Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Bagley, Hield, Kaminsky, Suns

May 26th, 2020 at 10:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Trading Marvin Bagley III might be a prudent move for the Kings, Richard Ivanowski of the Sacramento Bee contends in a piece that looks at a hypothetical trade for each player on the team. While he acknowledges that Sacramento is unlikely to consider such a move, Ivanowski pitches the idea of sending Bagley to the Wizards for their 2020 first-rounder (Washington is currently ninth in our Reverse Standings) and Thomas Bryant.

Bagley, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft, hasn’t been able to stay healthy since coming into the league. That, coupled with the presence of Richaun Holmes, could make Sacramento more comfortable with moving on from the 21-year-old, Ivanowski writes.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Buddy Hield has been the subject of some trade speculation, and Ivanowski believes that dealing him to the Magic for Aaron Gordon would be a solid move for the Kings (same piece). Sacramento could pair the 24-year-old with Harrison Barnes as the team’s starting forwards.
Suns big man Frank Kaminsky isn’t too concerned with the logistics of the NBA’s return; he just hopes to be able to participate now that he’s healthy, as Gina Mizell of The Athletic passes along. “I’ll go to Saturn to play basketball at this point,” Kaminsky said. “I’ll go pretty much anywhere. You tell me where to be and I’ll be there, ready to play.”
The Suns hold a $5MM team option on Kaminsky for 2020/21 and the former No. 9 overall pick said the team hasn’t really discussed it with him, as Mizell adds in the same piece. “Obviously, I really like it here,” Kaminsky said. “I really like this staff. … I’d really like to be back, but that’s something that’s gonna have to be talked about once everything (with the rest of this season is) figured out.”

2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Sacramento Kings

May 22nd, 2020 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.

The Kings‘ 39-43 performance in 2018/19 qualified as a breakthrough. It was the team’s best record in 13 years, after all. Sacramento didn’t take another step forward in ’19/20, but hung around the outskirts of the playoff race even as former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III missed most of the season and other key contributors – like De’Aaron Fox and Richaun Holmes – were sidelined with injuries for extended stretches.

Continued development from young players like Fox and Bagley will be crucial as the Kings look to make the leap from frisky lottery team to solid playoff contender. However, the team’s young core will start getting more expensive going forward, beginning with Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic in 2020/21.

Here’s where things stand for the Kings financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:

Guaranteed Salary

Buddy Hield ($24,931,817)
Harrison Barnes ($22,215,909)
Cory Joseph ($12,600,000)
Marvin Bagley III ($8,963,640)
De’Aaron Fox ($8,099,627)
Richaun Holmes ($5,005,350)
Justin James ($1,517,981)
Total: $83,334,324

Player Options

Jabari Parker ($6,500,000)
Total: $6,500,000

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Nemanja Bjelica ($7,150,000) ¹
Kyle Guy (two-way)
Total: $7,150,000

Restricted Free Agents

Bogdan Bogdanovic ($10,661,733 qualifying offer / $16,205,833 cap hold): Bird rights
DaQuan Jeffries (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Total (cap holds): $17,651,530

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Kent Bazemore ($28,904,493): Bird rights
Alex Len ($5,408,000): Early Bird rights
Yogi Ferrell ($4,095,000): Early Bird rights
Harry Giles ($3,976,510): Bird rights ²
No. 12 overall pick ($3,831,840)
Corey Brewer ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
Total: $47,836,407

Offseason Cap Outlook

Parker will likely opt in, so adding his salary and the cap hold for Sacramento’s first-round pick increases the club’s guaranteed commitments to about $94MM for nine roster spots. It’s safe to assume the Kings will do all they can to re-sign Bogdanovic too, so they’ll operate as an over-the-cap team.

A deadline deal that sent Dewayne Dedmon to Atlanta ensured that the Kings should have the flexibility to negotiate a market-value deal – or match any reasonable offer sheet – for Bogdanovic without approaching the luxury tax line. As such, Sacramento should have the non-taxpayer mid-level and bi-annual exceptions at its disposal this offseason, though it might not make sense to use both exceptions in full — especially if the team wants to retain Bjelica, Bazemore, or any of its other free agents.

Cap Exceptions Available

Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 ³
Bi-annual exception: $3,623,000 ³
Trade exception: $2,673,334 (expires 2/8/21)

Footnotes

Bjelica’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 17.
The Kings can’t offer Giles a starting salary worth more than his cap hold, since his rookie scale team option for 2020/21 was declined.
These are projected values. If team salary gets high enough, it’s possible the Kings would instead be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,718,000).

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ham: Ibaka Would Be Logical FA Target For Kings

May 20th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

James Ham of NBC Sports California makes a case for why big man Serge Ibaka would be an ideal target for the Kings during the 2020 free agent period.

Four-Month Furloughs Ahead For Many Workers

May 18th, 2020 at 8:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings will place more than one third of their full-time workers on four-month furloughs beginning June 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reports. The employees were informed in an email from President of Business Operations John Rinehart. The furloughs will impact approximately 100 workers but the front office, health and performance, and scouting/analytics staffs will not be affected.

Trading Hield Doesn't Seem Likely

May 15th, 2020 at 8:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings will likely give Buddy Hield the opportunity to bounce back next season rather than explore trades, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Hield’s four-year, $106MM extension kicks in next season and even though he lost his starting job this season, his shooting ability is not easily replaced. Sacramento has invested heavily in Hield’s development, though economic issues created by the pandemic could change the team’s approach.

Wing Devin Vassell of Florida State would be an ideal building block for the Kings as a late lottery selection, Richard Ivanowski of the Sacramento Bee argues. Vassell is the best team defender in the draft class, an above-average perimeter shooter and has a high motor, Ivanowski adds. Vassell is currently ranked No. 16 overall by ESPN.

Kings, Pacers, Heat Among Latest Teams To Reopen Facilities

May 13th, 2020 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NBA continue to reopen their practice facilities to accommodate voluntary individual workouts for their players. The Kings, Pacers, and Heat are among the latest teams to do so.

As James Ham of NBC Sports California details, Sacramento opened its facility on Monday, and a handful of players have already taken advantage of the opportunity to get some work in.

The same thing happened in Indiana this week, according to J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. Michael’s source didn’t identify the specific players who have been back at St. Vincent Center, but said some players have returned to the facility, even as many staffers still aren’t cleared to enter the building.

As for the Heat, they reopened their facility at AmericanAirlines Arena on Wednesday, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. All but three of Miami’s players are still in the South Beach area, per Winderman, so a number of those players figure to make use of the building.

The Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Jazz, Hawks, and Raptors are among the teams that have also opened their respective facilities. Raptors forward Malcolm Miller confirmed today that he was the first player back at the club’s facility in Toronto earlier this week (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of The Athletic).

As the list of teams with reopened facilities grows, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday night that the league believes 22 of its 30 teams will have their building opened back up by next Monday (May 18). However, situations remain fluid.

For instance, the Wizards had reportedly targeted this Friday to reopen their practice facility. That target date is now up in the air, since the stay-at-home order in Washington, D.C. has now been extended through June 8, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

Players who have been given the green light to participate in individual workouts at their teams’ facilities face restrictive guidelines. They can only work out for an hour at a time, with no more than four total players in the building. They also must undergo temperature checks before entering the facility and are required to wear a mask when not engaged in physical activity.

Examining Financial Impact Of COVID-19 On Kings

May 12th, 2020 at 5:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee takes a look at the financial toll that COVID-19 is taking on the Kings, who are preparing for the possibility of “tens of millions of dollars in uninsured losses.”

Max Extension On The Horizon For De'Aaron Fox?

May 7th, 2020 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Former fifth overall pick De’Aaron Fox will be eligible for a rookie scale extension when the 2020/21 league year begins. James Ham of NBC Sports California explores how much more room Fox has to improve and whether he’s worth a maximum-salary extension offer, ultimately predicting that a five-year max deal seems likely for the rising Kings star.
In case you missed it, the Kings are aiming to reopen their practice facility on Monday, May 11, while the Lakers are said to be targeting Saturday, May 16 to reopen their building.

Kings, Heat Plan To Reopen Facilities Next Week

May 7th, 2020 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings and Heat are among the NBA teams that intend to reopen their practice facilities for individual, voluntary workouts next week, according to reports.

Sam Amick of The Athletic first tweeted that Sacramento is planning to reopen its facility on Monday, with the City of Sacramento allowing non-contact recreational facilities to open. The Kings issued a press release today confirming that May 11 is their target date and noting that they’ll remain in “constant communication” with the NBA and public health officials during the process.

As for the Heat, after head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the team is moving closer to being able to resume individual workouts, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reported this morning (via Twitter) that Wednesday, May 13 is the team’s target date for reopening its facility. As Reynolds cautions, that date is “fluid.”

For the Kings, Heat, and the other teams that plan to make their facilities available to players in the coming days, a series of regulations and restrictions will be in place to ensure the safety of players and staff.

No more than four players will be permitted in a facility a time, no group activities will be allowed, rigorous cleaning and disinfecting procedures must be followed, staffers will have to wear face coverings (as will players when not engaged in physical activity), and certain medical and temperature checks will be required for those entering the gym.

Although teams have been asked by the NBA not to conduct coronavirus tests on any players or staffers who aren’t showing any symptoms, an increase in testing will be necessary if and when the league begins to allow group workouts and takes other steps toward resuming its season. For now, some teams are wary of even reopening their facilities without testing procedures in place — Mavericks owner Mark Cuban expressed that concern on Wednesday, as we detailed this morning.

Coronavirus Notes: Facilities, “Bubble” Concept, Vegas, More

May 1st, 2020 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has said it will allow teams to reopen their practice facilities as early as May 8, one week from today. However, as Sam Amick and Joe Vardon of The Athletic detail, at least half of the league’s 30 teams are located in areas that have stay-at-home orders in place beyond that date, and some teams without those mandates in place are still weighing whether or not to actually reopen their facilities next Friday.

Amick and Vardon note that the NBA has said it will attempt to make “alternative arrangements” for teams in areas that won’t be open for business by next Friday. The Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, and Kings are lobbying California Governor Gavin Newsom to include them in the second phase of the state’s reopening plan in the hopes of returning to their facilities by the third week of May, sources tell The Athletic.

Within their report, The Athletic’s duo also digs into the extensive safety measures the league has put in place for teams as they reopen facilities and explores the competitive imbalance concerns that could arise if certain teams are back at their facilities while others are still locked out.

“The thing I keep hearing is the whole competitive advantage idea,” a player on a team that could resume individual workouts next week told The Athletic. “If we open up half the teams’ facilities when it’s safe, what’s a team like Brooklyn going to do? That’s a question because I certainly have no idea what that looks like.”

Here’s more on the issues the NBA is working through as it considers how and when to resume play:

If the NBA attempts to resume the season in a “bubble” location, what would that look like? Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN break it down, examining how many people would need to be in the bubble, what role COVID-19 testing would play, and how long it would take to finish the season. Interestingly, sources tell Bontemps and Windhorst that the league has rejected the idea of quarantining players without their family members.
The ESPN duo also estimates that if the NBA is intent on playing the rest of the regular season, it would take 33 days to do so, with no more than 55 days required for a full postseason. The league could cut back on that 88-day total by reducing or eliminating the rest of the regular season and/or by tweaking its playoff format.
While Las Vegas was initially viewed as the most likely location if the NBA were to move forward with a “bubble” plan, recent comments made by Mayor Carolyn Goodman didn’t make a good impression on the league’s power brokers, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com. Goodman suggested in a CNN interview that she was willing to offer up the city’s citizens as a control group to assess what happens when all coronavirus-related restrictions are lifted.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that the idea of starting the 2020/21 NBA season in December and having it run through July or August is gaining some momentum. With that in mind, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) goes into detail on what a new calendar might look like. The highlights include free agency opening on August 30, the trade deadline falling on April 8, and the Finals starting on August 1. Marks also suggests moving the draft to September 8, delaying it until after the first week of free agency.