- The Kings won’t be a playoff team in 2017/18 but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be successful, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. With so many new faces on the roster, the club will be happy to develop their young players and see a true culture shift.
- The Kings‘ rebuild is progressing well for a number of different reasons but one of the most obvious is the fact that they have two first-year players in the race for the Rookie of the Year award. By Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee‘s count, both De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic are legitimate contenders for the year-end hardware.
The Kings got down to the regular season roster limit on Saturday by parting with three players, according to RealGM’s official NBA transactions log. Sacramento waived camp invitees Matt Jones, David Stockton, and Reggie Hearn.
Jones, a 6’5″ guard out of Duke, received an Exhibit 10 contract when he signed with the Kings, so he’s a good bet to land in the G League with the Reno Bighorns as an affiliate player, earning him a modest bonus.
Stockton and Hearn, meanwhile, have been mainstays at Reno in recent years, so it makes sense that they’d return to the Bighorns for the coming season. Details of the contracts they signed with Sacramento earlier this week aren’t known, but there’s a good chance they include Exhibit 10 clauses as well, to ensure both players get a little extra bonus money for heading back to the G League.
With the three cuts, the Kings are now ready for the regular season, with 15 players on NBA contracts and two on two-way deals.
- Kings head coach Dave Joerger wants Bogdan Bogdanovic to use his years of international experience in the NBA and stop passing up open shots, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes.
The Kings have signed Reggie Hearn and David Stockton, according to a team press release.
Hearn played for Sacramento’s G League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, over the past three seasons. During the 2016/17 campaign, he averaged 13.5 points while shooting 44.2% from downtown.
Stockton played for the Bighorns during three separate stints since 2014. He supplemented his G-League experiences with contracts in Croatia and New Zealand.
The Kings’ roster now stands at 20 players. Sacramento is likely to waive both players before the season begins and the duo is expected to suit up for the Bighorns as a result.
The Kings have waived veteran guard Marcus Williams, the team announced today in a press release. Williams joined Sacramento last month as a camp invitee, but was viewed as a long shot to make the regular season roster.
Williams, 31, was the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 draft, but the UConn product spent just four years in the league, appearing in 203 total games for the Nets, Warriors, and Grizzlies. He hasn’t appeared in a regular season NBA game since the 2009/10 season, having continued his professional career overseas and spent time with clubs in Russia, China, Spain, Serbia, Montenegro, and France.
Williams played in two preseason games for Sacramento, averaging 6.0 PPG and 3.0 APG in 15.7 minutes per contest.
The Kings now have 16 players under contract, not counting their two-way players. With 15 of those players on guaranteed deals, non-guaranteed camp invitee Matt Jones figures to join Williams on the waiver wire sometime before opening night.
As Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors detailed on Monday night, the Kings’ 2017 offseason was a somewhat unusual one. Sacramento continued loading up on young talent, adding four players in the top 34 picks of the draft, but the team also went out and signed a few veteran free agents, bringing in George Hill, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter.
Those players have plenty of postseason experience, but the Kings aren’t necessarily expecting to be a playoff team in 2017/18. Having lost DeMarcus Cousins and several other vets within the last calendar year, the organization is simply looking for veteran mentors for all its first- and second-year players.
That means Hill will get a chance to work with players like De’Aaron Fox, Frank Mason, and Malachi Richardson in the backcourt; Carter will take swingmen like Buddy Hield, Justin Jackson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic under his wing; and Randolph will get an opportunity to mentor bigs like Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, and Harry Giles.
With so many youngsters expected to receive major minutes, it’s no surprise that oddsmakers don’t expect the Kings to be a postseason contender in the Western Conference. Sacramento has won between 28 and 33 games in each of the last five seasons after having won between 17 and 25 in the four years before that. Their over/under for 2017/18 falls right in between those two ranges, with offshore betting site Bovada pegging them at 27.5 wins.
What do you think? Will the new-look Kings exceed expectations, or is there simply too much turnover and unproven talent here to avoid piling up losses? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts on Sacramento!
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Previous over/under voting results:
Western Conference:
- Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
- Houston Rockets: Over 55.5 (65.57%)
- San Antonio Spurs: Over 54.5 (67.74%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Over 50.5 (71.77%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 48.5 (55.69%)
- Denver Nuggets: Under 45.5 (50.44%)
- Los Angeles Clippers: Over 43.5 (60.7%)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Over 42.5 (56.3%)
- Utah Jazz: Over 41.5 (55.94%)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Over 39.5 (65.26%)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Over 37.5 (53.43%)
- Dallas Mavericks: Under 35.5 (54.95%)
- Los Angeles Lakers: Over 33.5 (50.4%)
- Phoenix Suns: Over 28.5 (50.41%)
Eastern Conference:
- Boston Celtics: Over 55.5 (63.5%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 53.5 (68.82%)
- Toronto Raptors: Over 48.5 (64.21%)
- Washington Wizards: Over 47.5 (71.29%)
- Milwaukee Bucks: Over 47.5 (63.88%)
- Miami Heat: Over 43.5 (55.39%)
- Charlotte Hornets: Over 42.5 (51.07%)
- Philadelphia 76ers: Under 41.5 (53.37%)
- Detroit Pistons: Over 38.5 (51.95%)
- Orlando Magic: Under 33.5 (75.24%)
- Indiana Pacers: Under 31.5 (54.85%)
- New York Knicks: Under 30.5 (57.87%)
- Brooklyn Nets: Over 27.5 (66.33%)
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Sacramento Kings.
Signings:
- George Hill: Three years, $57MM. Third year partially guaranteed ($1MM).
- Zach Randolph: Two years, $24MM.
- Vince Carter: One year, $8MM.
- Jack Cooley: Two-way contract. One year. $50K guaranteed.
- JaKarr Sampson: Two-way contract. One year. $50K guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Matt Jones: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Marcus Williams: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibit nine.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Justin Jackson (No. 15 pick) and Harry Giles (No. 20 pick) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the rights to Zach Collins (No. 10 pick).
- Acquired a 2019 second-round pick and cash ($400K) from the Knicks in exchange for the right to hire Scott Perry.
- Note: 2019 second-round pick will be the second-most favorable of Cavaliers’, Rockets’, and Magic’s picks.
Draft picks:
- 1-5: De’Aaron Fox — Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-15: Justin Jackson — Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-20: Harry Giles — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-34: Frank Mason — Signed to three year, $4.181MM contract. Third year non-guaranteed.
Draft-and-stash signings:
- Bogdan Bogdanovic (2014; No. 27) — Signed to three-year, $27MM contract.
Departing players:
- Arron Afflalo (waived)
- Darren Collison
- Tyreke Evans
- Langston Galloway
- Rudy Gay
- Ty Lawson
- Ben McLemore
- Anthony Tolliver (waived)
Other offseason news:
- Harry Giles will be out through at least January due to history of knee injuries.
- Extended general manager Vlade Divac through 2019/20 and exercised head coach Dave Joerger‘s option for ’19/20.
- Hired Scott Perry as executive VP of basketball operations, then lost him to Knicks.
- Hired Brandon Williams as assistant general manager.
- Zach Randolph agreed to plea deal after being arrested on marijuana charges.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating under the cap, but over the salary floor. Can create up to $4MM+ in cap room (carrying approximately $95MM in team salary). Room exception ($4.328MM) still available if/when cap room used.
Check out the Sacramento Kings’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The Kings have traditionally done things in an unconventional fashion. This offseason was no different, as they lavished free agent contracts on some big-name veterans, including two in the twilight of their careers.
Signing George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter doesn’t make much sense on the surface. None of those players will be on the roster by the time the Kings become a playoff contender. It’s also a head-scratcher for those players to choose a floundering franchise that traded away its best player, DeMarcus Cousins, last February in a heavily-criticized deal.
The Sacramento brass had a ulterior motive for bringing in the trio. The team decided that the youngsters dotting the remainder of the roster needed proven winners to facilitate the mentoring process.
Hill, who got a front-loaded deal with $39MM in guarantees the first two seasons, will guide lottery pick De’Aaron Fox through the process of becoming a dependable NBA floor leader. Randolph will provide low-post tips to second-year man Skal Labissiere and third-year center Willie Cauley-Stein. Carter will show rookie Justin Jackson and second-year guard Buddy Hield the ropes on how to become top-notch wing players.
The results of those signings won’t be based upon how many games the Kings win this season, but rather how quickly their younger players develop.
Vince Carter, who will turn 41 in January, is the NBA’s oldest active player. However, while many players in his position would prioritize getting a ring above all else, Carter wasn’t interested in signing with a title contender and being buried in that team’s rotation all season. As the veteran forward tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, he would love to win a championship, but he also wants to contribute and feel like he has earned it
“It’s easy to play for a good team and sit there,” Carter said.
That outlook resulted in the former fifth overall pick signing with the Kings as a free agent this offseason. Sacramento’s roster is packed with first- and second-year players, and no one will mistake the club for a title contender in 2017/18. Still, Carter is looking forward to the opportunity to play a significant role for the Kings and act as a mentor for the team’s young players.
Carter expanded on his motivation and touched on a few other topics during his conversation with Spears, so here are a few more highlights from the 19-year veteran:
More on why he chose the Kings in free agency:
“Opportunity. They have given me the opportunity to still play and teach and mentor. I wasn’t ready to sit on anybody’s bench and play limited minutes when I feel like I still have something to give. When I don’t have much to give, I can accept the reality. I’m not ready for that.
“Maybe teams and people see that. ‘A limited role. Maybe we want him to mentor.’ Maybe they see that. But I wanted to see if all teams felt that way. When all teams feel that way, then the mentality, the approach and what you look for is different. It helped being with [Kings head coach Dave] Joerger and the stay before [with the Grizzlies]. It’s like walking back into the Memphis locker room again with him. It was just a great situation.
On receiving an $8MM offer from the Kings:
“The money is always cool, but it wasn’t about that, to be honest with you. But when you get to this age and get that kind of money is there for you, you’re like, ‘Thank you.’ They understood and being around the coaching staff with Dave before, they know my approach. They know what I can bring to a team. It didn’t matter if I am a high draft pick or not. My approach to the game is still the same. It will never change.”
On whether 2017/18 will be his last season:
“I go year to year. I’ll wait until after the season to see how I feel. And I swear that every year when the season is over, I feel good and say, ‘I can do it again.’ It gets harder and harder throughout the summer to just prepare and get myself where I need to be. But at the same time, the challenge and motivation is still there to do so to fight through that.
“I don’t know how many more years that will happen. But doing that while trying to establish my second career is kind of the clash. I want to make sure I am prepared for phase two of my life. I want to do some broadcasting. I like that. It’s something I enjoy. I work hard at that as well. So, I’ve learned how to balance the two out, which has made it tougher to get prepared. But I know if I want to play this game, I have to do that as well.”
- Bogdan Bogdanovic has spent limited time in the United States but he cannot contain the excitement for his NBA opportunity with the Kings, Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee details.