?). He sets good screens, and I love the way he’ll fake the hand-off, and roll to the basket. He can play above-the-rim, blocks shots, catches lobs, and moves w/o the ball, having played 5 years in a Princeton-style offense. He’s a “high motor” kind of guy, who rebounds and makes the effort plays. He can handle in transition, so he’ll grab-n-go. When, or if, he adjusts, I could see him as a fan favorite. Sac loves a guy who plays hard, and does the dirty work.
Kings passed on TJD- 3 opportunities.
Slawson might be what they were looking for in TJD but with a shot outside of 4 feet.
The Sabonis backup will come in free agency or another teams salary dump into the trade exception. Nik Richards?
I think I’m done speculating now. Seeing Reid come off the board so early really brings home the reality these FA aren’t really available until they make it to the free-agency period w/o a contract. Until then they really are potentially free-agents. No one got a chance to bid on Naz, and the Wolves were one team I was thinking really couldn’t afford to keep anyone worth significant money. The negotiation period is still almost a week away. Also, TBH I’m not sure who Nik Richards is.
I’d wager that they’re going to put KAT out there to see what they might get back.
I’ve got mixed feelings about him, but he can certainly play alongside Sabonis, or back him up. It’s a huge contract, but Towns is just twenty-seven, and he checks a ton of boxes.
Besides, defense is for saps.
Naz signs with Wolves. 3 years, $42 million.
This really is disappointing. It speaks, though, to why I never want to accept excuses regarding the salary-cap, and paying for players. How the HELL did the T-Wolves find that money? They’re over the cap! And $42M over three years is more than the $12M MLE! Teams who want to spend money, spend it, and the so-called cap never seems to be an impediment to them. There’s always a way. It’s obviously not the end of the world, but he was pretty much my favorite FA target at this point, considering the money.
I think over the cap teams can re-sigh their own free agents?
I share your disappointment.
Yes the cap seems to mean zero- Suns talking about acquiring Tobias Harris who has a HUGE contract. How is that?
Correct, they can go over the cap to re-sign their own. FWIW, the Kings can do the same with Barnes.
Yeah. I should have seen it coming.
You beat me to the realization. They’re in cap hell, and next season they’ll descend to an even deeper level. I didn’t think they would flirt with becoming a tax-team. But obviously, it’s a soft cap, and they can pretty much spend what they want, as long as the ownership is willing to crack the checkbook.
Next season, I believe anyway, there will be a hard-cap, at least for the highest paying teams (2nd apron). This shit gets really confusing, especially when you have to consider a totally new set of rules that only kick-in next season. That new CBA is right now, likely motivating teams to spend while they can. I hope Monte doesn’t get too caught up in what could end up being a race to the bottom. They’re gonna need to spend, in order to keep up with the Joneses, but no dead money contracts, aggressive but not frothing.
14 M per year. Just about t what the Kings might have offered but I have seen many low ball speculations on TKH.
Nothing can be done. He is best friends with Edwards and McDaniel’s.
Things are going in the right sequence: draft, Sasha offer then free agency and trades.
Disappointed in the 2 ways signed by other teams – Philly got 3 good ones (undrafted) and a few others seemed to slip away. Last year, we singed Ellis to a 2 way within hours of him going undrafted.
Why would Oscar sign with the Pacers and not Sac?
My bet: Colby Jones plays more minutes and has higher average than Podz with the duds. any takers?
I didn’t think he would cost that much, not that I’d call it an overpay, I just didn’t see how they could afford to offer that much, and I still don’t. My understanding is, operating as an over-the-cap team already, without even relinquishing their cap-holds they should only have the MLE, and Bi-Annual exceptions available to them.
And I just realized, they are allowed to exceed the cap to sign their own FAs. They gave him just north of the MLE, which is what he was likely to receive elsewhere, so that clinched the deal. Damn! DAMN! DAMN! Now what?
purposely just over MLE and their own FA. and he gets to keep his friends.
You make it sound so romantic…
It could be that the Kings intend to sign Jones and/or Slawson to 2-way deals.
That seems the logical way to go
I think Jones gets a big team contract and Slawson gets one of the 2 ways.
I think Jones makes the rotation and takes the TD minutes, and if he performs might get a bigger role. Smart players that are versatile and dont make mistakes tend to find their way on the court.
Barnes and Lyles are looking more, and more attractive as FA approaches, and less, and less guys still unsigned.
I figures the Longs would retain Barnes and Lyles, bring over Sasha, and fill the roster with depth where needed. The new CBA needs to work itself out, and I think the Kings are fine with extending Domas and running with the core.
*Kings, not Longs, lol
It’s funnier your way.
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