Summer rewind: Sacramento Kings
A look at the key offseason moves and changes for every team in the league. Next up are the Sacramento Kings.
OFFSEASON ADDITIONS
Free agents
Arron Afflalo
Anthony Tolliver
Garrett Temple
Matt Barnes
Draft
Georgios Papagiannis (trade)
Malachi Richardson (trade)
Skal Labissiere (trade)
Bogdan Bogdanovic (acquired rights)
Waiver claim
Lamar Patterson
THE REWIND
Stability at the top
After going through an extensive search for their next head coach the first six weeks of the offseason, the Kings hired someone who was not initially available: former Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger.
Joerger’s hiring should end the rotating door of head coaches who have roamed the sideline for Sacramento the past six seasons.
Joerger, fresh off taking the Grizzlies to the playoffs for a third straight season, will provide the Kings a solid foundation.
Quantity at the draft
With a lack of future draft assets and a series of misses in previous drafts, the Kings turned the eighth overall pick and Marco Belinelli into Georgios Papagiannis (12th pick), Malachi Richardson (22nd pick), Skal Labissiere (28th pick) and the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic.
The question is not the Kings’ strategy, but whether quantity trumped quality.
The Kings could have used the No. 8 pick on 19-year-old Sacramento native Marquese Chriss, who could have an immediate impact for Phoenix, but opted for a pair of projects in Papagiannis and Labissiere.
Filling the roster with veterans
The free-agent plan for Sacramento was clear: target veterans who can provide value on and off the court with contracts that maintain future flexibility.
Sacramento found its starting shooting guard in Arron Afflalo, backup small forward with Matt Barnes, backup power forward with Anthony Tolliver and utility man in Garrett Temple.
All four players, along with their returning starters and young core, should have defined roles moving forward.
CAP BREAKDOWN
Player 2016
1. DeMarcus Cousins $16,957,900
2. Rudy Gay $13,333,333
3. Arron Afflalo $12,500,000
4. Anthony Tolliver $8,000,000
5. Kosta Koufos $8,046,500
6. Garrett Temple $8,000,000
7. Matt Barnes $6,125,000
8. Darren Collison $5,229,454
9. Willie Cauley-Stein $3,551,160
10. Ben McLemore $4,008,882
11. Omri Casspi $2,963,814
12. Georgios Papagiannis $2,202,240
13. Malachi Richardson $1,439,880
14. Skal Labissiere $1,188,840
Non-guaranteed 2016
15. Lamar Patterson $874,636
Dead money 2016
Wayne Ellington $882,630
Caron Butler $517,220
Salary table 2016
Guaranteed salaries $93,547,003
Dead money $1,399,850
Non-guaranteed $874,636
Tax variance $0
Free-agent cap holds $0
Incomplete roster charge $0
Salaries: cap $95,821,489
Salaries: tax $95,821,489
Salary cap $94,143,000
Luxury tax $113,287,000
Cap space None ($1,678,489 over)
Tax room $17,465,511
The $11.4 million free-agent cap hold of Rajon Rondo dictated the amount of room Sacramento would have entering free agency.
Once Kings management elected to bypass Rondo, the Kings cap space grew to $27 million.
Afflalo, Tolliver, Temple and Barnes signed with cap space.
Papagiannis, Richardson and Labissiere were signed based on the first-round rookie scale.
RESTRICTIONS
Free agents signed in the offseason cannot be traded until either Dec. 15, Jan. 15 or for three months if they signed after Sept. 15.
Afflalo, Tolliver, Temple and Barnes cannot be traded until Dec. 15.
Patterson, claimed on the waiver wire, cannot be traded until Dec. 1.
EXTENSION CANDIDATES
Rookie
Former lottery pick Ben McLemore, drafted in 2013, is in the final season of his contract and is eligible to have his rookie contract extended until Oct. 31.
Expect little progress on extension talks because McLemore has been on the trade block for more than the past year.
McLemore has a $10 million cap hold next summer.
Veteran
DeMarcus Cousins, entering the third year of a $65 million rookie extension, is eligible for a contract extension starting Sept. 30.
Cousins is eligible for an extension because the anniversary falls within three years from when his current contract was signed.
Cousins can receive an additional two years to his current contract but only with a 7.5 percent raise from his $18 million salary in 2017-18.
DEPTH CHART
Starter Bench Bench
PG Darren Collison Garrett Temple
SG Arron Afflalo Ben McLemore Malachi Richardson
SF Rudy Gay Matt Barnes Omri Casspi/Lamar Patterson
PF DeMarcus Cousins Anthony Tolliver Skal Labissiere
C Willie Cauley-Stein Kosta Koufos Georgios Papagiannis
Sacramento currently has 14 guaranteed contracts and one non-guaranteed in Patterson.
The Kings still have the $2.8 million room mid-level.
SNEAK PEEK TO NEXT SUMMER
The Kings’ cap situation next summer is fluid with the player option of Rudy Gay and the non-guaranteed contracts of Afflalo and Tolliver.
Sacramento is currently over the cap but could have $31 million in room if Gay does not pick up his option, the free-agent holds of Ben McLemore and Darren Collison are released, and Afflalo and Tolliver are let go.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Darren Collison
Collison’s legal issues stemming from an offseason domestic violence incident should have Sacramento management concerned.
The NBA in 2014 sent a strong message when former Hornets player Jeffrey Taylor was suspended 24 games after pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence assault.
Depending on how things play out, Sacramento could be without Collison for an extended period of time.
Previous teams in the series: Hawks | Nets | Clippers | Timberwolves | Jazz | Hornets
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