Kings Rumors

Marvin Bagley III Out At Least Two More Weeks

An on-court return isn’t imminent for Kings rookie Marvin Bagley III, according to a press release issued by the team. While Bagley is making progress in his recovery from a left knee bone bruise, he isn’t expected to resume full basketball activities for about two more weeks.

Bagley, who suffered his knee injury on December 14 against Golden State, was initially ruled out for at least 10-14 days. He hasn’t suffered any setbacks, but Sacramento announced a new recovery timetable as a result of a re-evaluation today.

The second overall pick in this year’s draft, Bagley had settled into a regular role off the Kings’ bench, averaging 12.7 PPG and 6.1 RPG in his first 26 games (23.1 MPG) in the NBA.

In Bagley’s absence, starting power forward Nemanja Bjelica has seen a slight uptick in his minutes, while Justin Jackson has played more frequently at the four. Harry Giles and Skal Labissiere have also seen some occasional playing time up front.

Vlade Divac Talks Playoffs, Cousins Trade, Future

At 18-16, the Kings are a half-game out of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, having remained in the playoff picture throughout the first half. Asked by Sam Amick of The Athletic whether Sacramento is a playoff team, general manager Vlade Divac said the club wants to be in the postseason and will push to make it. However, the Kings aren’t “desperate” to make the playoffs, according to Divac, who suggested that the club wouldn’t sacrifice key assets to shift to win-now mode.

“If I have to do something to help them, yeah I will do it,” Divac said. “But not just from desperation and to sacrifice everything that we’ve built.”

In his conversation with Amick, Divac touched on several other topics related to the Kings’ rebuilding process, which may be ahead of schedule at this point. The Sacramento general manager revisited the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans and launched the rebuild, as well as the deal that sent the Kings’ 2019 first-round pick to Philadelphia (that pick will likely end up with Boston as a result of a separate deal).

Here are a few of the noteworthy comments from Divac:

On the decision to trade Cousins to the Pelicans for a package that featured Buddy Hield, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick:

“Look, I don’t want to go back and talk (about the trade), but I knew that second what I’m getting, bigger picture. Not just Buddy, not just the (first-round) pick, not just (the second-rounder)… But I knew also that I’m going to get down and be in the lottery, so we picked (that) course. That’s why it’s the whole picture, but people are thinking just on the surface, and I didn’t want to go back and explain and try to defend myself. I just believe in what I have to do.”

On whether he has been bothered by criticism during his tenure as Kings general manager:

“I know how to deal with that type of stuff. I just ignore (it), because those people, I know they want the best for the Kings, but they don’t know the details. They don’t know behind the curtain, they don’t know a lot of different stuff. For me, it was like, ‘OK, just give me time,’ and time came.

“I didn’t have experience as a GM, so I (supposedly) didn’t know the salary cap and somehow we end up with $50-60MM (in cap room) this summer. I was lucky, I guess. (Laughs).”

On whether the Kings are shopping for a first-round pick in the 2019 draft after having traded theirs away:

“No. Even that day when I made the deal with Philly for this (season’s) pick that’s coming, my thought process (was), ‘OK, if I’m not winning in three years, we shouldn’t deserve to have that pick,’ and I did everything to accomplish and bring players that can help DeMarcus. So I had to do crazy stuff. But I knew, if that doesn’t work I’m going to shift to Plan B, and Plan B worked. So now, I don’t need those picks. I have so many young guys that we have to develop.

“Of course, I would love to have (more picks). … I have room to do that (by taking on another team’s ‘bad’ contracts in exchange for the pick). So if I can convert (that into a pick), yes. But it’s not something (where) I’m desperate to do it. If it comes, great. If it doesn’t, I’m fine. I have other things to do.”

Charania: No Urgency To Make Moves in Sacramento

The Kings were identified earlier this month as a probable buyer on the trade market, but rival executives don’t sense any urgency to make major changes in Sacramento, writes Shams Charania of The Athletic. At 18-16 so far this season, the Kings are ahead of schedule in their rebuilding process and are essentially “playing with house money” at this point, Charania notes.

With a handful of veterans on expiring contracts and about $11MM in cap room available immediately, the Kings are in a good position to make a move if they so choose. However, it sounds unlikely that Iman Shumpert – one of those veterans on an expiring contract – will be going anywhere. De’Aaron Fox has credited Shumpert for bringing leadership and championship experience to Sacramento, writes Charania.

Kings Remain Competitive As New Year Approaches

The Kings haven’t necessarily solidified a spot in the deep Western Conference playoff picture but there’s still reason to celebrate given their 18-15 record at this point in the season. Jason Jones of The Athletic examines how the team has drastically improved in 2018/19.

The Kings have benefited from the monstrous strides De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield have taken this season. That backcourt, Jones writes, is emerging as one of the most fun to watch in the NBA.

Of course contributions from other young veterans like Willie Cauley-Stein and Bogdan Bogdanovic have helped the Kings at least appear to turn a corner early on.

Buddy Hield Sets Record Straight On Actual Age

  • Kings guard Buddy Hield revealed last week that several websites recorded his age wrong, including the NBA’s official publication at NBA.com. Hield turned 26 years old on Dec. 17, despite most outlets listing him as turning 25. “That’s their fault, not my fault,” Hield said, according to Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times. “The first time I saw it on Wikipedia, my mom said, ‘Why do they have your age wrong?’ I said, ‘I have no idea.’”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/23/18

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Kings have recalled rookie big man Harry Giles from the Stockton Kings, according to James Ham of NBC Sports California (via Twitter).
  • The Spurs announced in a press release that they have recalled rookies Chimezie Metu and Lonnie Walker from their G League affiliate in Austin. Walker has yet to make his debut for the Spurs as he continues his recovery from a knee injury he suffered during the preseason.
  • The Warriors have recalled rookie guard Jacob Evans from their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, according to a press release sent out by the team.

NBA To Play First Ever Preseason Games In India

The NBA will play games in India for the first time ever during the 2019 preseason, the league announced today in a press release.

The Kings and Pacers will participate in the two contests, which are scheduled for October 4 and 5 in Mumbai. The games will also be the first ones staged in the country by any North American sports league.

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is the NBA’s first Indian-born majority owner and has been pushing for the league to play games in his home country. As such, it comes as no surprise that his club will be involved.

“The Sacramento Kings are proud to be playing in the first NBA games ever held in India. As an Indian-American, it is an honor to help bring this historic moment to the country where I was raised,” Ranadive said in a statement. “The sport is experiencing tremendous growth in India and we are excited about continuing to expand the NBA’s reach to fans across the globe. The world wants to watch basketball and India is a fast-growing new frontier.”

As Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today notes, the NBA opened an office in Mumbai in 2011 and launched the NBA Academy India – for elite youth prospects – in 2017, so growing the game in the country has long been a priority for the league.

The games in Mumbai will be the latest part of the NBA’s ever-growing Global Games initiative. The league has played multiple regular season contests in Mexico City and London in recent seasons, and has staged several preseason contests in China over the last few years.

Harry Giles Assigned to Stockton

  • The Kings have assigned rookie big man Harry Giles to their G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, per an official media release from the team. In his lone G League appearance earlier this season, Giles poured in 30 points on 62% shooting.

Joerger: Fox, Bagley Are Next Westbrook, Durant

Kings head coach Dave Joerger made some headlines after he praised standout rookie Luka Doncic following Sacramento’s tilt against the Mavericks on Sunday. Despite some skepticism about Doncic’s ability to translate his overseas success to the NBA, the 19-year-old is the early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.

“Perhaps there was an idea that there was a ceiling on him.,” Joerger said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I don’t see it, unfortunately for us. But he’s great for them and he’s great for our league”.

Some interpreted Joerger’s comments as veiled criticism of the organization, given his reportedly tumultuous relationship with certain front office members — the Kings passed on Doncic in the NBA Draft and instead used the second overall pick on Duke’s Marvin Bagley III. Doncic was taken third overall by the Hawks and traded to Dallas.

On Monday, Joerger clarified his comments, stating this praise for Doncic involved “no veiled shots at anybody,” per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). Instead, Joerger used a high benchmark to predict the ceiling on the Kings’ young core of Bagley and De’Aaron Fox, the fifth overall pick in 2017.

“When we drafted Marvin at 2, we were high-fiving like crazy,” Joerger added. “We got the right guy for us. This isn’t going to be a story in three days and it’ll be definitely buried five years from now when we have the next Durant-Westbrook. That’s how good they’re gonna be.”

Kings May Become Free Agency Destination

  • Nemanja Bjelica is enjoying the best season of his career with the Kings, and recently expressed his excitement and happiness surrounding his role, especially compared to how he was used by the Timberwolves last season. Jon Krawczynski had the story for The Athletic.
  • Count Kevin Durant as one of the many that have been excited by the Kings‘ strong start to the season. As James Ham writes for NBC Sports Sacramento, Durant views the Kings as a team on the rise and one that can attract free agents moving forward.