Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Five Teams Who May Pursue Cost-Cutting Trades

September 7th, 2024 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Most of the 29 trades completed so far this offseason by NBA teams have been made with financial considerations in mind. In some cases, those considerations were obvious -- when the Timberwolves sent Wendell Moore to Detroit, the Nuggets dealt Reggie Jackson to Charlotte, or the Grizzlies traded Ziaire Williams to Brooklyn, saving money was the primary motivating factor.

For other trades, cap savings were just one part of the equation. For example, Portland's July deal with the Wizards was primarily about acquiring Deni Avdija, but by including Malcolm Brogdon in their package for Avdija, the Trail Blazers were able to duck out of luxury tax territory. The same is true of the Hawks in the Dejounte Murray trade, which reduced their team salary for 2024/25 and helped them sneak below the tax line.

While some teams have already made their cost-cutting moves for '24/25, there are others who are worth keeping an eye on this fall and winter. Based on their proximity to the luxury tax line or the tax aprons, they look like potential candidates to pursue deals that would shed some salary.

Let's take a closer look at some of those teams...

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Quinton Crawford Joining Kings As G League Head Coach

September 6th, 2024 at 4:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Kings are hiring longtime NBA assistant coach Quinton Crawford to guide their G League affiliate in Stockton, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

After reaching the Sweet Sixteen with the Arizona Wildcats as a guard, Crawford transitioned to the coaching side with Pepperdine in 2013/14, serving as the club’s graduate manager and video coordinator. He subsequently worked as an assistant video coordinator with the Kings, then had assistant coaching jobs with the Hornets, Magic, Lakers, Mavericks, and – most recently – the Suns in 2023/24.

A frequent flyer under head coach Frank Vogel, Crawford won a championship on Vogel’s staff with the 2019/20 Lakers. All told, Crawford served under Vogel in Orlando, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Last year’s Vogel-led Suns run was fairly short-lived. Despite fielding three multi-time All-Stars in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Phoenix finished with just the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed and a 49-33 record. The Suns were quickly swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Timberwolves. Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia quickly jettisoned Vogel and his staff, bringing in the man who beat the Suns in the 2021 Finals, ex-Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer.

Under former head coach Lindsey Harding, the Stockton Kings went 24-10 in G League regular season play, earning the West’s No. 1 seed. Stockton bested the Santa Cruz Warriors before falling to the Oklahoma City Blue. For her efforts, Harding won G League Coach of the Year honors and now is an assistant coach on J.J. Redick‘s Lakers staff.

Kings’ Huerter Cleared For On-Court Workouts

August 31st, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings guard Kevin Huerter has been cleared for on-court workouts, shooting drills, and a complete strength-and-conditioning program, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter link) via a team medical update.

Huerter underwent surgery in late March to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He will be reevaluated in mid-October before being cleared for full-contact activity. That timeline suggests Huerter will miss some early season games.

Huerter was the subject of numerous trade rumors during the offseason. However, he remains the team’s projected starting shooting guard once he returns to action.

Huerter spent the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta before being traded to Sacramento during the 2022 offseason in exchange for a protected first-round pick. The 25-year-old set new career highs in points per game (15.2) and three-point percentage (40.2%) during his first season as a King, but saw his role and his numbers dip last season as head coach Mike Brown made defense a greater priority.

Huerter averaged just 10.2 PPG on .443/.361/.766 shooting in 64 contests (24.4 MPG) before suffering his shoulder injury on March 18 against Memphis. He started 59 of 64 games as De’Aaron Fox’s backcourt partner.

Huerter is entering the third year of a four-year, $65MM contract. He’ll make $16,830,357 next season and $17,991,071 in 2025/26.

NBA Teams With Fewest Players On Guaranteed Contracts

August 28th, 2024 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

As of Wednesday, eight of the NBA’s 30 teams are carrying at least 15 players on guaranteed contracts and are unlikely to have many additional offseason acquisitions in store. Another 17 teams are carrying either 13 or 14 players on guaranteed deals.

As our roster counts page shows, that leaves five clubs carrying 12 or fewer players on fully guaranteed deals. That doesn’t necessarily mean all five of those teams will sign free agents to guaranteed contracts before the regular season begins, but it’s worth checking in on them to take a closer look at their roster situations.

Cleveland Cavaliers

No NBA team has fewer players on fully guaranteed salaries than the Cavaliers, who are carrying just 10 of them. However, we can probably pencil in two more players for their standard regular season roster — Craig Porter played rotation minutes last season and has a $1MM partial guarantee, while Sam Merrill proved to be a bargain on his non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal.

If we assume those 12 players will be on the Cavs’ opening night roster, that leaves three openings. Cleveland reportedly plans to leave one open, and one may be earmarked for restricted free agent Isaac Okoro, but even if Okoro returns, the club will still need to add one more player to its roster as a 14th man. It will be interesting to see if the Cavs target a specific free agent and offer him a guaranteed contract or if they’ll bring multiple non-guaranteed players to camp to compete for that 14th spot.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have 12 players on fully guaranteed salaries, with Lindy Waters and Gui Santos also in the mix on non-guaranteed salaries. Golden State doesn’t currently have the flexibility to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man due to the team’s close proximity to its hard cap of $178.1MM, but either Waters or Santos could be waived to make room for a replacement.

The Warriors gave up a second-round pick in June to acquire Waters, so I doubt the plan is to waive him. Santos’ future is less certain. He barely played in the NBA last season as a rookie, and his G League numbers (including a .437 FG% and 3.1 turnovers per game) weren’t exceptional. If the Dubs want to bring in another player to fill out their regular season roster (they’re reportedly working out Bruno Caboclo this week), Santos looks like the best bet to be the odd man out.

Indiana Pacers

Although the Pacers have just 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, they have at least four players in the mix for the final three spots on their roster, including two with partial guarantees (James Johnson and James Wiseman) and two on non-guaranteed deals (Kendall Brown and Cole Swider).

I expect Johnson and Wiseman to have the upper hand for spots on the 15-man roster, with Brown and Swider potentially fighting for the 15th spot — assuming Indiana even carries a full 15-man squad to open the regular season.

For what it’s worth, the Pacers have shown a willingness in the past to move Johnson on and off their roster. Last season, he signed four separate contracts with the club, including two 10-day deals. But the fact that Indiana gave him a $750K guarantee on his newest contract is an indication the team doesn’t plan on cutting the veteran forward before opening night.

Philadelphia 76ers

While the Sixers technically only have 12 players on guaranteed salaries for the time being, that number will increase to 13 once Guerschon Yabusele officially signs with the team. He’s likely still working out the logistics of the move, including his buyout with Real Madrid and clearance from FIBA.

Once Yabusele has signed, Philadelphia will have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Ricky Council on a non-guaranteed deal. I can’t imagine Council is going anywhere after his promising rookie season, so the only question for the Sixers will be whether or not they want to carry a 15th man to open the year. They’re well into tax territory already, so they may hold that spot open unless there’s a specific player they like and don’t want to get away.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings currently have 14 players on standard contracts — 12 on guaranteed deals, plus Orlando Robinson with a partial guarantee ($500K) and Keon Ellis on a non-guaranteed salary.

Ellis was a rotation player for much of last season and should be a lock for the regular season roster. On the surface, Robinson may not look like a sure thing, but the Kings’ cap situation works in his favor. The club is currently only below the tax line by about $1MM, so eating Robinson’s $500K partial guarantee in order to replace him with a newcomer before the season starts wouldn’t be the most financially prudent move.

I’d expect the Kings to keep their 15th roster spot open to start the season. If they carry someone in that spot, it might be another player on a non-guaranteed deal for the sake of flexibility.

Western Notes: Sabonis, Monk, DeRozan, Spencer, Prosper, James

August 26th, 2024 at 8:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings big man Domantas Sabonis admits he expected sixth man Malik Monk to sign elsewhere in free agency. Monk stayed put on a four-year, $78MM contract.

“I was actually very surprised,” Sabonis said, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). “I was talking to him a lot during the year and I thought we really lost him, but I’m happy he stayed.”

Sabonis believes the addition of DeMar DeRozan, acquired in a sign-and-trade, will diversify the offense, according to Logan Struck of Sports Illustrated.

“I think it’s going to be good for us,” Sabonis said. “It’s going to make us think differently on the court, move differently, and really read each other. We are used to playing one style but he does something at a Hall of Fame level that we’re going to have to play around and it’s going to make it so much harder for teams to guard us because we can basically score from anywhere.”

We have more Western Conference news:

Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard said the addition of former UConn guard Cam Spencer, who was drafted in the second round and signed on a two-way deal, gives the club another offensive option. “He can shoot, man,” Kennard said, per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “He really can. I think he’ll be really close in our shooting competitions. Well let him get in a couple and see how he can hang.”
Olivier-Maxence Prosper spent most of last season in the G League after the Mavericks drafted him in the first round. He’ll have a tough time cracking the rotation in his second year with the additions of Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes. However, the club is still optimistic about his future and the wing’s development remains an intriguing element to monitor, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal.
The Lakers re-signed LeBron James on a two-year deal this summer but the franchise seems poised to waste the future Hall of Famer’s remaining years, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opines. The team needs another star to compete with the other Western Conference contenders and the front office has done very little to upgrade the roster this offseason, Plaschke adds.

Community Shootaround: Kings’ Offseason

August 25th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

One of the surest things in major professional sports was a losing season for the Kings.

After making the playoffs eight consecutive seasons during the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Kings were annual visitors to the lottery. They missed the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons, finally ending that drought during the 2022/23 campaign.

Sacramento was eliminated in the opening round by the Warriors but failed to build off that breakthrough season. The Kings were relegated to the play-in tournament last season, knocking out the Warriors before getting bounced by the Pelicans.

Expectations of a major roster shakeup this offseason were quickly squashed. Instead, the Kings essentially settled for the status quo, save for one big addition. They acquired DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade and dealt away Harrison Barnes in the process.

DeRozan slots in to the small forward spot and, at least from an offensive standpoint, the Kings should pack plenty of punch. DeRozan, perhaps the league’s most noted mid-range scorer, averaged 24.0 points and 5.3 assists per game for the Bulls last season. He turned 35 this month but he remains an offensive force.

He joins a lineup that features De’Aaron Fox (26.6 PPG, 5.6 APG) and Domantas Sabonis (19.4 PPG, 8.2 APG). Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter round out that unit and Sacramento also shelled out big bucks (four years, $78MM) to retain sixth man Malik Monk.

Sacramento made relatively minor additions to its bench, picking up Jordan McLaughlin, Jalen McDaniels and Orlando Robinson via free agency or trade. The Kings suffered a tough blow when first-round pick Devin Carter suffered a severe shoulder injury that could keep him out for most or all of his rookie season.

The Kings were among the top 10 in scoring and field goal percentage last season, though oddly at the bottom in free throw percentage. What held them back was a defense that ranked 21st in field goal percentage and second-to-last in 3-point percentage.

That brings up to today’s topic: Where do you think the Kings rank in the Western Conference pecking order? Did the acquisition of DeRozan move them into the top six in the conference? What else do they need to do to become serious contenders?

Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Pacific Notes: Redick, Buss, Lakers, Warriors, I. Jones

August 23rd, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on the Petros and Money radio show on AM 570 Los Angeles, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss explained the team’s decision to hire J.J. Redick as its new head coach. While he was a longtime NBA sharpshooter, Redick lacks high-level coaching experience.

“We wanted to kind of think a different way,” Buss said, per HoopsHype. “Really, he’s got a vision. I’m not comfortable talking about the basketball stuff, but we were looking for a candidate that would bring something different and really invest in developing young players.

“J.J. is the right person for us. Again, I just want to work to really speak for itself, so I don’t want to hype it and say it’s gonna be a home run. We have to give him time to establish what he wants to establish.

“I’m really impressed with his staff. Right now, it’s not mandatory for the players to come in and practice but players are coming in and working out. The coaching staff with Nate McMillan and Scotty Brooks, there’s a lot of experience that will be there for him to make that adjustment to being a head coach. … He knows what this league is about and I think he’ll be a great leader.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

The Lakers have hired Dr. Leroy Sims to be their new director of player performance and health, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Sims, who was most recently the NBA’s senior vice president, head of medical operations, was also Golden State’s medical director and team physician from 2011-14.
The Warriors will hold their training camp this fall in Hawaii instead of their home arena, the Chase Center, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. As Poole explains, while holding the camp in Honolulu will be costly, the team views it as a necessary expense to “promote healthy bonding” amid major changes to the roster and coaching staff.
Theo Lawson of The Spokesman-Review details Isaac Jones‘ unusual NBA journey, which included playing for a junior college in Washington for multiple seasons before he received a Division I offer. Jones signed a two-way contract with the Kings after going undrafted out of Washington State in June. “I wasn’t supposed to be here, but kept my head down and grinded and now I’m here,” he said. “It can all change in like two days. It happened so fast, so don’t take anything for granted and just work hard.”

Isaiah Thomas Among FAs Working Out With Kings

August 20th, 2024 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Isaiah Thomas is one of several free agents who are in Sacramento this week to engage in some “competitive workouts” with Kings players, according to Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter link).

Sources tell Cunningham that center Tony Bradley and wings Juan Toscano-Anderson and Lonnie Walker are among the others who will be involved.

It’s unclear whether Kings management is seriously considering making any roster additions based on those workouts, but it certainly couldn’t hurt for those free agents to perform well in the sessions as they seek new contracts.

Thomas, who began his career in Sacramento in 2011, finished the 2023/24 season with the Suns, but hasn’t been a regular rotation player in the NBA for many years, having dealt with a series of injuries since his last full season in 2016/17. The two-time All-Star has bounced around the league since then, spending time with the Cavaliers, Lakers, Nuggets, Wizards, Pelicans, Lakers, Mavericks, Hornets, and Suns.

Bradley, a former first-round pick, spent last season in the G League, while Toscano-Anderson was in the NBAGL for most of the year, though he did appear in 11 games for the Kings while on a pair of short-term contracts in December and January.

Of the four players mentioned by Cunningham, Walker has the strongest case for a spot on an NBA roster this fall. He has averaged 11.2 points per game in 244 contests over the past four seasons with the Spurs, Lakers, and Nets. In 2023/24, the 25-year-old shooting guard recorded 9.7 PPG on .423/.384/.763 shooting in 58 appearances (17.4 MPG) off the bench for Brooklyn.

Sacramento is currently carrying 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts for 2024/25, with Orlando Robinson on a partially guaranteed deal and Keon Ellis on a non-guaranteed salary. The Kings may open the season with just 14 players on their standard roster due to their close proximity to the luxury tax.

And-Ones: K. Smith, Schedule, C. Brown, Burton, Duke & Rutgers

August 14th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warner Bros. Discovery is suing the NBA after being excluded from the new broadcast rights package, but Kenny Smith isn’t worried about how that might affect what will likely be the final year of “Inside the NBA,” writes Greg Rajan of The Houston Chronicle. Smith, who has been with the network since his playing career ended in 1998, insists that nothing will change inside the studio.

“No, because we do our jobs,” he said. “Our job is to talk (about) the game and give insight and also give you insight about what’s going on behind the scenes with TNT. Like, ‘Hey, we’re not happy.’ That’s part of what makes us different. I don’t think any other network would allow or want their talent to talk about things like that. We’re going to do it, no matter what happens.

“But again, we’ve had a great run. If it continues, it’ll be great. But also, there are massive opportunities for the four of us — again, to create ownership opportunities to make sure our directors, producers, makeup, stats and audio people are still part of one of the greatest shows in sports TV history.”

Smith views the possible end of the network’s affiliation with the NBA as an opportunity for the show to reach out into other areas. He compares it to what Adam Sandler or Peyton and Eli Manning are doing with their companies, providing a chance to create a new brand in sports television.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

More details on the 2024/25 NBA schedule continue to leak out ahead of the official announcement at 3:00 pm ET on Thursday. The Nuggets will host the Thunder on October 24 in the season opener for both teams, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). It will be a matchup of the top two seeds in the West last season. After facing the Clippers October 23 in the first game at the new Inuit Dome, the Suns will stay in Los Angeles to take on the Lakers October 25 before hosting the Mavericks in their home opener a night later, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The Kings will have two six-game road trips during the season, sources tell James Ham of Kings Beat (Twitter link). One in January will have them face the Nuggets, Knicks, Nets, Sixers, Thunder and Timberwolves, and another from March 29 to April 7 will feature games against the Magic, Pacers, Wizards, Hornets, Cavaliers and Pistons.
Former NBA players Charlie Brown Jr. and Deonte Burton will be among the players representing the G League United in a pair of September exhibition games, the league announced (Twitter links).
Duke and Rutgers will be the top destinations for NBA scouts when the college basketball season begins, observes Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. The Blue Devils have the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, Cooper Flagg, along with Khaman Maluach, a probable lottery selection who played for South Sudan in the Olympics. The Scarlet Knights’ Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are also in contention for the top spot in next year’s draft.

DeRozan Stars In Drew League Final

August 12th, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Kings wing DeMar DeRozan is staying sharp in California. DeRozan erupted for 54 points for the Mecca Cheaters in the Drew League championship game on Sunday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays. The Drew League is a pro-am event held every year in Los Angeles. DeRozan was named the game’s MVP after his team erased a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes and pulled out a one-point victory.

A free agent last month, DeRozan was acquired from the Bulls in a blockbuster, three-team deal. His new contract with the Kings is worth approximately $74MM over three years.