Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks, Lakers Among Teams Reportedly Interested In Ben Simmons

December 13th, 2021 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

Following up on ESPN’s recent report stating that there may be momentum toward a Ben Simmons deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic confirms that the Sixers have increased their efforts to explore multi-team trade scenarios involving Simmons.

According to Charania, the Knicks and Lakers are among the teams with interest in Simmons. Charania adds that the Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Kings, Pacers, and Cavaliers also have interest, but those clubs have been previously cited as potential suitors for the three-time All-Star, whereas New York and Los Angeles are new additions to the list.

The Knicks would be a fascinating potential trade partner for Philadelphia. Their top offseason additions – Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker – haven’t been major successes so far and the team is off to a 12-15 start, perhaps increasing the likelihood of an in-season shakeup. New York would have the contracts necessary to match Simmons’ $33MM+ salary, and it’s probably safe to assume Tom Thibodeau would be a fan of what last season’s Defensive Player of the Year runner-up could bring to the table on defense.

Still, while the Knicks might be willing to roll the dice on Simmons if all it took was Fournier, Walker, and a couple draft picks, Philadelphia will presumably seek a more significant return. The 76ers remain on the hunt for an All-Star caliber player and/or multiple first-round picks in any deal for Simmons, Charania notes.

It’s even trickier to imagine the Lakers as a realistic trading partner for the Sixers. Given the salaries on the team’s books, Los Angeles would almost certainly have to include Russell Westbrook in any trade involving Simmons and I’m skeptical that 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey would want to acquire Westbrook again after doing so in Houston didn’t pay dividends. Perhaps a three-team structure could work, but the Lakers seem like a long shot at best in the Simmons sweepstakes.

It’s unclear whether the Sixers have gained any real traction in any of their discussions involving Simmons, according to Charania.

Holmes Out At Least Two Games, Had Surgery To Repair Eye Cut

December 10th, 2021 at 8:36pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings will be without starting center Richaun Holmes for at least a couple games. He sustained a cut on his right eye Wednesday vs. Orlando which was surgically mended, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. He missed Friday’s game vs. Charlotte and will be out for Saturday’s contest with Cleveland, too. Holmes is expected to make a full recovery.

Execs Think Any Big Kings Move Would Likely Involve Fox

December 7th, 2021 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Executives around the league think that if the Kings make a big move to shake up their roster, De’Aaron Fox might be at the center of it, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. General manager Monte McNair has drafted Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell since taking the reins of the front office in 2020, while Fox was selected by the previous regime.

Examining Whether Kings Can Survive Buddy Hield Experience, How Team Defeated Clippers

December 5th, 2021 at 7:12pm CST by JD Shaw

James Ham of The Kings Beat examines whether the Kings can survive the Buddy Hield experience. Hield, who’s averaging 15.9 points on 39% shooting this season, has played noticeably better during the team’s wins and worse during its losses.
The Kings defeated the Clippers in its most recent game behind strong performances from Terence Davis and Marvin Bagley III, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes. Davis finished with 28 points and four rebounds (6-of-11 from deep), while Bagley recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds in just under 20 minutes off the bench.

California Notes: Thompson, Payton II, Lue, Kings Guards

December 5th, 2021 at 1:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, who has not suited up for Golden State since the 2019 NBA Finals due to an ACL tear and an Achilles tear incurred in two separate seasons, provided new insight into his expected return timeline this season. Per Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter), Thompson revealed on a recent Instagram Live stream that he’s looking to return to action from anywhere between a few weeks to a month.

The Warriors have been doing just fine without Thompson, a five-time All-Star, thus far this season, sporting a 19-4 record, tops in the Western Conference. The 6’6″ Thompson, who will be turning 32 this season, holds career averages of 19.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.3 APG, with a sparkling shooting line of .459/.419/.848.

There’s more out of California:

6’2″ Warriors guard Gary Payton II appears to have finally found a permanent NBA role as a do-everything perimeter defender for Golden State this season, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s so dynamic defensively,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “And when he’s scoring as well – he made a few 3s tonight but also scored around the basket as he does – it’s hard to take him off the floor because of what he does for us… He’s really earned all these minutes.” The 29-year-old out of Oregon State is averaging 14.6 MPG across 22 games with Golden State this year.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has explained that whether or not he opts to start two traditional big men – 7’1″ center Ivica Zubac and 6’10” power forward Serge Ibaka – will be contingent on matchups, per Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register. “I think it helps us with our rebounding,” Lue said. “It’ll be different on a night to night basis; if teams start a small four then it’d be tough to put Serge out there at the four. With this team starting the way they’re starting tonight then we can try to do it again tonight and get away with it.”
A four-guard crunch-time Kings lineup of De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Terence Davis and Davion Mitchell, playing alongside traditional center Richaun Holmes, has proven to be effective for Sacramento, observes Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee. This rotation was trotted out against a small-ball Clippers lineup in an eventual 104-99 Sacramento victory this weekend. “It was just about pushing the pace, making them play at our pace and running,” Haliburton said. “So I thought we did a really good job of that.”

Kings Notes: Gentry, Haliburton, Walton, Metu, Barnes

December 2nd, 2021 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

New Kings head coach Alvin Gentry called out his players and apologized to fans after a disappointing collapse against the Lakers on Tuesday night, and was pleased with how the players responded against the Clippers on Wednesday, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The Kings jumped out to a double-digit first-half lead for a second straight night — this time they held on for a victory.

“They’re a good bunch of players. They’re a good bunch of kids and I think they want to do the right thing,” Gentry said. “I just wanted to remind them that we have to do it on a consistent basis, but I thought the response was great.”

Here’s more on the Kings:

Second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton said on Wednesday that the Kings’ players bear the responsibility for producing consistently and that former head coach Luke Walton shouldn’t have been blamed for their inability to do so. “We as players know we have to be better,” Haliburton said, per Anderson. “It seemed like Luke was a scapegoat at times when we weren’t playing well. People were blaming him, but at the end of the day it’s on us as basketball players and we have to be better. It’s not on any staffs. It’s not on any front office. It’s not on anybody except the guys on the court.”
Chimezie Metu‘s $1,762,796 salary for 2021/22, which had been partially guaranteed for $881,398, was set to become fully guaranteed if he remained under contract through Wednesday, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Teams and players sometimes agree to push those guarantee dates back, but there has been no indication that Metu and the Kings took that route, so we’re assuming for now that the big man’s salary for this season is fully guaranteed. His $1,910,860 salary for 2022/23 remains non-guaranteed.
Harrison Barnes, who has missed the Kings’ past four games due to a right foot sprain, was sent to the Stockton Kings on Thursday to practice with the G League club, Anderson writes for The Sacramento Bee. Barnes’ NBAGL assignment will be brief, as he’ll be recalled in order to practice on Friday with the NBA squad, tweets Sean Cunningham of ABC 10 Sacramento.

Pacific Notes: Kings, Sarver, Suns, Iger, Payton

December 1st, 2021 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings haven’t exactly turned their season around since firing head coach Luke Walton on November 21. They had nice wins over Portland and the Lakers last week, but lost at home to a Philadelphia team missing all its starters last Monday, were blown out by a Memphis team without Ja Morant on Sunday, and lost to a LeBron James-less Lakers team on Tuesday.

Up by 12 points in the second quarter on Tuesday, the Kings were outscored by 34 in the second half and ultimately fell 117-92, prompting new head coach Alvin Gentry to express his unhappiness in his post-game presser.

“The second half was a disaster and an embarrassment, and as the coach of this team, I want to apologize to every Kings fan out there because you do not deserve this,” Gentry said, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “You deserve much, much better and we’ll find guys who will give you better.”

Post-game press conferences criticizing the Kings’ performance are nothing new for this year’s team — veteran center Tristan Thompson has ripped Sacramento’s play on multiple occasions. However, it hasn’t seemed to have had much of an effect on the 8-14 squad.

Gentry’s promise to the fans that the Kings will “find guys who will give you better” may be an indication that he intends to make changes to the lineup or rotation. If the club doesn’t start winning more, it could be just a matter of time until a more drastic roster shakeup occurs.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Baxter Holmes of ESPN provides an update on the investigation into Suns owner Robert Sarver, noting that the firm conducting the probe has begun scheduling and conducting in-person interviews with current and former team employees. However, as Holmes outlines, former employees who signed non-disclosure agreements are still seeking assurances about their ability to speak freely to investigators without facing legal consequences.
There’s no indication yet that the investigation into Sarver will result in him having to sell the Suns. However, reports from Matthew Belloni of Puck.news and Abigail Gentrup of Front Office Sports identify former Disney CEO Bob Iger as someone who would be interested in buying the franchise if the opportunity arises.
Speaking to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, veteran guard Gary Payton II expressed appreciation to the Warriors for recognizing the value in his skill set and giving him a chance to play a regular role this season. “Golden State understands what I bring to the table, my defensive skills, my off-ball cutting, screening, being able to play the dunker and just take open shots when they present themselves,” Payton said. “There are a lot of guys, like Draymond (Green), that can do a lot of different things and help win games. Not every player is going to score 30, and, I obviously don’t shoot like f–king Steph Curry, but I do damn near everything else elite. It just took one organization to understand that and realize that.”

Pacific Notes: Bagley, Gentry, George, Lakers

November 28th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings‘ coaching change has provided a new opportunity for Marvin Bagley III, writes James Ham of Kings Beat. Bagley was out of the rotation under former coach Luke Walton and reportedly refused to check into a game earlier this month. His role has increased under Alvin Gentry, who gave him 35 minutes in Friday’s triple-overtime victory against the Lakers.

Bagley appears to have a new attitude with Gentry in charge, Ham observes. Instead of posting up and clogging the lane, he has been spacing the floor and attacking the glass for rebounds. Gentry is also trusting Bagley on defense, matching him up at times with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Friday.

On Wednesday, Bagley hit a clutch three-pointer to ice a win over Portland and responded with an enthusiastic show of emotion that has been rare during his four seasons in Sacramento.

“I was probably talking crazy, I was just hyped, man, the passion came out,” Bagley said. “It was a big play for my team, I was just happy to make it.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee examines whether Gentry can turn the Kings‘ season around and break the franchise’s long playoff drought. Gentry has plenty of experience with this situation, as this is the fourth time he has taken over a team in midseason. “Obviously, it’s a change of coaching, and, basically, there’s not a whole lot that’s going to change from the standpoint of what we’re trying to accomplish and what we’re trying to do,” he said. “It’s just getting the players to perform at a higher level, and then, obviously, finding a way to complete games.”
Clippers star Paul George deserves to be included in the MVP discussion, contends Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined, George has become an outspoken leader of the team. He’s also putting up MVP-level numbers with 25.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game, along with the highest usage rate of his career. “We need him to do everything that he’s doing for us to be in position that we are,” Reggie Jackson said. “I think he’s playing at the best level and he’s in the best mindset that he’s been in.”
The Lakers have plenty of questions after the first quarter of the season, including Frank Vogel’s job status and whether it’s time to panic over the roster following a 10-11 start, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Gentry, Simmons, COVID-19

November 28th, 2021 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers lost in overtime in Joel Embiid‘s return from COVID-19 Saturday, but the star center was just relieved to be back on the court, writes Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. Embiid missed the team’s last nine games after testing positive for the virus and described it as a frightening experience.

“I mean, I really thought I wasn’t going to make it,” he said. “It was that bad. I’m thankful to be sitting here.”

Embiid started slowly, making just one of four shots in the first eight minutes of the game, but he eventually became his usual dominant self. He played more than 45 minutes and scored 42 points, with 25 of those coming in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“I didn’t think I was going to play tonight,” Embiid said. “To me, it’s a miracle I played this many minutes, but it’s good.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

Alvin Gentry, who became the Kings‘ new interim coach when they fired Luke Walton last weekend, decided to join Sacramento’s staff in the offseason even though the Sixers made a more lucrative offer, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. There has been speculation that the Kings might shake up their roster in their quest for a playoff spot, but there have been no recent talks with Philadelphia about Ben Simmons, Fischer adds.
Simmons was seen working out at the Wells Fargo Center before Saturday’s game, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Simmons completed his session before the team’s walkthrough, then left before the game started. There has been no progress in his standoff with the team, Pompey adds, as Simmons continues to contend that he isn’t mentally ready to play, while the Sixers want him to return unless mental health experts confirm that he can’t.
The Sixers fell to 10-10 with the loss, but injuries and COVID-19 have hounded the team through the first quarter of the season, Pompey notes in a separate story. Saturday marked just the seventh time that all five starters have been played together, and the team has played just twice with a full roster available. “We showed the potential that we have,” Danny Green said. “With our guys being out, it just shows how great we could be. We just have to show the rhythm and that chemistry. But we never know if we’ll get that with the guys back. But that potential that we have and how good we could be, and the way we were playing without our guys, I think it shows a lot of character and how great we can be.”

Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes Likely Won't Be Sidelined Longterm

November 27th, 2021 at 2:31pm CST by JD Shaw

James has played positions 1-through-4 at different points of his career. Having the ability to also play the five is unprecedented, but it’s something he may need to do when Anthony Davis sits this season. Having lost to the Kings on Saturday, the Lakers dropped to seventh in the Western Conference (10-11).

Kings forward Harrison Barnes and center Richaun Holmes both missed Saturday’s game, but interim coach Alvin Gentry is confident the duo won’t be sidelined for long, James Ham of ESPN 1320 tweets. Barnes is day-to-day with a sprained right foot, while Holmes is dealing with a non-COVID-related illness.