Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

International Notes: Fernandez, Canada, Paris, Almansa, More

June 28th, 2023 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez will replace Nick Nurse of the Sixers as the head coach of the Canadian national team, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Canada Basketball has officially confirmed the news, indicating in a press release that the leadership change will take place immediately. Nurse, who coached the Raptors – Canada’s only NBA team – for five seasons before being dismissed this spring, subsequently stepped down from his position with the national team. Fernandez will take the reins for the 2023 World Cup, which begins in less than two months.

Fernandez, who was born in Spain, was an assistant coach on the Nuggets’ staff from 2016-22 before joining the Kings under Mike Brown last year. He’s considered a rising head coaching candidate, having interviewed for the coaching vacancies in Phoenix and Toronto earlier in the offseason.

Here are a few more updates from around the international basketball world:

After playing a regular season game in France in 2020 and again in 2023, the NBA is on track to return to Paris in 2024, according to a report from L’Equipe, which states that the Nets and Cavaliers are the teams expected to compete in that game. There’s hope that French phenom Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will play a game in Paris as soon as 2025, per L’Equipe.
Izan Almansa, a 6’10” Spanish big man who spent the last two years with Overtime Elite and projects to be a first-round pick in 2024, has signed with the G League Ignite, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Almansa, the last prospect to join the Ignite for 2023/24, will be part of a star-studded group that includes potential top-five picks Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis.
Gianni Petrucci, the president of the Italian Basketball Federation, wasn’t thrilled by Paolo Banchero‘s decision to play for the United States instead of Italy at the upcoming World Cup, telling La Gazzetta dello Sport that the Magic forward “fooled us.” However, Petrucci clarified that he was more upset about a lack of communication from Banchero rather than the decision itself. “It was a legitimate decision, but he could have made a call to communicate that to us,” Petrucci said, per BasketNews.com. “Instead, we learned about his decision from the newspapers.”
German forward Louis Olinde, who has spent the past three seasons with Alba Berlin, is hoping to make the move to the NBA this offseason, writes Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. According to Urbonas, Olinde has worked out for the Warriors and Thunder and has a session lined up with the Trail Blazers too. The 25-year-old is also expected to play for the Suns at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Free Agent Rumors: G. Williams, LeVert, Harden, VanVleet, Barnes

June 28th, 2023 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

Even after the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis, the door hasn’t been closed on a possible new contract for the Celtics and restricted free agent forward Grant Williams, sources tell Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com.

According to Bulpett, the Celtics and Williams have a good relationship and are interested in beginning negotiations with one another to see if a deal is financially feasible. If those discussions aren’t fruitful, the two sides could pivot to exploring sign-and-trade scenarios that would land Williams elsewhere and get Boston some sort of asset, even if it’s only a trade exception.

For his part, Williams said on Tuesday that he “absolutely” would be interested in re-signing with the Celtics while also acknowledging that the team’s payroll and the realities of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement could make it challenging, per Jay King of The Athletic.

“Cap-wise, with the new CBA, I think all these teams, as we see, are trying to get the trades in and the contracts done prior to the CBA truly being enacted,” Williams said. “So you’re going to see a lot of all-in pushes. So if the Celtics decide to do that, I think that’s kind of how it will work out (with him re-signing in free agency). If not, it helps them financially a little bit, but it definitely changes the numbers as you look around.”

Here are a few more notes and rumors on free agency from around the NBA:

The Cavaliers will likely offer free agent swingman Caris LeVert a deal in the range of $15-18MM per year, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). As Fedor explains, the Cavs’ goal is to find the sweet spot where they’ll be able to outbid rival mid-level offers for LeVert while leaving themselves with enough breathing room below the tax line to use their own full mid-level exception.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday, Brian Windhorst reiterated that James Harden seems more likely to sign with the Sixers than the Rockets as a free agent, according to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. “(The Rockets) are out there aggressively chasing other free agents,” Windhorst said. “They are not acting as if they think they are getting James Harden.”
Despite reports that Fred VanVleet will be a top target for the Rockets in free agency, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link) has spoken to several people around the league who are skeptical that the point guard will end up in Houston. The Raptors remain confident that they’ll be able to re-sign VanVleet, according to Lewenberg (Twitter link), who says the team’s plan is retain both VanVleet and Jakob Poeltl.
After reporting earlier this week that the Kings‘ contract extension talks with Harrison Barnes had “gone quiet,” James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link) hears from a league source that the two sides have reopened those discussions. Barnes is eligible for an extension until June 30. If he doesn’t have a new deal in place by then, the veteran forward would become an unrestricted free agent.

John Collins Trade Notes, Reactions

June 27th, 2023 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s easy to understand from a financial perspective why trading John Collins to Utah in a salary-dump deal is the right move for the Hawks, who no longer project to be a taxpayer in 2023/24, writes Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. Still, Schultz views the move as an embarrassing culmination of three years of trade rumors, which began even before Collins signed a five-year, $125MM contract with the team in 2021.

Certainly, if the Hawks had moved Collins a year or two earlier, they could’ve brought back more value from an on-court perspective. As Shams Charania of The Athletic writes, Atlanta had an opportunity to acquire Harrison Barnes from the Kings in a Collins deal last June, but decided against it. The Hawks will instead acquire Rudy Gay and a second-round pick from the Jazz.

Collins’ exit will give young players like Jalen Johnson and AJ Griffin the opportunity to play larger roles going forward, according to Schultz, who adds that the Hawks will continue to explore the trade market. Although Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter are viewed as possible candidates to be dealt, don’t expect Dejounte Murray to go anywhere. Schultz says a number of teams have inquired on Murray, but GM Landry Fields and head coach Quin Snyder are both fans of the veteran guard.

Here’s more on the Collins trade:

Gay is unlikely to actually suit up for the Hawks next season, per Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required). People familiar with the situation tell Williams that the team is expected to try to trade Gay. If no favorable deals emerge, he’ll likely be waived.
There’s no shame in admitting that the Collins trade is a salary dump, says ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link), pointing out that the move will give the Hawks flexibility for future deals with players like Saddiq Bey and Onyeka Okongwu.
Tony Jones of The Athletic takes a look at what Collins will bring to the Jazz and how adding him to the mix will affect the rest of the roster. Based on the current make-up of the frontcourt, it appears that Collins, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Kelly Olynyk will have major roles, with others – including Taylor Hendricks – vying for playing time, says Jones.
The Jazz‘s acquisition of Collins signals that the front office is willing to accelerate the team’s rebuilding process rather than simply continuing to stockpile draft picks and build through the draft, writes Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required).
Zach Harper of The Athletic is far more bullish on the Jazz‘s side of the Collins deal, giving Utah a grade of A for the move while assigning the Hawks an “F-plus.”

Kings Rumors: Barnes, FA Targets, Kuzma, Lyles, Sabonis

June 27th, 2023 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Harrison Barnes‘ departure from Sacramento this offseason appears increasingly likely, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who identifies the Pacers as a “strong contender” to sign the Kings‘ free agent forward.

As previously reported, Barnes’ connections to Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton and head coach Rick Carlisle could make Indiana an appealing landing spot for him. Fischer says Barnes is close with Haliburton, who played with him in Sacramento, and has support from Carlisle, who coached him in Dallas.

Here’s more on the Kings:

Sacramento’s decision to trade Richaun Holmes and the No. 24 pick in Thursday’s draft to Dallas in order to generate additional cap room has rival executives speculating that the Kings have a specific move in mind for free agency, says Fischer. While Khris Middleton and Draymond Green have been floated as possible targets, those veterans are considered likely to remain with the Bucks and Warriors, respectively, according to Fischer, who hears that the Trail Blazers and Pistons may nonetheless make a run at Green.
The name gaining the most traction as a possible Kings free agent target is Kyle Kuzma, according to Fischer. The Jazz‘s trade for John Collins should take a rival suitor for Kuzma off the market, Fischer explains, since Utah is unlikely to pursue another significant frontcourt piece in free agency after adding Collins.
Besides using their $33MM+ in cap room to pursue Kuzma, the Kings will also likely look to bring back free agent forward Trey Lyles and renegotiate and extend Domantas Sabonis‘ contract, Fischer reports, estimating that a new deal for Sabonis could be worth in the neighborhood of $120MM over four years.

Kings, Harrison Barnes Have Discussed Extension

June 27th, 2023 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have discussed a possible contract extension with Harrison Barnes within the last few weeks, a league source tells James Ham of The Kings Beat. However, those conversations “went quiet,” according to Ham. Barnes remains extension-eligible until June 30 before officially becoming a free agent.

Pistons Notes: Barnes, Burks, Livers, McGruder, Hayes, Sasser, Thompson

June 26th, 2023 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s been plenty of speculation about the Pistons making offers to restricted free agent Cameron Johnson and unrestricted free agent Jerami Grant. The Athletic’s James Edwards III believes another forward might make a nice fit in the short-term — Kings unrestricted free agent Harrison Barnes.

Edwards doesn’t think a big one- or two-year offer to Barnes is out of the question, noting that the veeteran could provide a stabilizing force to the team’s young core.

We have more on the Pistons:

In the same piece, Edwards said the Pistons are likely to bring back several veteran reserves. It’s expected they’ll exercise their teams options on Alec Burks ($10,489,600) and Isaiah Livers ($1,836,096). Unrestricted free agent Rodney McGruder could also return, presumably on a veteran’s minimum deal, for a fourth consecutive season.
It’s not only unlikely the Pistons will pursue a rookie scale extension with Killian Hayes, the 2020 lottery pick may have to scrounge for playing time, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press opines. With the addition of Marcus Sasser in the draft, Hayes will have to fight for minutes off the bench with the rookie and Burks behind starters Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham. The Pistons will also have plenty of options at the wing, including rookie Ausar Thompson and Bojan Bogdanovic, so the Pistons may use fewer three-guard lineups.
GM Troy Weaver has placed a premium on high character, low-maintenance players since he joined the franchise. Thompson and Sasser fit that mold, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. “These two young men represent what we want to be about here in Detroit,” Weaver said. “We doubled down hard with these two. These two young men are about the right things.”

Northwest Notes: Reid, Lillard, Wallace, Holmgren

June 26th, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves‘ decision to re-sign Naz Reid before the start of free agency stemmed from an edict by owner Glen Taylor, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “Get it done,” Taylor reportedly told his front office after meeting with partners and eventual owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. They also talked to president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and head coach Chris Finch, who agreed there was too much risk in letting Reid reach the open market.

The 23-year-old center is one of the team’s best developmental projects and has become a valuable member of the reserve unit. Krawczynski notes that Reid was given a player option in the third year of his $42MM contract in case he becomes dissatisfied with his progress and playing time with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert on the roster. Krawczynski adds that the Spurs and Kings could have been threats to sign Reid because of their available cap space and their ability to offer him a larger role.

Negotiations with Reid began shortly after Connelly joined the front office last summer, Krawczynski states. Reid worked out in Minnesota during the offseason and reported to camp with an improved perimeter game that enabled him to be effective alongside either Towns or Gobert.

The Wolves agreed to pay Reid more than they had originally expected, which Krawczynski notes will lead to difficult decisions in the future. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are both likely to receive extensions this summer, which will make it tough to keep three high-salaried centers on the roster for the long term.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

If the Heat acquire Damian Lillard, it will probably be the last significant move the team can make for a while, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer writes in an examination of the trade market for the Trail Blazers star. A deal with Portland would likely require Miami to give up most of its remaining assets, which include first-round picks in 2028 and 2030 and pick swaps in 2027 and 2029, along with Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez. Either Kyle Lowry or Duncan Robinson will have to be involved if a trade happens after July 1, O’Connor adds. O’Connor also looks at a potential deal with the Nets, but states that there aren’t many other teams in need of a point guard who have the assets to make a serious offer for Lillard.
The Thunder were attracted to Cason Wallace because of his unselfish approach to the game, according to Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. General manager Sam Presti said he noticed that quality even when Wallace was playing in all-star contests. “He plays no-agenda basketball,” Presti said. “… All players have stories, and I think his story is a great one because in today’s world in, basketball, there’s so many people saying, ‘You’ve got to get more shots, you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to be more out in front, you’ve got to draw more attention to yourself.’ This guy got drafted in the top 10 by just being an incredible team player.”
Presti said Chet Holmgren continues to make progress in his recovery from foot surgery and there’s hope that he’ll be able to play for the Thunder during Summer League, according to Cody Taylor of The Rookie Wire.

Stein’s Latest: Green, Kings, Grizzlies, Brooks, Harden

June 25th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While there’s speculation the Kings might make a run at Draymond Green in free agency, it would be shocking if Green didn’t re-sign with the Warriors, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst floated the idea that Sacramento could pursue Green with the additional cap space it opened up by shedding Richaun Holmes‘ contract on draft night. Sacramento could have $33MM or more in cap room to play with and Sacramento’s coach Mike Brown was Steve Kerr‘s top assistant with the Warriors. Owner Vivek Ranadivé has always had a deep admiration for the Warriors and acquiring Green would be a proverbial feather in his cap.

However, Green remains intent on retiring as a Warrior, despite declining his $27.6MM option, with a three-year deal considered the most likely outcome, according to Stein.

Stein provides some additional tidbits:

Despite limited resources, the Grizzlies were planning to make a run at Green until they traded for Marcus Smart in a draft-night blockbuster. Memphis could only dangle its $12.4MM mid-level exception — which seems like a non-starter, given the money Green is leaving on the table — yet the team had serious interest in him until acquiring another defensive stalwart, says Stein.
The addition of Smart makes it more obvious the Grizzlies won’t bring back Dillon Brooks, Stein writes. Despite some poor playoff performances that included an ejection during the Grizzlies-Lakers series, Brooks is still expected to seek a contract with a starting salary above the non-taxpayer mid-level.
It’s increasingly likely that James Harden will remain with the Sixers rather than bolt in free agency and return to Houston. Harden apparently had a positive introductory meeting with new coach Nick Nurse and was intrigued by Nurse’s vision for making the Sixers a championship team, per Stein.

Kings Reportedly Offer Contract To Sasha Vezenkov

June 24th, 2023 at 10:50am CST by Rory Maher

Reports over the past month have indicated that the Kings are determined to bring Sasha Vezenkov stateside and would renew contract talks with the EuroLeague MVP once they were permitted to following the draft.

According to Harry Stavrou of Greek outlet Sport24.gr, now that the draft has come and gone, the Kings have offered Vezenkov a contract worth part of the full mid-level exception — “slightly lower” than the $8.4MM Keegan Murray will make in 2023/24 (hat tip to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee).

Sacramento acquired Vezenkov’s draft rights from the Cavaliers in exchange for the 49th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He was originally selected 57th in 2017. The Kings negotiated with him last summer but couldn’t reach an agreement.

While I have no doubt that the Kings want to sign the Olympiacos star, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they have indeed offered him a new deal, I’m a little skeptical that they’ll operate as an over-the-cap team and have access to the full mid-level exception. That would require the Kings to re-sign Harrison Barnes and at least one more of the team’s free agents, and would rule out some other interesting possibilities.

However, they could offer Vezenkov a contract in the range of the figure cited ($7.6MM+) using the room exception, which would see the Kings operating with cap room. That may seem like semantics, but it’s worth clarifying that they don’t necessarily have to use the MLE (or their cap room) to sign Vezenkov.

Vezenkov, 27, is under contract with Olympiacos through ’24/25, but has a buyout clause believed to be worth approximately 1.5 million Euros. He talked about being “ready for new challenges” after his Greek club lost in the EuroLeague final.

Anderson previously wrote that an offer for Vezenkov was expected to start in the $3-4MM range annually, so the reported figure would obviously be a significant increase over that. The 6’9″ Bulgarian forward averaged 17.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists on a sparkling .546/.398/.857 shooting slash line in 33 EuroLeague games this past season (28.7 MPG).

Kings Notes: Sabonis, Cap Space, Flexibility, Green

June 23rd, 2023 at 9:45pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings made a salary-dump trade on Thursday, agreeing to send the No. 24 pick (Olivier-Maxence Prosper was selected) and reserve center Richaun Holmes to the Mavericks. Holmes is owed $24.9MM over the next two seasons, including a player option in 2024/25.

The move could give Sacramento about $33MM in cap room this summer if they renounce most of their cap holds. A league source tells James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com that one option the team has considered with that financial leeway is renegotiating Domantas Sabonis‘ $22MM expiring contract in ’23/24 in order to give him an immediate raise and thus a larger extension offer.

As Ham details, if the Kings were to increase Sabonis’ deal to $30MM, they could offer him a four-year extension worth about $189MM (with a starting salary of $42MM in ’24/25, which is close to his projected maximum), plus the $8MM increase to his ’23/24 salary.

Here’s more on the Kings:

At his post-draft press conference, GM Monte McNair declined to say whether or not Sabonis had thumb surgery, but suggested the expectation is he’ll be “good to go” for ’23/24, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Sabonis sustained an avulsion fracture to his thumb in December, but decided to play through the injury.
The flexibility the Holmes trade created was key for McNair, per Anderson. “I think, for us, we always value the optionality and flexibility when we can acquire it,” McNair said. “This was a great season for a lot of reasons and we want to have a long playoff run here and continue to compete. To do that in today’s NBA, you have to be able to build your team out, not just in the very near term, but over the course of many years. So, we’re always having that balance.”
Could the Kings pursue their playoff nemesis Draymond Green in free agency with their extra cap room? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst speculated on his Hoop Collective podcast that it shouldn’t be dismissed (YouTube link). “(Coach) Mike Brown is extraordinarily close to Draymond Green — extraordinarily close,” Windhorst said (hat tip to Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). “Mike Brown was the Draymond Green whisperer with the Warriors. Draymond Green is a free agent. They now have the money, if they want, to give him a premium over what he opted out of in Golden State. … The Kings can now go hunting for Draymond Green if they wish and that would be extraordinarily interesting because it is the exact — exact — type of player they need. … To be continued.” As Windhorst noted, owner Vivek Ranadive was a former part owner of the Warriors and has often tried to model the Kings after Golden State, as there are numerous ties between the organizations. Green recently declined his player option for 2023/24.
Windhorst isn’t the only reporter to take note of the trade. As John Hollinger writes for The Athletic, the Kings need a power forward and need to upgrade their defense, so Green is a logical fit in some ways. The move should have the Warriors “sweating,” says Hollinger, because the Kings are a “highly plausible rival Green bidder.” Sacramento could also potentially pursue a number of other power forward free agents, such as Jerami Grant, Kyle Kuzma, Grant Williams, Cameron Johnson or P.J. Washington, according to Hollinger, who notes that re-signing Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles and operating as an over-the-cap team while creating a trade exception for Holmes and having access to the full mid-level exception is another option.
Yossi Gozland of HoopsHype examines options Sacramento could pursue after the trade.