Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Richaun Holmes Hopes To Re-Sign With Kings

January 28th, 2021 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Richaun Holmes will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2020/21 season, giving him the opportunity to sign with any NBA team. However, he said this week that he “absolutely” wants to sign a new contract with the Kings when his current deal expires, as James Ham of NBC Sports California relays.

“I absolutely love playing in Sacramento. Love the fans in Sacramento. Love stepping out in that arena with Sacramento across my jersey,” Holmes said. “So I would love to play here and hopefully everything works out, but Sacramento is a great place to play. They’ve embraced me with open arms and it’s somewhere I can definitely see myself playing (going forward).”

It’s not uncommon for a player to publicly express a desire to stick with his current team even if he expects to move on, so it’s fair to take Holmes’ comments with a grain of salt. Still, it would make sense for him to want to remain in Sacramento, where he has enjoyed the best stretch over the last two seasons, emerging as the club’s full-time starting center.

After signing with the Kings in 2019, Holmes averaged 12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in 44 contests (28.2 MPG) in ’19/20. So far this season, he’s up to 13.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.6 BPG through 16 games (30.8 MPG). Prior to arriving in Sacramento, he had career averages of 7.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 0.9 BPG in 226 games (16.9 MPG) across four years in Philadelphia and Phoenix.

As Ham notes, Holmes’ increased role and production makes him a good bet to receive a contract exceeding his current two-year, $10MM deal. Sacramento will hold the 27-year-old’s Early Bird rights, giving the team the ability to offer a starting salary up to 105% of the NBA’s previous average salary. That would likely work out to a first-year number in the $10-11MM range.

Of course, in order for Holmes to remain in Sacramento, the Kings will have to reciprocate his interest. While there’s no reason to think the team wouldn’t want him back at the right price, it’s worth noting that former general manager Vlade Divac was the one who brought Holmes aboard in 2019. New GM Monte McNair showed when he let Bogdan Bogdanovic walk in free agency in the fall that he’s not necessarily attached to the players acquired by Divac, even if they’ve been productive.

Eastern Notes: Haliburton, Knicks, Ellington, Bulls

January 24th, 2021 at 6:53pm CST by JD Shaw

Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton made the Knicks pay on Friday for choosing not to draft him last month, Greg Joyce of the New York Post writes.

Haliburton, who was selected with the No. 12 pick in the draft, finished with 16 points and four blocks off the bench in the team’s victory over New York. The Knicks ultimately bypassed Haliburton in the event and chose to draft Obi Toppin at No. 8 instead.

“I guess it fueled me personally,” Haliburton said with a grin, as relayed by Joyce. “But I love it here. I’m glad I slid to 12. … It’s not hard feelings or nothing, it is what it is. It’s a business, I don’t care.

“My job is to make them think about that when they go to sleep. So I’m just going to go out there and be the best player I can be. I’m not that big into that [motivation].”

There’s more from the Eastern Conference tonight:

Drew Maresca of Basketball Insiders examines three potential trade targets for the Knicks, including Hawks forward John Collins. New York has opened the season with a 8-9 record, last making the playoffs during the 2012/13 campaign. Atlanta could choose to explore Collins’ trade value if the team feels comfortable starting Danilo Gallinari and Clint Capela going forward.
Pistons veteran Wayne Ellington made the most of his opportunity as a starter on Friday, scoring 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from deep, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Ellington, one of the league’s most underrated three-point shooters, has shot 48% from behind-the-arc in his first 11 games this season after signing with Detroit in free agency.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores whether the Bulls should trade Zach LaVine or Lauri Markkanen. Chicago has opened the campaign at 7-9 under new head coach Billy Donovan after finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference last season.

Kings Exploring Trade Market For Nemanja Bjelica

January 23rd, 2021 at 1:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings explored the trade market for Nemanja Bjelica around the time of the draft and will likely to continue to find a way to move the veteran forward, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports.

Bjelica’s playing time has dropped dramatically — he hasn’t seen court time since January 9 — due to the organization’s decision to develop its younger players and find core pieces to fit around the team’s star, De’Aaron Fox, Anderson adds.

Sacramento could have shed Bjelica’s $7.15MM salary in November but instead opted to guarantee the contract. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Bjelica, 32, had his best season as a pro in 2019/20, starting 67 of 72 games at power forward for the Kings. The veteran stretch four established new career highs in PPG (11.5), RPG (6.4), APG (2.8) and 3PT% (.419).

Coach Luke Walton said he has discussed the situation with Bjelica.

“It is a balancing act,” Walton said. “… You look at where the future of this team is going … We need them (the younger players) out there. We need them getting better, but at the same time we’re trying to win. There’s not an easy answer to that. It is a balancing act of getting the experience and that exposure.”

Marvin Bagley III, who missed a good chunk of last season due to injuries, has started regularly at the four. Chimezie Metu has received some backup minutes at the position and Walton has also used some smaller lineups.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Kings, Zubac

January 21st, 2021 at 5:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Through lineup additions and subtractions, as well as new offensive sets implemented by their new coach, the Clippers are feeling more confident in their chemistry this season than they did during their disappointing 2019/20 run, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“I feel like our energy is way better this season,” forward Marcus Morris said. “It’s a new season; it’s a new team.”

The Clippers have won four straight games, even with key rotational players missing. New additions Serge Ibaka and Luke Kennard have managed to fit in nicely.

“Hopefully, you guys see it, just how well we are meshing,” star forward Paul George said. “We are going to continue to build off of that; we like where we are at and like where we are heading, and we want to see this thing play all the way through.”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Adjusting to their not-insignificant roster turnover has yet to be an issue for the Lakers, says Rob Mahoney of The Ringer. The team has added four core new rotation players: new starters Dennis Schröder and Marc Gasol, plus key new bench additions Wesley Matthews and Montrezl Harrell.
The slumping Kings are 5-10 despite an encouraging 3-1 season start, and James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area opines that it may be time to infuse the starting lineup with new blood. The club is on a four-game losing streak, and has lost nine of its last 11 contests. “It sucks losing. You can never accept it, well, I can never accept it,” big man Marvin Bagley III said after a lopsided 115-96 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who started for the club last year, has looked more comfortable in his new role off the bench this season, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. The newly-signed veteran Ibaka has supplanted Zubac as the starter.

NBA Postpones Grizzlies’ Next Three Games

January 21st, 2021 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has postponed the Grizzlies‘ next three games, the league announced in a press release. Memphis is being affected by the NBA’s contact tracing protocols and, as a result, has a number of players unavailable.

The affected games are as follows:

Friday, January 22 at Portland vs. the Trail Blazers.
Sunday, January 24 at Memphis vs. the Kings.
Monday, January 25 at Memphis vs. the Kings.

The Grizzlies had been scheduled to play in Portland vs. the Blazers on Wednesday night, but that game had to be postponed as well.

As of Monday, Jonas Valanciunas was the only Grizzlies player who was ruled out due to the league’s health and safety protocols, with Jaren Jackson Jr., Justise Winslow, and Jontay Porter all sidelined due to injuries.

While the NBA’s contact tracing protocols have affected more players since Monday, it doesn’t sound as if those players have been asked to complete week-long quarantine periods yet, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski tweets that the COVID-19 exposure within the Grizzlies’ organization may be isolated, and that the league is “erring on the side of caution” by deciding to not have the team play its next few games as scheduled.

Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian adds (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies, for now at least, have just one active case of the coronavirus.

Following this series of postponements, the Grizzlies’ next game (vs. the Bulls) is set to be played on Wednesday, January 27 in Memphis. At that point, it will have been more than a week since the team was first affected by contact tracing. If there are no additional positive tests or other setbacks, that game shouldn’t be in jeopardy.

The NBA has now postponed 20 games in 2020/21, as seen in our tracker. The growing number of postponements will make it a challenge for certain teams to play a full 72-game season.

Nemanja Bjelica Out Of The Rotation, But Not Permanently

January 16th, 2021 at 9:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings haven’t used Nemanja Bjelica in their past three games, but the decision is only temporary, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Coach Luke Walton is experimenting with defensive rotations and has told Bjelica he will get another chance soon.

Pacific Notes: Bridges, Ramsey, Lakers, Kings

January 16th, 2021 at 11:59am CST by JD Shaw

Suns forward Mikal Bridges discussed a variety of topics with Spencer Davies of BasketballNews.com, including the early buzz for Most Improved Player, playing with Chris Paul and his relationship with Deandre Ayton.

Bridges, a 24-year-old defensive-minded player, has improved his offensive game and starts alongside Jae Crowder and Ayton in Phoenix’s frontcourt. He scored a career-high 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting (including 6-of-8 from deep) in the team’s game against Indiana a week ago, averaging 15.1 points per contest in 11 games so far this season.

“I was just hoopin’, man,” Bridges said of his performance. “Just playing basketball. Reading things, being aggressive, taking shots when I’m open. The Pacers do a lot of things out there, so still keying in on the other end, but just being more aggressive and taking the shots where I thought I could be aggressive.”

Phoenix has opened the season with a 7-3 record. The team’s last three games have been postponed because it didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available due to health and safety protocols, as noted in our new 2020/21 NBA Game Postponement Tracker.

Here are some other notes from the Pacific Division today:

Kings guard Jahmi’us Ramsey will be re-evaluated in 2-to-3 weeks after undergoing an MRI that confirmed a left groin strain, the team announced. Ramsey, the No. 43 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has only appeared in four games this season.
The Lakers have made the most of their somewhat limited time together, building their chemistry on the court to start the season, Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register writes. COVID-19 has restricted teams this season, but at 11-3 (and five straight wins), the Lakers look to be maximizing their situation so far. “I think it’s all about having fun and being happy with your job,” Dennis Schroder said. “So I think everybody when they wake up, they like to come to work and I think that’s pretty important for us and I’ll always be on the sidelines and just talking and trying to get everybody engaged.”
De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton will likely be the only Kings players untouchable in trade talks this season, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes. Fox, 23, is coming off a season where he averaged 21.1 points and 6.8 assists per game, while Haliburton, 20, was drafted by the team No. 12 overall last fall.

Pacific Notes: Curry, Leonard, Matthews, Haliburton

January 10th, 2021 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry could be in contention for a third MVP award if he keeps playing the way he has this week. After scoring 62 points last Sunday, Curry sparked the Warriors to a shocking comeback win over the Clippers Friday night. He hit nine 3-pointers, had 11 assists and went 13-for-24 from the field in the 38-point performance, leaving some teammates in awe, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“He’s making shots that you be like, ‘Whoa!'” Andrew Wiggins said. “There’s not a lot of shots that he can’t make. As soon as he steps over half, he’s a threat, so he causes a lot of attention. So when he gets rolling, you just sit back and watch and let him roll.”

Curry continues to add to his historically great numbers, Youngmisuk notes. Among the 78 players in NBA history with at least 100 30-point games, Curry has a .783 winning percentage, which ranks third all-time behind Larry Bird and Hal Greer.

“There’s not too much you have to say beyond it’s just who Steph is,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s been doing this for many, many years and one of the reasons he’s a two-time MVP and he’s a phenomenal basketball player. And usually with Steph when he has a tough game he bounces back [in] the next one. That’s part of his character, part of his competitiveness.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard called for the team to change its mindset after letting that game against Golden State slip away, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. was outscored 64-40 in the second half while taking just 12 shots in the paint. “I don’t feel like we took any, pretty much, good shots in that fourth quarter,” Leonard said. “Some of us didn’t know the play we were running but, yeah, we have to know what we’re running, execute it and then live with the make or misses.”
The Lakers‘ deep lineup creates a challenge for coach Frank Vogel, who has to find minutes for a variety of players, notes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Wesley Matthews, who is being used as a reserve for the first time in nearly a decade, said Vogel has made that transition easier. “When you know when you’re coming in, when you’re coming out, you can start usually preparing yourself and you can get ready and then you can start watching the game a little bit differently,” Matthews said. “He’s a great communicator so far with me and that really helps my curve here.”
Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton made his first career start Saturday with Richaun Holmes sidelined, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports. Coach Luke Walton and his staff have discussed using Haliburton as a starter, but haven’t committed to making the move permanent.

Parker In Health And Safety Protocol; Fox Talks Twitter Drama

January 7th, 2021 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Meanwhile, Kings forward Jabari Parker has yet to make his season debut, having been sidelined with back soreness and then having missed time for personal reasons. Parker is back with Sacramento now, but will have to go through the health and safety protocols before he receives clearance to play, head coach Luke Walton said on Wednesday (Twitter link via James Ham of NBC Sports California).

Appearing on Matt Barnes’ and Stephen Jackson’s All That Smoke podcast, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox said he spoke to his father and the rest of his family after Aaron Fox tweeted, “Trade him,” in apparent reference to Marvin Bagley III. “I’m like, ‘Yo, y’all can’t do this s–t,'” Fox said, per James Ham of NBC Sports California. “‘Because regardless of anything y’all say, motherf—–s aren’t going to ask y’all, they’re gonna ask me about it.'”

Tyrese Haliburton Nearing Return

January 6th, 2021 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

Kings rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has missed the team’s last two games due to a bone bruise in his left wrist, has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s contest against Chicago, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Even if Haliburton isn’t able to play tonight, it sounds like he’s close to a return.