- Center Alex Len has been a pleasant surprise for the Kings since he was acquired from the Hawks, Greg Wissinger of the Sacramento Bee writes. Len has been a factor as a rebounder and shot-blocker in his first two games with the club, both victories. Len has an expiring $4.16MM contract.
- Kings center Richaun Holmes (shoulder) has yet to practice and there’s still no timetable for his return, per head coach Luke Walton (Twitter link via James Ham of NBC Sports California).
Kings big man Harry Giles III recorded his first double-double on Saturday, helping his team pull off an improbable 112-103 victory over the Clippers at Staples Center.
Giles posted 14 points and 12 rebounds in 31 minutes, proving his worth on both ends of the floor as starting center. He started the 2019/20 season with very limited playing time, but his recent surge has caught the attention of Sacramento’s coaches.
“He’s moving much better now,” head coach Luke Walton said, as relayed by Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “He’s out there calling coverages. He’s out there at the level, backing up, rebounding the ball. He’s doing all the things that we love about Harry. He looks like, physically, he’s in the best place I’ve seen him since I’ve been the coach here, and his skill set, as far as his passing and rebounding and toughness, that’s something we need.”
Giles has an injury-riddled history, particularly with his knees, but it hasn’t stopped the 21-year-old from continuing to persevere and improve. Instead, it’s motivated him to play better.
“I think with time and reps I’m going to get better,” Giles said. “I’m going to keep getting better. You know how the fouls go. It varies depending on how you’re going to play and depending on how the refs are going to let you play, too, so I’m going to keep getting better at that and just playing hard.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Luke Walton also spoke highly of Alex Len, who made his debut with the Kings on Saturday and recorded eight rebounds in 16 minutes. “It was nice to have a big body out there like that,” Walton said, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). “He did a good job of clogging up that paint. We’ve got to get him a little more familiar with what we’re doing so we can open up the playbook, but he knows some of the basic sets and he helped us win.”
- The Lakers and Clippers are set to play their rescheduled game on April 9 at Staples Center, forcing the Lakers to play three consecutive home games from April 7-9, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. The game was originally scheduled to be played on January 28 but was later postponed due to the tragic death of Kobe Bryant.
- The union of Kent Bazemore and the Kings has been a perfect fit for both sides, Jason Jones writes in a different story for The Athletic. Sacramento traded for Bazemore last month, acquiring a proven two-way player at the wing position.“Sometimes fresh blood does help,” Bazemore said. “I hadn’t been having the best year, so it was kind of a match made in heaven. A guy coming over desperate and team in a desperate situation. We’re kind of making it work right now.”
Kings coach Luke Walton said today that new center Alex Len, part of the trade that shipped an unhappy Dewayne Dedmon out of town, will suit up for the first time with his new team tonight, per Sean Cunningham of ABC10 Sacramento (Twitter link).
Len, who had been recovering from a hip flexor injury, is expected to play in small 3-4 minute stints at time today, and just 10-12 minutes overall, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link).
After being taken with the No. 5 overall pick by the Suns in 2013, the Ukranian-born Len has proved to be a solid if underwhelming role player in Phoenix and, since 2018, Atlanta. He has started in just 180 of his 452 NBA games played. He will serve as a big body to shore up the injury-depleted Kings’ frontcourt, providing support for current starting Kings center Harry Giles.
Len will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after signing a two-year, $8.5MM contract with the Hawks in 2018. This season, the 250-pound seven-footer holds averages of 8.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 0.8 BPG in just 18.6 minutes a night.
It’s turning into a lost sophomore season for Marvin Bagley III, who remains sidelined with a left foot injury. The Kings announced today in a press release that Bagley, whose injury is a mid-foot sprain, continues to work through the “reconditioning” process under the supervision of team doctors and foot specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley.
According to the Kings, the next update on Bagley’s status will come in three weeks, which means he’ll remain on the shelf through at least March 12. Even if last year’s No. 2 overall pick is ready to get back on the court at that point, which is hardly a lock, he’ll miss Sacramento’s next 11 games and would return with just one month left in the season.
Bagley had a promising rookie season for the Kings in 2018/19, averaging 14.9 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 62 games (25.3 MPG). He was expected to be a key player in the team’s push for a postseason berth this year, but has been limited to just 13 games due to health issues.
Bagley is one of several important Kings players who have battled injuries this season. De’Aaron Fox, Richaun Holmes, and Bogdan Bogdanovic have each missed between 11 and 19 games so far.
- In his latest mailbag for The Sacramento Bee, Jason Anderson answers questions related to Vlade Divac‘s future, Marvin Bagley III‘s health, and possible roles for Alex Len and Jabari Parker. Anderson doesn’t believe Divac’s job will be in jeopardy this spring, but says the GM’s seat could get hot next season if the Kings are healthier and still don’t take a significant step forward.
Fans of lottery-bound NBA teams will be keeping a close on the league’s reverse standings down the stretch because of the effect they’ll have on the draft order and lottery odds for the 2020 first round.
However, it’s not just the first round of the draft that’s worth keeping an eye on. Those reverse standings will also dictate the order of the draft’s second round, and an early second-round pick can be nearly as valuable as a first-rounder.
Traded first-round selections like the one the Grizzlies are sending to the Celtics will ultimately be more valuable than any second-rounder, but it’s still worth taking a closer look at some traded 2020 second-rounders that project to be valuable picks.
[RELATED: Traded Second-Round Picks For 2020 NBA Draft]
Here are a few of those traded picks:
From: Golden State Warriors
To: Dallas Mavericks
Current projection: No. 31
This traded pick dates all the way back to the 2016 offseason, when the Mavericks acquired it along with Andrew Bogut. That deal gave them the option to eventually receive either the Warriors’ 2019 or 2020 second-rounder.
Dallas faced a little criticism at the time for helping Golden State clear the cap room necessary to sign Kevin Durant, but if the Mavs hadn’t done it, another team would have. Now they’ll benefit from the end of the Warriors’ dynasty, potentially acquiring the best non-first-round pick of the 2020 draft.
From: Cleveland Cavaliers
To: Charlotte Hornets
Current projection: No. 32
The Cavaliers first traded this pick to Orlando at the trade deadline in 2016 to acquire Channing Frye. It was later traded from the Magic to the Clippers, who eventually sent it to Charlotte on draft night in 2018.
The pick was one of two future second-rounders L.A. surrendered to move up a single spot in the lottery to draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 11 in ’18.
Considering the Cavs won a title with Frye and the Clippers eventually used Gilgeous-Alexander to acquire Paul George – and, indirectly, Kawhi Leonard – I don’t think either team is losing sleep about giving up this selection, but it’ll be a nice asset for the Hornets this spring.
From: Atlanta Hawks
To: Philadelphia 76ers
Current projection: No. 33
From: New York Knicks
To: Philadelphia 76ers
Current projection: No. 35
Philadelphia sent three second-round picks to the Warriors at the deadline for Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, but did well to hang onto these selections, both of which could fall in the top 35 this spring.
The Sixers received both of these picks in deals that saw their trade partners move up in the second round to nab big men. The Knicks’ second-rounder was sent to Philadelphia in a 2015 deal for No. 35 pick Willy Hernangomez, while the Hawks’ second-rounder changed hands in last June’s swap for No. 34 pick Bruno Fernando.
From: Detroit Pistons
To: Sacramento Kings
Current projection: No. 36
This pick has been involved in two trades, neither of which worked out particularly well for the Suns. It was all Phoenix received in return for Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock, and Danny Granger in a cost-cutting trade during the 2015 offseason. Then it was part of the package the Suns sent to the Kings for 2016’s No. 8 pick, Marquese Chriss.
The two 2016 first-round picks the Kings got that in that Chriss trade (Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere) didn’t pan out for Sacramento. However, the package also included the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic, making it a big win for the Kings. This year’s second-round pick is just an added bonus.
- Several factors will determine how the Kings close out the stretch run to what has been disappointing season, according to James Han of NBC Sports California. The development of core Kings players De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Harrison Barnes is a crucial element.
Vivek Ranadive and other members of the Kings‘ ownership have grown increasingly frustrated with the team’s poor performance, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Ranadive has been open about his disappointment through text messages in season-long group chats with general manager Vlade Divac, head coach Luke Walton, assistant general manager Peja Stojakovic and chief operating officer Matina Kolokotronis.
The specter that has hung over the franchise for the past two seasons has been the decision to bypass Luka Doncic and take Marvin Bagley with the second pick in the 2018 draft. Doncic has developed into an MVP candidate, while injuries have limited Bagley to 13 games this year and may wipe out the rest of his season.
The Kings put a lot of effort into scouting Doncic, Charania relays, including a dinner with Ranadive that one of the owner’s children posted on social media. Ownership supported taking Doncic, but Divac and former assistant GM Brandon Williams were concerned about how he would fit alongside De’Aaron Fox and believed adding a big man was a better choice.
Sources tell Charania that significant changes aren’t being planned to the front office or coaching staff right now, but Ranadive will reassess the situation this summer. He declined to be interviewed, but the team issued a statement that read, “We share our fans’ frustrations with how the season has unfolded and are working hard to improve. We remain confident in Vlade’s leadership in building the winning team that our fans and city deserve.”
Charania shares more from inside the Kings’ organization:
- Divac will be held accountable for the team’s free agent signings last summer and other roster decisions. Dewayne Dedmon was a huge disappointment after being given a three-year, $40MM contract and was traded to Atlanta last week. Trevor Ariza was also traded, while Cory Joseph has been effective as a backup point guard and Richaun Holmes was a nice find before being injured.
- It was Divac’s decision to fire Dave Joerger and target Walton as his replacement, giving him a contract that runs through the 2022/23 season, just like Divac’s. Several members of the ownership group have been critical of Walton, and sources say that Ranadive’s group chats are a way to air those issues. The organization considered Monty Williams and Ettore Messina as other coaching candidates, but only if Walton turned down the job.
- A decision could be coming this summer on Buddy Hield, who received a four-year extension in October, but lost his starting job last month. Hield called out “trust issues” in the organization a few weeks ago, and there is a belief that he may ask for a trade if he remains unhappy with his role, a source tells Charania. Hield thinks he should be a starter and has been a frequent critic of Walton’s decisions.
Kings center Richaun Holmes hasn’t appeared in a game since January 6, and his return isn’t imminent. The team announced today (via Twitter) that he’ll be sidelined for at least two or three more weeks.
According to Sacramento’s announcement, Holmes received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on Monday to treat a labral tear in his right shoulder joint. He’ll resume his rehab process following that injection before progressing to “controlled basketball activities.” A re-evaluation will occur near the end of February or start of March.
Holmes, who signed with the Kings as a free agent last summer, was having a career year before injuring his shoulder, averaging 13.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 1.4 BPG with a .660 FG% in 37 games (29.4 MPG). He took over as the starting center early in the season and the team had a +0.7 net rating when he was on the court, compared to -4.6 when he’s not playing.
At 21-32, the Kings are six games back of the eighth-seeded Grizzlies in the Western Conference, with the Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Pelicans also ahead of them in the standings. A late-season playoff push looks like a long shot, so if Holmes isn’t ready to return when he’s re-evaluated in two or three weeks, it may be time to start wondering whether he’ll be back at all this season.
Homes’ deal with Sacramento includes a guaranteed $5MM salary for 2020/21, so the team’s top priority will be making sure he’s 100% healthy heading into next season.