Which Big Name Free Agent to Target?
- Thread starter twslam07
- Start date
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/dgzG1
I don't care what anyone says but this needs to happen Splitter would be a perfect fit at PF over here. He plays great defense on the like of Aldridge, ZBo, and Griffin. Not to mention he is an elite passer with a great IQ the passing from out pf/C would be spurs like. I'd give them Nik and not think twice about it. Divac said he wanted a lanky defender next to cousins and that's what Splitter is. And nobody better bring up his last series vs clippers as dude wasn't close to healthy. Our defense at PF/C would be elite with Splitter/Cousins/JT.
I'd follow that by packaging 6pick/ Landry for Chandler/Foye. That would give us shooting/scoring punch off the bench.
I don't care what anyone says but this needs to happen Splitter would be a perfect fit at PF over here. He plays great defense on the like of Aldridge, ZBo, and Griffin. Not to mention he is an elite passer with a great IQ the passing from out pf/C would be spurs like. I'd give them Nik and not think twice about it. Divac said he wanted a lanky defender next to cousins and that's what Splitter is. And nobody better bring up his last series vs clippers as dude wasn't close to healthy. Our defense at PF/C would be elite with Splitter/Cousins/JT.
I'd follow that by packaging 6pick/ Landry for Chandler/Foye. That would give us shooting/scoring punch off the bench.
No to Splitter.
He's due
8.5 million then 8.25 the year after
We've all ready got Thompson who can do what he does and is more economically friendly, and I like the options with Thompson being capable athletically to man up capably with variety more so than Splitter at the 4 or 5.
Splitter/Landry costs would be even worse than Thompson/Landry.
And as sad as it is, with that horrible Landry contract, at least Thompson can play both spots reliably.
If you can get rid of Landry, I'd like to reinvest the dollars differently by keeping our cheaper budgeted Thompson and Collison contracts and spending differently.
He's due
8.5 million then 8.25 the year after
We've all ready got Thompson who can do what he does and is more economically friendly, and I like the options with Thompson being capable athletically to man up capably with variety more so than Splitter at the 4 or 5.
Splitter/Landry costs would be even worse than Thompson/Landry.
And as sad as it is, with that horrible Landry contract, at least Thompson can play both spots reliably.
If you can get rid of Landry, I'd like to reinvest the dollars differently by keeping our cheaper budgeted Thompson and Collison contracts and spending differently.
8million for a defensive big is not a problem. Also Splitter is worlds better than JT on offense he is an elite passer who has to be respected unlike JT. Having 2 very good passers at PF/C opens up the offense just watch Timmy/Splitter work they get countless high lows and back doors. Bens game improves by simply adding Splitter who has high IQ. We need more high IQ team first players getting one with great defense is a plus.
Now on his defense you say JT is just as good which I agree but the offense side makes JT a 3rd big on a championship team. There are so many good PFs in the west (ZBo, Blake, LA,) we would have 2 defenders to throw at them. Splitter gets in fouls trouble okay JT come in and beat these guys up. Having 2 good post defenders is a good problem to have you probably need 2 in the West as is.
Again the passing with Splitter/Cousins can't be said enough
Now on his defense you say JT is just as good which I agree but the offense side makes JT a 3rd big on a championship team. There are so many good PFs in the west (ZBo, Blake, LA,) we would have 2 defenders to throw at them. Splitter gets in fouls trouble okay JT come in and beat these guys up. Having 2 good post defenders is a good problem to have you probably need 2 in the West as is.
Again the passing with Splitter/Cousins can't be said enough
We have said that PF is a position of need right?
Well to improve we are gonna have to pay the better PF. Look at the other guys that would be available Splitter is on the low end
Faried: 11.3million
Gibson: 8.5million
West: 12.6million
Illyasova: 7.9million
Other free agent PFs who will get more than 9million to come here.
A.Johnson, T.Chandler
Well to improve we are gonna have to pay the better PF. Look at the other guys that would be available Splitter is on the low end
Faried: 11.3million
Gibson: 8.5million
West: 12.6million
Illyasova: 7.9million
Other free agent PFs who will get more than 9million to come here.
A.Johnson, T.Chandler
Although I do get concerned Cousins may not have endless patience, I'm in no rush here, nor hope our franchise is. Our contract clutter between Cousins/Thompson/Landry is terrible. Obviously Cousins is not a contract issue, Landry is, Thompson still not ideal either.
I'd rather be patient and let Thompson and Landry expire, or at least get out there swinging for the fences next season once the cap increases.
But you would never see me ever signing up fellas for mid tier pay checks if I was GM, unless an established roster who could push strong in the playoffs was established, as I'd prefer to solidify the expensive core first.
Faried is too expensive, Gibson probably too old considering our youth, West is certainly too old, Illy is soft. No thanks to those guys too for what it would cost, what we have to spend, or age.
I'd rather be patient and let Thompson and Landry expire, or at least get out there swinging for the fences next season once the cap increases.
But you would never see me ever signing up fellas for mid tier pay checks if I was GM, unless an established roster who could push strong in the playoffs was established, as I'd prefer to solidify the expensive core first.
Faried is too expensive, Gibson probably too old considering our youth, West is certainly too old, Illy is soft. No thanks to those guys too for what it would cost, what we have to spend, or age.
This is a franchise, that worked hard for most of the season to keep their 9th consecutive lottery pick. Kings FO is ruled by either incompetence or inexperience, there's rumors of franchise player being on his way out within a year or two, and then there's a disaster named Vivek. Yes, a lot of good young vets would trip themselves to try and sign in Sacramento. Let's look through the list and choose only the best of them. Or wait a season, when everybody will have money, then Kings can certainly swing hard, it's Kings after all - everybody wants to play here...
You guys can get creative with band aids, rubber bands, and false dreams. Reality is Cousins is on a contract for 3 years, and cluttering up the situation will not work no matter how much you want it too. Sometimes doing nothing is the better option. You guys get on our owner for tinkering too much, but hypocritically are trying to become some magical magicians with a poor cap situation and garbage filling up the room.
Good luck to you.
And when it does not work, and you are wondering what we can do next season. Remember there was a guy asking you to be patient.
Good luck to you.
And when it does not work, and you are wondering what we can do next season. Remember there was a guy asking you to be patient.
Cuz will never declare, that he wants to leave. But after John Wall gets to play in ECF this year, and Vlade specifically told Boogie "I'm getting you help", you come and tell him "well, let's wait one more year, pretty please"? Yeah, Kings will get a visit from Fegan.
3 years won't matter after 3 games of this
3 years won't matter after 3 games of this
actually, what i'll remember is an owner and gm that begged for patience from their fanbase, and asked that fanbase to trust in the process, before that owner and gm decided that they themselves were at a lack for patience, and fired a head coach who was beginning to coax a winning mindset out of his players. i don't necessarily disagree with you that "band aids, rubber bands, and false dreams" aren't likely to improve this team. but to think that the three years remaining on cousins' contract constitute anything but an extremely artificial timeline is more than a bit naive. the clock is ticking now, and it's fast approaching zero...
you say that you have some concern that demarcus may not have endless patience. i say that's a massive understatement; i say that it's been five wasted seasons in a career with hall of fame potential, and demarcus' patience is likely not just running thin; i'd hazard to guess that it's on life support. demarcus cousins' loyalty to this franchise was not in question while mike malone remained on the sideline. but when the only nba head coach that has ever managed to earn demarcus' trust was fired (without demarcus' knowledge or consent, no less), what loyalty of demarcus' was even left to squander? what patience of demarcus' had the franchise possibly earned?
there is no earthly reason that demarcus cousins and his rather powerful agent shouldn't demand a trade if the kings aren't at or above .500 by the end of next season. if cousins' loyalty extends beyond a sixth straight losing season for a small market backwater that's become an nba punchline under new ownership, then he's a much more gentle and kindly individual than anyone has ever tried to give him credit for. what does big cuz have to lose in demanding a trade, after all? that he might get saddled with a reputation for being "difficult"? hah! it's not as if the incredible strides he's made in both attitude and in his level of play have earned him much in the way of good will with the media, other fanbases, or nba referees. there's still always some imagined controversy following him around...
when the kings were winning, the narrative started to change. when the kings returned to their losing ways, the narrative reverted back in kind. he's gotta be sick of it. he's gotta be incensed to see former teammates of his ascending to the playoffs and contributing on those teams. he's gotta be looking at the accolades that other superstars are receiving, and he's gotta be comparing it to the one measly, injury replacement all-star appearance he can count to his name. honestly, i am continually amazed that demarcus didn't lose his cool in the wake of the malone firing, that he managed to keep his fiery attitude under control. we saw the technical fouls increase under tyrone corbin and george karl, but cousins never quit on his team, and he never resorted to putting kings' management on blast through the media, though he had every right to do so, in my opinion. he just quietly simmered as the losses continued to pile up once again...
hell, at one point, demarcus actually blamed himself for contracting viral meningitis, since it led to the kings' downward spiral this last season. this is all representative of near-inconceivable patience and loyalty from a young man who belongs to a generation that could be generously described as "short of attention span." that patience and that loyalty has to have its limits. all of that simmering eventually has to reach a boiling point. the kings' brass cannot afford to be idle after making such a mess of things. had they not fired mike malone, and had this team already been on the path to .500, then i'd say sure, "sometimes doing nothing is the better option." but now? a "wait and see" approach seems like suicide to me...
a gm like danny ainge is certainly no dummy; he likely sees everything that i see in demarcus cousins. i wouldn't be surprised if danny ainge himself leaked the rumor that the celtics were putting a package together to try and trade for demarcus, in the hopes that demarcus might be enticed by the prospect of playing for a franchise with such a storied history of success (with big men, in particular), and to play in the eastern conference, where playoff admittance isn't quite so steep. ainge is another phenomenally patient individual. he's a gm who waits for the right moment to strike, and when he does, he's usually got an exceptional hand to play. i certainly wouldn't trade demarcus cousins for anything in the celtics' war chest of assets, and i do not believe the kings would seriously consider such a trade this offseason. that said, if ainge can't sell the kings on a deal now, he'll be there waiting for the moment that demarcus' patience finally snaps and he demands a trade. by then, ainge's offer may be the best one on the table...
you say that you have some concern that demarcus may not have endless patience. i say that's a massive understatement; i say that it's been five wasted seasons in a career with hall of fame potential, and demarcus' patience is likely not just running thin; i'd hazard to guess that it's on life support. demarcus cousins' loyalty to this franchise was not in question while mike malone remained on the sideline. but when the only nba head coach that has ever managed to earn demarcus' trust was fired (without demarcus' knowledge or consent, no less), what loyalty of demarcus' was even left to squander? what patience of demarcus' had the franchise possibly earned?
there is no earthly reason that demarcus cousins and his rather powerful agent shouldn't demand a trade if the kings aren't at or above .500 by the end of next season. if cousins' loyalty extends beyond a sixth straight losing season for a small market backwater that's become an nba punchline under new ownership, then he's a much more gentle and kindly individual than anyone has ever tried to give him credit for. what does big cuz have to lose in demanding a trade, after all? that he might get saddled with a reputation for being "difficult"? hah! it's not as if the incredible strides he's made in both attitude and in his level of play have earned him much in the way of good will with the media, other fanbases, or nba referees. there's still always some imagined controversy following him around...
when the kings were winning, the narrative started to change. when the kings returned to their losing ways, the narrative reverted back in kind. he's gotta be sick of it. he's gotta be incensed to see former teammates of his ascending to the playoffs and contributing on those teams. he's gotta be looking at the accolades that other superstars are receiving, and he's gotta be comparing it to the one measly, injury replacement all-star appearance he can count to his name. honestly, i am continually amazed that demarcus didn't lose his cool in the wake of the malone firing, that he managed to keep his fiery attitude under control. we saw the technical fouls increase under tyrone corbin and george karl, but cousins never quit on his team, and he never resorted to putting kings' management on blast through the media, though he had every right to do so, in my opinion. he just quietly simmered as the losses continued to pile up once again...
hell, at one point, demarcus actually blamed himself for contracting viral meningitis, since it led to the kings' downward spiral this last season. this is all representative of near-inconceivable patience and loyalty from a young man who belongs to a generation that could be generously described as "short of attention span." that patience and that loyalty has to have its limits. all of that simmering eventually has to reach a boiling point. the kings' brass cannot afford to be idle after making such a mess of things. had they not fired mike malone, and had this team already been on the path to .500, then i'd say sure, "sometimes doing nothing is the better option." but now? a "wait and see" approach seems like suicide to me...
a gm like danny ainge is certainly no dummy; he likely sees everything that i see in demarcus cousins. i wouldn't be surprised if danny ainge himself leaked the rumor that the celtics were putting a package together to try and trade for demarcus, in the hopes that demarcus might be enticed by the prospect of playing for a franchise with such a storied history of success (with big men, in particular), and to play in the eastern conference, where playoff admittance isn't quite so steep. ainge is another phenomenally patient individual. he's a gm who waits for the right moment to strike, and when he does, he's usually got an exceptional hand to play. i certainly wouldn't trade demarcus cousins for anything in the celtics' war chest of assets, and i do not believe the kings would seriously consider such a trade this offseason. that said, if ainge can't sell the kings on a deal now, he'll be there waiting for the moment that demarcus' patience finally snaps and he demands a trade. by then, ainge's offer may be the best one on the table...
Danny Green jumps out to me as the guy who may be gettable even if we have to overpay. No one will max him (nor should they) and he has a lot we need. San Antonio hates to overpay and may be going after Aldridge and other bigger fish.
Blow our FA money on him and draft WCS. Better shooting and defense is a good start.
Blow our FA money on him and draft WCS. Better shooting and defense is a good start.
Were going to draft Willie Cauley-Stein, so none of this matters. Seriously, there's no need to even go through the motions until we know who we draft. If we draft WCS, or get real lucky and get a shot at Towns, that would change our priority's as far as freeagents go. Don't forget, we have Moreland coming back as well.
How do we fell about Gallanari?
A Karl guy who can play SF/PF at 6'10 and is a good shooter. Started off pee poor but after the AS break he averaged 18ppg on 60% TS also he's only 26. A deal of Nik/6/landry for Gallo/Foye gets us out of Landry contract and gives us 2 great shooters who would be instant offense off the bench. Also leaves us with 9mill for FA to shore up the front court.
Collison/Ray
Ben/Foye
Gay/Gallo
JT/
Cousins/kofous
I personally like our starters and hopefully Ben keeps improving. You put Foye/Gallo/Kofous as the bench and we suddenly have a good bench. Gallo would be a 6th man if the year comming off the bench. We'd still have JT to match up vs the PFs but when we go small a gallo/Gay/DMC front court is down right deadly.
A Karl guy who can play SF/PF at 6'10 and is a good shooter. Started off pee poor but after the AS break he averaged 18ppg on 60% TS also he's only 26. A deal of Nik/6/landry for Gallo/Foye gets us out of Landry contract and gives us 2 great shooters who would be instant offense off the bench. Also leaves us with 9mill for FA to shore up the front court.
Collison/Ray
Ben/Foye
Gay/Gallo
JT/
Cousins/kofous
I personally like our starters and hopefully Ben keeps improving. You put Foye/Gallo/Kofous as the bench and we suddenly have a good bench. Gallo would be a 6th man if the year comming off the bench. We'd still have JT to match up vs the PFs but when we go small a gallo/Gay/DMC front court is down right deadly.
Being drafted closer to #1 pick speaks about talent level, not player's ability to limit mistakes, which PO is all about.
And that guy was a senior, and unanimous #1 from that and previous year. Ok, I'm amending my statement to "PO teams don't have rookies among their 3 best bigs anymore"
Getting into East POs is not that hard for a team, that was in the lottery a year before, and technically Jabari started for a PO team. He also was at -0.076 PPP on almost 1500 possessions, he managed to log in, so I wouldn't exactly call it a success story.
And in the West margin for error is much smaller.
And that guy was a senior, and unanimous #1 from that and previous year. Ok, I'm amending my statement to "PO teams don't have rookies among their 3 best bigs anymore"
Getting into East POs is not that hard for a team, that was in the lottery a year before, and technically Jabari started for a PO team. He also was at -0.076 PPP on almost 1500 possessions, he managed to log in, so I wouldn't exactly call it a success story.
And in the West margin for error is much smaller.
Last edited:
For win now, this is the best idea I've been able to come up with that has a shot to work, and still gives us some minor assets in return.
Kings out Landry, Thompson, Stauskas, 6
Kings in Stephenson, Anderson, Withey, 2016 protected Charlotte, 2017 protected New Orleans.
Charlotte out Stephenson, 9th pick, 2016 pick top 10 protected
Charlotte in 6, Stauskas, Landry
Pelicans out Anderson, Withey, 2017 top 10 protected
Pelicans in 9th pick, Thompson
Collison/Miller or Ray
Stephenson/McLemore
Gay/ (probably Casspi or Williams)
Anderson/ (Evans, Casspi, Williams) Have to get someone
Cousins/Withey
Get a protected first for the next two years too.
Kings out Landry, Thompson, Stauskas, 6
Kings in Stephenson, Anderson, Withey, 2016 protected Charlotte, 2017 protected New Orleans.
Charlotte out Stephenson, 9th pick, 2016 pick top 10 protected
Charlotte in 6, Stauskas, Landry
Pelicans out Anderson, Withey, 2017 top 10 protected
Pelicans in 9th pick, Thompson
Collison/Miller or Ray
Stephenson/McLemore
Gay/ (probably Casspi or Williams)
Anderson/ (Evans, Casspi, Williams) Have to get someone
Cousins/Withey
Get a protected first for the next two years too.
Yes, this is what it boils down to. When the new owners took over, there was lots of time and opportunities to right the ship. They absolutely wasted all of it and now it's desperation mode.
In order to become a playoff team next year, we are going to have to use draft picks and our young developing talent to do it. Since we're nowhere near a title now and we can't attract free agents, our ceiling is limited once we exhaust our already limited resources. We may reach playoffs but we'll just tread water there for the foreseeable future.
In order to become a playoff team next year, we are going to have to use draft picks and our young developing talent to do it. Since we're nowhere near a title now and we can't attract free agents, our ceiling is limited once we exhaust our already limited resources. We may reach playoffs but we'll just tread water there for the foreseeable future.
The last trade I posted is my desperation mode moves if we absolutely have to try and win now, I think it has a reasonable chance to be accepted by everyone, and yields us a decent mid range pick for each of the next two seasons as well. Safety net if we wanted to opt out for Stephenson.
Is the best I can do.
Is the best I can do.
I'm satisfied with that return if we need to win now, as Stephenson will just be 25 and we pick up two future firsts. If he makes a comeback it could be a steal, or we let him go and still get out of paying him or Landry a season later.
But I agree, unless someone can do better than the above trade.
But if we have to win now, and you have a better idea let me know.
But I agree, unless someone can do better than the above trade.
But if we have to win now, and you have a better idea let me know.
When Kings acquire draft picks in a proposed trade, which is siphoning value from actual on-the-court help, you know, it's not the best proposal. Lance just got done with one of the worst shooting seasons in the history of NBA, beating 22 year old record record for lowest 3pt% among guys with at least 100 attempts. That's quite some help.
And that frontcourt? Boogie will ask for a trade after 1 day of training camp.
Real going for help should look like:
#0. Draft WCS
#1. Call Chicago and offer the rest of the protection on 2016 pick, 2018 and 2020 picks, plus Landry for Taj Gibson (if Kings plan on getting into POs in the West for forseeable future, rest of protection in 2016 is a useless asset and 2018/2020 ones are picks in the 20s)
#2. If Atlanta is on the verge of losing the other DMC to Knicks and doesn't want to pay him, call and offer Stauskas and 3 non-guaranteed deals for Shelvin Mack and the right to pay Demarre Carroll $48 million over 4 years in a S&T.
#3. Sign Casspi to Room Exception.
#4. Sign 'Dre for depth/leadership.
#5. Sign some SG for a minimum for depth, maybe Ellington?
12-15 guys - whatever
DMC/JT/Gibson/WCS
Gibson/JT/WCS/Gay
Gay/Casspi/DMC
DMC/Mclemore/Mack or vet minimum SG
Darren/Mack/Dre
Gibson and DMC don't have a lot of NBA mileage in them (Boogie has played more minutes than either) despite being 29 and 30, so at least 3 years at their current level is a reasonable projection. By that time WCS and Ben are ready to take over.
And that frontcourt? Boogie will ask for a trade after 1 day of training camp.
Real going for help should look like:
#0. Draft WCS
#1. Call Chicago and offer the rest of the protection on 2016 pick, 2018 and 2020 picks, plus Landry for Taj Gibson (if Kings plan on getting into POs in the West for forseeable future, rest of protection in 2016 is a useless asset and 2018/2020 ones are picks in the 20s)
#2. If Atlanta is on the verge of losing the other DMC to Knicks and doesn't want to pay him, call and offer Stauskas and 3 non-guaranteed deals for Shelvin Mack and the right to pay Demarre Carroll $48 million over 4 years in a S&T.
#3. Sign Casspi to Room Exception.
#4. Sign 'Dre for depth/leadership.
#5. Sign some SG for a minimum for depth, maybe Ellington?
12-15 guys - whatever
DMC/JT/Gibson/WCS
Gibson/JT/WCS/Gay
Gay/Casspi/DMC
DMC/Mclemore/Mack or vet minimum SG
Darren/Mack/Dre
Gibson and DMC don't have a lot of NBA mileage in them (Boogie has played more minutes than either) despite being 29 and 30, so at least 3 years at their current level is a reasonable projection. By that time WCS and Ben are ready to take over.
Last edited:
I'd prefer getting back two future firsts, as we still need some depth later, Anderson's scoring over an older Taj, and I'm willing to gamble Stephenson can become a lock down defensive presence bought cheap while he is down. I get it Stephenson scares you, but we could still opt out after a year. If he works out we have a lock down defensive tough fella who is young.
We'd most likely get a 12-15 pick in 2016, and a 15-20 or so in 2017.
And we would have room with the cap as Anderson expires and we'd have the option on Stephenson.
So our cap situation is open to whatever you'd want to do after next season.
We'd most likely get a 12-15 pick in 2016, and a 15-20 or so in 2017.
And we would have room with the cap as Anderson expires and we'd have the option on Stephenson.
So our cap situation is open to whatever you'd want to do after next season.