- In addition to the Pistons and Knicks, point guard Killian Hayes is also receiving interest from the Hawks and Kings, per Wasserman.
[SOURCE LINK]
- The Hawks, Bucks, Suns and Heat are among the teams that could be interested in Kings free agent swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic, in the view of James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. All but Milwaukee have the cap space to hand Bodganovic an attractive offer sheet. With the recent changes in the front office, it’s more uncertain whether Sacramento will match an offer sheet or whether it would rather pursue a sign-and-trade.
- While the Kings have a quality young point guard in De’Aaron Fox, it’s not out of the question they’ll draft another one with their lottery pick, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes. RJ Hampton, Kira Lewis and Cole Anthony are some of the point guard prospects Sacramento might consider with the No. 12 overall pick.
- Ahead of the 2020 NBA draft, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area analyzes seven point guards who might be intriguing fits for the Kings as backups to starting point guard De’Aaron Fox. Sacramento holds the Nos. 12, 35, 43 and 52 picks this season. Players considered include Alabama’s Kira Lewis Jr., North Carolina’s Cole Anthony, and Duke’s Tre Jones.
The Bucks will be on the lookout this offseason for additional play-making and shooting and are expected to be a “strong suitor” for Kings restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Bogdanovic enjoyed arguably the best season of his three-year NBA career in 2019/20, averaging 15.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.4 APG on .440/.372/.741 shooting in 61 contests (29.0 MPG). He earned a promotion to the starting lineup in January, displacing Buddy Hield, and helped lead the Kings to a 16-12 record during his 28 games as a starter.
There’s an expectation that re-signing Bogdanovic will be a priority for the Kings. The team jettisoned Dewayne Dedmon‘s pricey multiyear contract at February’s trade deadline in order to create more future cap flexibility to accommodate a new deal for Bogdanovic. Sacramento also has the right of first refusal on the 28-year-old, which means the club can match any offer sheet he signs.
The Bucks, on the other hand, aren’t expected to have any cap room available this offseason, and the mid-level exception (worth between $9-10MM) won’t be nearly enough to sign Bogdanovic to an offer that the Kings wouldn’t match.
Still, if there’s strong mutual interest between the Bucks and Bogdanovic, it’s possible something can be worked out. Six restricted free agents were involved in sign-and-trade deals during the 2019 offseason. If Milwaukee is willing to offer a trade package that appeals to Sacramento, perhaps that could be an option, though the Bucks would become hard-capped at around $139MM in that scenario.
With the Bucks looking to do all they can to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to commit to a long-term future in Milwaukee, I’d expect the front office to get creative as it pursues potential upgrades this fall. Going after Bogdanovic will likely be one of many options that general manager Jon Horst and his group consider.
After winning the NBA Finals in 2020, the Lakers are currently listed by sportsbooks as the odds-on frontrunners to do so again in 2021.
Over at BetOnline.ag, oddsmakers have listed the Lakers as +275 favorites to come out of the Western Conference in 2020/21. That means if you place a $100 bet on the Lakers and they win the West next season, you’ll win $275.
While the Lakers are the current favorites, BetOnline.ag places two other Western Conference teams in roughly the same tier. The Clippers (+375) have the second-best odds to win the conference, while the Warriors (+400) have the third-best odds.
Golden State’s placement is an interesting one. We can safely assume that the Warriors will be much improved in 2020/21 with a healthy Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson back in their lineup, and they have the resources necessary to make further roster upgrades. Still, the club is coming off a dismal 15-50 season that saw them finish in last place in the NBA. Winning the West in 2021 would represent a historic turnaround.
The rest of the odds to win the West next year are as follows, per BetOnline.ag:
- Nuggets: +1200
- Rockets: +1200
- Mavericks: +1400
- Trail Blazers: +1800
- Jazz: +2500
- Pelicans: +2500
- Suns: +3300
- Thunder: +4000
- Grizzlies: +5000
- Kings: +12500
- Spurs: +12500
- Timberwolves: +12500
As we acknowledged on Tuesday when we asked you for your thoughts on the Eastern Conference odds for 2020/21, it’s way too early to confidently predict next year’s conference champions. Rosters will undergo significant changes in the coming months in the draft and free agency, and on the trade market.
Still, the anticipated offseason directions for certain teams is baked into BetOnline’s odds. The Thunder would certainly be higher on the above list if the possibility of a rebuild wasn’t hanging over the franchise.
So, with the caveat that plenty could change in the coming months to alter the outlook of the West for the 2020/21 season, we want to get your thoughts on the early projections from oddsmakers.
Should the Lakers be considered the favorites to come out of the West again in 2021? Are the Warriors or another team being overvalued? Are there other clubs being undervalued? Which team do you like to come out of the West next season? And which club do you view as the best value pick based on the odds listed above?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your early forecast for the Western Conference in 2020/21!
OCTOBER 14: The Kings have officially issued a press release confirming the new hires and titles detailed below. In addition to his director of basketball operations role, Johnson will also serve as the new general manager for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate.
According to the team, Wilcox will assist McNair in front office duties such as “roster construction, strategy and player evaluation,” Jabour will be responsible for overseeing the scouting department, and Johnson will lead Stockton’s front office in addition to contributing to aspects of the Kings’ basketball operations.
“I am excited to have Wes, Phil and Paul join the front office,” McNair said in a statement. “Wes’ background as an executive in the league combined with Phil’s veteran leadership through the scouting ranks and Paul’s proven experience in evaluating talent will be strong additions to the basketball operations group. Their diverse skill sets and unique perspectives will add valuable knowledge and innovative thinking as we focus on executing our vision of building a winning culture in Sacramento.”
OCTOBER 13: Less than a month after being hired, new Kings general manager Monte McNair is making major changes to the team’s front office, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Kings are hiring Wes Wilcox as an assistant general manager, Phil Jabour as vice president of player personnel, and Paul Johnson as director of basketball operations, sources tell Wojnarowski.
Wilcox is the most noteworthy name among Sacramento’s new additions, having previously served as Atlanta’s general manager from 2015-17. He interviewed for the Bulls’ top basketball operations job and was a finalist for the Kings’ job this summer before the team opted to hire McNair. Prior to his stint in the Hawks’ front office, Wilcox worked for the Heat and Pelicans and spent several years with the Cavaliers.
Jabour arrives in Sacramento after having worked as the Sixers‘ director of scouting last season. He also previously held positions in the scouting departments in Orlando and Houston, overlapping with McNair during his time with the Rockets.
Johnson, meanwhile, was named the assistant GM of the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder‘s G League affiliate, just two weeks ago. However, his new director of basketball operations role in Sacramento represents a promotion.
McNair had been expected to fortify the Kings’ front office after the team parted ways with several executives this offseason. In addition to the departure of former GM Vlade Divac, assistant GM Peja Stojakovic resigned and G League GM Anthony McClish was let go. Sacramento is reportedly expected to retain assistant GM and salary cap expert Ken Catanella.
The Warriors like Florida State’s Devin Vassell enough to consider him with the No. 2 pick and he would be their likely target if they decide to trade down, writes Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. Multiple sources tell Letourneau that Golden State views Vassell as the best wing defender in the draft and a long-term replacement for Andre Iguodala.
Vassell is 6’7″ with a 7-foot wingspan and has the versatility to be an effective defender at four positions. Not only does he specialize in forcing turnovers, he’s also a reliable shooter, hitting 41.5% from 3-point range this season. Leonard Hamilton, Vassell’s college coach, compares him to Klay Thompson.
“I always tell people that he’s very similar to Thompson,” Hamilton said. “If you look at his shooting stats at Washington State, they’re similar to Devin’s. He’s long, lean, athletic.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Warriors assistant Mike Brown “made a strong impression” during his interview with the Clippers and has become “an emerging candidate” to be the team’s next head coach, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
- The Suns turned out to be the perfect opportunity for Monty Williams, who hadn’t been a head coach since 2014/15, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Williams led the team to a 34-39 record, including a perfect 8-0 mark after the restart. “When I got the opportunity in Phoenix, it was a lot of things that went into it,” Williams said. “It wasn’t just a basketball fit for me. It was a fit for my family because I had moved them around from New Orleans to Oklahoma City, back to San Antonio and then we go to Philly and I’m going to move them again. So I was looking for a family fit. I needed, obviously for me, to pray about it and make sure I had the peace that I needed to take on another job because it requires a lot of energy, a ton of time and I had to have a peace about doing it again.”
- New associate head coach Alvin Gentry fits in perfectly with the Kings‘ up-tempo philosophy, writes Tracee Jay of NBA.com. Under Gentry, the Pelicans led the league in pace in 2017/18 and were second in 2018/19.
Buddy Hield might be unhappy but with his four-year extension kicking in, he has no leverage if the Kings want to keep him, Jason Jones of The Athletic points out. Hield has a $24.5MM cap hit next season, so any potential trade partner would have to believe he’d be a major impact player to take on his contract.
Sacramento’s front office would probably be best off holding onto Hield and seeing how the situation plays out, Jones continues. Corey Brewer and Yogi Ferrell, who couldn’t crack the rotation, are the most likely Kings players to depart this offseason, Jones adds.
We have more on the Kings:
- Hield’s flaws and off-the-court antics make it difficult to trade him, Sean Deveney of Forbes.com opines. Deveney suggests that Hield tends to get overly emotional off the court and doesn’t handle adversity well in the locker room. He also doesn’t perform well when defenses focus on him and he’s also a subpar defender, Deveney notes.
- Florida State wing Devin Vassell should be a strong consideration if he’s available with the No. 12 overall pick, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Vassell has the versatility to play either wing spot and he adds length, athleticism and energy to his 3-and-D skill set. Vassell is currently ranked No. 16 among best available prospects by ESPN.
- The Kings officially added Alvin Gentry to their coaching staff on Wednesday. Get the details here.
OCTOBER 7: The Kings’ hiring of Gentry is now official, the team announced in a press release.
“I’m excited to add Alvin’s valuable experience and leadership to the team,” Walton said in a statement. “His veteran coaching perspective will be a great addition and I look forward to working with him again to continue developing our group.”
OCTOBER 6: The Kings have reached agreement with former Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry to make him an associate head coach on Luke Walton’s staff, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
The Sixers were interested in adding Gentry to Doc Rivers’ staff in the same role, Stein adds. Walton and Gentry worked together on Steve Kerr’s staff with the Warriors.
Sacramento’s interest in Gentry was revealed last week. He was Buddy Hield‘s first head coach. Hield’s four-year extension begins next season and he reportedly wasn’t returning Walton’s phone calls.
Gentry was fired in mid-August after the Pelicans played poorly during the restart and failed to make the playoffs. Gentry spent five seasons as the head coach in New Orleans, compiling a 175-225 (.438) record and making the playoffs just once. He’s also been a head coach with the Clippers, Pistons and Suns.
Sacramento had an opening after former Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov left Walton’s staff in July to become the head coach of EuroLeague team Fenerbahce.
The NBA has pushed back next season until January with the hope of having fans in the stands but the expectation of crowds may be optimistic, Mark Medina of USA Today reports. It’s unlikely a COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available at that point and having large crowds in an indoor facility could lead to a super spreader event, according to multiple health experts who spoke to Medina. Rapid testing could make it more feasible to allow fans into indoor arenas, the story adds.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Western Carolina’s Carlos Dotson has agreed to a deal in France with JSA Bordeaux, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. The 24-year-old big man averaged 15.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG last season while receiving SoCon First Team All-Conference honors.
- The Players Association has made committee appointments for the NBA Foundation, created in partnership with the league, as well as the new Social Justice Coalition formed when the players agreed to continue the season in late August, Shams Charania of The Athletic writes. Kings forward Harrison Barnes and 76ers forward Tobias Harris will serve as player reps on the NBA Foundation, while Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony and Bucks guard Sterling Brown will serve on the Social Justice Coalition.
- NBPA executive director Michele Roberts anticipates that free agency will begin no later than December 1st. Get the details here.