Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Expected To Renew Talks With EuroLeague MVP

May 22nd, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings are expected to renew contract talks with EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov in the coming weeks, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.

After ending their playoff drought this season, the Kings are in position to add another key piece to become a more serious title contender. Vezenkov is under contract with Olympiacos beyond this season, but has a buyout clause believed to be worth approximately 1.5 million Euros.

The 6-foot-9 Vezenkov averaged 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists during his MVP season while shooting 53.6% from the field, 37.8% from 3-point range and 87.9% at the free-throw line. He continued his stellar play in the postseason, scoring a championship-game record 29 points along with nine rebounds and four assists in a 79-78 loss to Real Madrid.

Sacramento acquired his rights from the Cavaliers in exchange for the 49^th overall pick in last year’s draft. The Kings negotiated with Vezenkov last summer but couldn’t reach an agreement.

Prior to the EuroLeague playoffs, Sacramento coach Mike Brown said the Kings are eager to bring in Vezenkov.

“We’ll let him finish the season out and then we’ll talk to him, but we’ve obviously been highly, highly intrigued with him,” Brown said. “We made a trade to get his rights last year. … For us, the interest is at a high level, but we’ll let him finish the season and then he’ll make decisions as well as us when it’s time.”

Technically, teams must wait until after this year’s draft to begin negotiations with unsigned draft picks, including those from prior years, Anderson points out.

Those negotiations could impact whether the Kings re-sign unrestricted free agent Harrison Barnes. Last year’s lottery pick, Keegan Murray, had a solid rookie campaign and started 78 of 80 games at the other forward spot.

Sasha Vezenkov Comments On Sacramento's Season

May 20th, 2023 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

As he arrived in Lithuania for the Final Four, EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov didn’t address his NBA future, but he showed that he has been following the Kings, who own his rights, per a EuroHoops story. “In the playoffs, they did their best, but they were facing a superstar like Steph Curry,” Vezenkov said. “The competition in the NBA is really hard, there are so many superstars and ultimately only one gets the rings. However, the Kings had a great season.”

Moneke Expects Vezenkov To Join Kings

May 19th, 2023 at 7:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Chima Moneke, who played two games with the Kings this season before signing with AS Monaco in the EuroLeague, fully expects league MVP Sasha Vezenkov to play for his former NBA team next season, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net writes. Sacramento holds Vezenkov’s NBA rights. “I know that they love him over there. They’re really excited to bring him over,” Moneke said. “I believe they’re going to do what it takes to implement him on the team. I think he can contribute in a lot of ways.”

Suns Get Permission To Interview Assistant Coaches

May 18th, 2023 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns have begun the process to replace head coach Monty Williams, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who states that they have received permission to interview several assistants, including the Kings‘ Jordi Fernandez, the Bucks‘ Charles Lee and the Grizzlies‘ Darko Rajakovic.

Lee has been reported as one of the finalists to fill the Pistons‘ head coaching vacancy, along with former UConn and Overtime Elite head coach Kevin Ollie and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins. Detroit narrowed its list to three nearly two weeks ago, but may be waiting to see if Williams is interested before making a final decision.

Lee also interviewed for the opening with the Raptors and is considered to be a candidate to replace Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee.

Fernandez interviewed with Toronto in late April and was mentioned as a candidate when the Hawks fired Nate McMillan in February. After spending six years as an assistant in Denver, Fernandez came to Sacramento as associate head coach last offseason when Mike Brown was hired.

Rajakovic is also on the Raptors’ list of coaching candidates. He has been in Memphis since 2020 after spending time as an assistant with the Thunder and Suns.

Sasha Vezenkov Named 2022/23 EuroLeague MVP

May 18th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Kings draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Vezenkov has been named the Most Valuable Player in the EuroLeague for the 2022/23 season, the league formally announced today.

Vezenkov, a 6’9″ forward, was the EuroLeague’s leading scorer this season, averaging 17.2 points per game with an impressive .538/.385/.879 shooting line in 38 contests for the Greek team Olympiacos. He also grabbed 6.8 rebounds and handed out 1.8 assists per night.

Vezenkov’s strong play helped earn Olympiacos a spot in the EuroLeague Final Four, where they’ll face AS Monaco on Friday for the right to take on either Barcelona or Real Madrid for the EuroLeague championship on Sunday.

The Nets drafted Vezenkov with the 57th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but his rights were flipped to Cleveland in the 2021 James Harden blockbuster and then to Sacramento last June in exchange for the No. 49 overall pick in the 2022 draft.

If Vezenkov is going to sign an NBA contract, he’ll have to do so with the Kings, and it sounds like there’s mutual interest between the two sides in making that happen this summer. The 27-year-old is under contract with Olympiacos beyond this season, but has a buyout clause in his deal that’s believed to be worth approximately 1.5 million Euros.

Draft Rumors: Blazers, Mavericks, Pacers, Kings

May 17th, 2023 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

While it’s safe to assume the Spurs will be hanging onto their No. 1 overall pick, a number of other first-round picks could be up for grabs following Tuesday’s lottery. Here are a few early reports on some selections that are worth keeping an eye on:

The Trail Blazers‘ move to No. 3 “raised eyebrows all over the league,” according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com (Insider link), who says rival executives think Portland will explore the possibility of trading that pick for win-now help. The Blazers, who are expected to be in the market for wings and big men, may not get a difference-making veteran for the No. 3 pick on its own, but attaching a player like Anfernee Simons to it would make for an intriguing package, Lowe notes.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports also touches on the possibility of the Trail Blazers making that third overall pick available via trade, pointing out that there’s a consensus on the top three prospects in this draft. In other words, Portland could hold a “bidding war” on either Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller, depending on which of them is drafted second overall, Fischer writes.
The Mavericks, who are eager to build a contender around Luka Doncic, are considered likely to gauge the trade value of the No. 10 overall pick, according to both Fischer and Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Pacers control five picks in this year’s draft, including three first-rounders and four in the top 32. They already explored the idea of trading for veteran talent prior to February’s deadline and may revisit that possibility this summer, says Fischer.
According to Fischer, the Kings are another team to monitor for first-round trade possibilities. Sacramento holds the No. 24 overall selection.

Matthew Dellavedova Agrees To Two-Year Deal With Melbourne United

May 16th, 2023 at 5:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Matthew Dellavedova, who played for the Kings in 2022/23 but was unavailable in the playoffs after undergoing finger surgery, has agreed to a two-year contract with Melbourne United, Australia’s National Basketball League announced in a press release.

A nine-year NBA veteran, Dellavedova spent most of his career with Cleveland, winning a championship with the Cavs in ’15/16. He also played for the Bucks from 2016-18.

The 32-year-old played for Melbourne United in his native Australia during the ’21/22 season, so it’s a reunion between the two sides.

“I’m really excited to be coming back to Melbourne United,” Dellavedova said. “I want to come back and win a championship here. It’s a great club that has a really strong culture and I’m happy to be back a part of it.

“I had a lot of fun the year I was here. There’s excitement about getting to play with a lot of those same guys we had success with a year ago. It was a great group of guys, some I knew and some I grew close with.”

Dellavedova was on a minimum-salary contract this season for Sacramento and was mostly used for emergency depth, appearing in 32 games for an average of just 6.7 minutes per contest. He has a shared history with Mike Brown, having played for the Kings’ head coach with the Cavs when he was a rookie.

Long known for his hustle, competitiveness and determination, Dellavedova holds career averages of 5.2 points and 3.5 assists in 479 regular season games (93 starts, 19.4 minutes).

Stein’s Latest: Kings, Vezenkov, Pistons, Ollie, Mavs, Lindsey, Ayton

May 12th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Vezenkov is seriously considering the possibility of making the move to the NBA for the 2023/24 season, reports Marc Stein in his latest Substack story. In fact, Stein says one source believes a deal between the two sides is “trending toward inevitable.”

The No. 57 pick in the 2017 draft, Vezenkov had his NBA rights acquired last offseason by Sacramento. A year later, both the Kings and Vezenkov are coming off hugely successful seasons and may be in a better position to team up than they were in 2022.

The Kings snapped a 16-year playoff drought by posting their best record since 2004/05, while Vezenkov had an MVP-caliber season in the EuroLeague. The 6’9″ forward averaged 17.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on .546/.398/.857 shooting in 33 games (28.7 MPG) for Olympiacos and is attempting to lead the Greek club to a EuroLeague title.

Vezenkov is under contract with Olympiacos beyond this season, but has a buyout clause in his deal that’s believed to be worth approximately 1.5 million Euros.

Stein shared a few more tidbits from around the NBA at Substack. Here are the highlights:

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is believed to be a major supporter of head coaching candidate Kevin Ollie, according to Stein, who says the belief in coaching circles entering this week’s interviews with finalists was that Ollie was the frontrunner for Detroit’s open position. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic first suggested last week that Ollie may be in the lead for that job.
After reporting last month that the Mavericks were in advanced negotiations with former Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey, Stein says Lindsey has joined the Mavs as a special advisor to general manager Nico Harrison and will be part of Dallas’ front office contingent at next week’s draft combine in Chicago.
In the wake of the Suns‘ elimination from the postseason, a league-wide consensus that Deandre Ayton has played his last game for the team is “quickly forming,” Stein writes. We wrote earlier today about the expectation that the former No. 1 overall pick will be on the trade block this offseason.

Draft Notes: Tshiebwe, Kings, Powell, Domask, Kaluma

May 10th, 2023 at 11:11pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings hosted a pre-draft workout on Wednesday featuring six prospects, including Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe, a league source tells James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com (Twitter link). The other five players aren’t yet known.

Tshiebwe was named AP Player of the Year in 2021/22 for the Wildcats and followed that up with a spot on the All-America Second Team in ’22/23 after averaging 16.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.0 block in 32 games (33.6 minutes). He is expected to attend the draft combine next week.

Sacramento controls the 24th, 38th (or 37th, if Washington picks ahead of Indiana in the lottery) and 54th picks in the 2023 NBA draft. Tshiebwe is currently ranked No. 66 on ESPN’s big board as he tests the draft waters while maintaining his final year of college eligibility.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

Junior guard Justin Powell, who has played for three college teams – most recently Washington State this past season – has worked out for the Warriors, Celtics, Jazz and Mavericks, reports Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (via Twitter). Powell has converted an impressive 41.9% of his three-point looks during his college career. Like Tshiebwe, he’s testing the draft waters.
Forward Marcus Domask has withdrawn from the draft, he tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). After a standout four-year career at Southern Illinois, Domask will be transferring to Illinois for his fifth and final season, per Rothstein.
Creighton sophomore Arthur Kaluma, another combine invitee, is focused on staying in the draft, but he plans to transfer if he returns to college for his junior year, a source tells John Fanta of Fox Sports (Twitter links). Kaluma confirmed the news. “I am thankful for the chance to participate in the draft process and showcase my skills in front of various NBA teams,” Kaluma said, per Fanta. “After taking part in the NBA Combine and my agency’s Pro Day, I will discuss the feedback I’ve received with my family and advisors. Ultimately, I will decide whether to remain in the Draft or return to college based on what’s best for my career long-term. I want to express my gratitude to Coach McDermott and the entire Creighton community for two amazing years in Omaha.” The forward is currently No. 90 on ESPN’s board.

Kings Notes: Sabonis, Brown, Vezenkov, Lyles, Offseason

May 10th, 2023 at 9:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Kings center Domantas Sabonis received a $1.3MM bonus for being named to the All-NBA Third Team on Wednesday, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The 27-year-old had a career year in his first full season with Sacramento, appearing in 79 games (34.6 MPG) while averaging 19.1 PPG and a league-leading 12.3 RPG. He also posted career highs in assists (7.3) and field goal percentage (61.5%) in helping lead the Kings to the No. 3 seed in the West, snapping their record-long playoff drought in the process.

Sabonis previously earned a $1.3MM bonus earlier in 2022/23 for making his third All-Star team. Both bonuses were considered unlikely this season, but that will change for next season — his cap hit for ’23/24 will now be $22MM instead of $19.4MM due to those bonuses being considered likely.

Here’s more out of Sacramento:

In an interview with Greek outlet Sportal.gr (YouTube link), head coach Mike Brown spoke glowingly about Olympiacos star Sasha Vezenkov, whose NBA rights are controlled by the Kings. Brown traveled overseas to watch Vezenkov — a favorite for EuroLeague MVP — compete in the playoffs. “The way we play, he fits in really good,” Brown said. “He shoots the three ball. He’s got size. He’s got toughness. He rebounds. All those things are exciting with the way we play the game of basketball, so we’ll let him finish out his season, and then we’ll make decisions from there.” Brown added that the Kings were “highly, highly intrigued” with the 27-year-old.
James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com explores Trey Lyles‘ impending free agency and how he might fit in long term with the Kings, noting that the reserve big man has been open about his desire to return to Sacramento.
Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee provides his offseason preview for the Kings. How they’ll use their three draft picks and if they’ll re-sign Harrison Barnes are among the big questions the team faces.
In case you missed it, point guard De’Aaron Fox also earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. If he makes another All-NBA team in ’23/24 or ’24/25, he’ll be eligible for a super-max extension in 2025.