The Kings were criticized for the drastic changes made this summer, but the decisions made sense.
In:
Rajon Rondo, Marco Belinelli, Kosta Koufos, Omri Casspi, Caron Butler, Quincy Acy, Seth Curry, Duje Dukan.
(Additionally, acquired the Draft Rights to Arturas Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic from Philadelphia).
Out:
Derrick Williams, Reggie Evans, Ryan Hollins, Andre Miller, Jason Thompson (via trade) Nik Stauskas (via trade), Ray McCallum (via trade), Carl Landry (via trade).
Draft:
Willie Cauley-Stein (6th overall).
Overview:
The Kings received a lot of criticism for their moves this summer, and much of it came as a result of the division between the front office and George Karl, who said he would stay out of front office decisions, and then didn’t. Karl attempted to convince the right people to trade DeMarcus Cousins but failed, thankfully. Still, it left many wondering just what the Kings were trying to do this summer, and a few of the moves fueled that narrative.
The most notorious move was to send a future first round pick to Philadelphia, along with the option to switch two other first round picks. The players sent to Philadelphia in the deal (Thompson, Stauskas, and Landry) won’t be missed for the most part, but giving up the rights or control to three future first rounders was a little excessive. The trade was meant to be a salary dump, but if there needed to be any indication just how little trade value Thompson, Stauskas, and Landry had, Sacramento had to throw in three picks just to dump them.
Whether it was a smart move or not remains to be seen, but in a way the move actually makes some sense. The Kings have been at the bottom of the Western Conference for the past decade, never winning more than 30 games in one season. Blame whoever (*cough*, the Maloofs) but the strategies before didn’t work, and the roster as it was constructed wasn’t going to work either. To be successful (and to hopefully entice Cousins to stay once his contract runs out) the Kings needed to make drastic changes to the roster. They did that, maybe at too high a cost, but the results suggest improvements in many areas.
It was important Sacramento found rim protectors to play next to Cousins down low, and drafting Cauley-Stein, and signing Koufos gives them two above average rim protectors. WCS will need time to develop, but Koufos will allow him to develop from the bench. He lacks a potent offensive game, but he won’t be asked to score with Cousins in the post. If he focuses on being a strong defensive post player, he should contribute in a small capacity this season.
Their biggest signing was undoubtedly Rajon Rondo, who signed for just one-year, $10 million. Many see this as a huge risk, but Rondo hasn’t exactly played like an All-Star point guard in years. The one year deal gives them a way out if Rondo stinks, and if he doesn’t, they will have cap space to sign him to an extension next summer. If he plays well, Rondo could create a lot of scoring chances for both Cousins and Rudy Gay. He’s a good on ball defender as well. If he pans out, the Kings will have a strong pair of point guards with him and Darren Collison.
Marco Belinelli adds needed outside shooting, and comes at a reasonable $6 million per season over the next three years. Caron Butler adds depth, and while he won’t likely be called on too much, he’s nice insurance for nights when they’ll need to go deeper into the bench. Omri Casspi doesn’t put up eye popping numbers, but he’s well received with both the team and the fanbase.
If they should be disappointed about anything, its that their salary clearing trade didn’t pan out quite as well as they had hoped. Rondo was one of their targets, but the team was also after Wes Matthews and Monta Ellis, both of whom signed elsewhere. Josh Smith was even in the mix, but signed for the Clippers instead (though this was probably a good thing). Both Matthews and Ellis would have been given them a proven starting shooting guard. Instead, they will continue to roll with Ben McLemore, who had a solid second season. This might work out better for McLemore’s long-term future, but the Kings clearly wanted five veterans in the starting lineup.
In all, the Kings didn’t tie themselves down to major, long-term deals, and have a more balanced roster as a result. How much better they got, and whether it was enough for them to be competitive in the West, is unclear. Still, the direction they took does make sense. It can be debated whether they made the right decisions on who they signed, traded away, etc, but it made sense. The Kings before this summer weren’t going to be competitive. Changes had to be made, and the upcoming season will determine whether they work or not.
Grade: B-
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