Just to take the other available approach from the existing thread about building around Cousins, what would it look like to rebuild without him?
To me the guidelines are pretty straightforward. In rebuilding you move anything you can for young players, draft picks and caproom. You play the young guys the next season, allowing them to develop and the team to essentially tank for one more season to get another high draft pick and then ideally start your climb towards being good. Simple.
So if it's simple why have the Kings been bad for so long? In part because they've never fully committed to doing a rebuild. But mostly because of poor drafting.
Because while luck in the lottery, the strength of the draft play a part, its the acumen of the front office in terms of identifying talent and drafting properly that makes the real difference. Well, unless it's a Duncan or LeBron draft and you have the #1 pick. But I digress.
To rebuild the Kings have to trade Cousins and ideally Gay too.
With Rudy you could just let him walk but the Kings cap sheet is pretty clean already so it'd be better to get something for him.
Let's say Gay and Lawson to OKC for Payne and Abrines. With the Kings taking on Abrines salary for two more seasons I'd try and squeeze this years 1st from the Thunder (likely #20-26) but I doubt that happens.
Then ideally Cousins to Boston I. The deal I've mentioned a few times.
Cousins for Amir Johnson, Jaylen Brown, this year's pick swap with the Nets and Brooklyn's 1st rounder next year. I'd push for the rights to Zizic too. I believe to make this work another player would have to head to Boston or be cut from the Kings. Either way I'd say McLemore should be that player.
Then the Kings would have:
Koufos/Cauley-Stein/Papagiannis
Tolliver/Johnson/Labissiere
Casspi/Barnes/Brown
Temple/Afflalo/Richardson/Abrines
Collison/Payne
You give the youngsters plenty of PT and hit tank mode pretty hard.
In the offseason Johnson, Casspi and Collison are free agents. Tolliver's contract is unguaranteed but I'd retain him. Afflalo only has (I think) $1.5 million in guaranteed money. I'd let him go.
Now the Kings have:
Koufos/Cauley-Stein/Papagiannis
Tolliver/Labissiere
Barnes/Brown
Temple/Richardson/Abrines
Payne
and around $62 million in salaries leaving around & 40 million in cap room. Their two picks will likely be top 6 so that's another $8 million or so in salary. And if Bogdanovic comes over that's likely $5-8 million more. Let's say $7 million, putting the Kings around $77 million and with $25 million in cap room.
I'd look at bringing back Collison and Casspi on two year deals if reasonable. If not, the remaining cap room can be used to take on other team's bad contracts with the Kings getting future picks etc in return.
Based on the Kings record without Cousins I would project the team to win 11 to 16 more games this year depending on when he's traded. Last year that would have slotted them 4th or 5th. Let's say they finish 5th and the Nets keep the 4th worst record. Using Tankathon that combo gave me the 1st & 6th picks in the draft.
DX has Fultz and Tatum in those slots right now. I love Fultz but I'd take Isaac, Giles (if he checks out medically) or Rabb over Tatum. But I think Isaac will rise on draft boards.
Koufos/Cauley-Stein/Papagiannis
Giles or Rabb/Labissiere/Tolliver
Brown/Barnes/Casspi or FA
Temple/Bogdanovic/Richardson
Fultz/Payne/Collison or FA
Not a good team. But lots of potential. And it would mean another pair of likely lottery picks (Kings' own plus Brooklyn's) next draft. Then Koufos, Barnes and Tolliver go, you look to deal one or two of the youngsters for future assets (or risk having to re-sign too many at once) and move along with the rebuild.
Easy.
To me the guidelines are pretty straightforward. In rebuilding you move anything you can for young players, draft picks and caproom. You play the young guys the next season, allowing them to develop and the team to essentially tank for one more season to get another high draft pick and then ideally start your climb towards being good. Simple.
So if it's simple why have the Kings been bad for so long? In part because they've never fully committed to doing a rebuild. But mostly because of poor drafting.
Because while luck in the lottery, the strength of the draft play a part, its the acumen of the front office in terms of identifying talent and drafting properly that makes the real difference. Well, unless it's a Duncan or LeBron draft and you have the #1 pick. But I digress.
To rebuild the Kings have to trade Cousins and ideally Gay too.
With Rudy you could just let him walk but the Kings cap sheet is pretty clean already so it'd be better to get something for him.
Let's say Gay and Lawson to OKC for Payne and Abrines. With the Kings taking on Abrines salary for two more seasons I'd try and squeeze this years 1st from the Thunder (likely #20-26) but I doubt that happens.
Then ideally Cousins to Boston I. The deal I've mentioned a few times.
Cousins for Amir Johnson, Jaylen Brown, this year's pick swap with the Nets and Brooklyn's 1st rounder next year. I'd push for the rights to Zizic too. I believe to make this work another player would have to head to Boston or be cut from the Kings. Either way I'd say McLemore should be that player.
Then the Kings would have:
Koufos/Cauley-Stein/Papagiannis
Tolliver/Johnson/Labissiere
Casspi/Barnes/Brown
Temple/Afflalo/Richardson/Abrines
Collison/Payne
You give the youngsters plenty of PT and hit tank mode pretty hard.
In the offseason Johnson, Casspi and Collison are free agents. Tolliver's contract is unguaranteed but I'd retain him. Afflalo only has (I think) $1.5 million in guaranteed money. I'd let him go.
Now the Kings have:
Koufos/Cauley-Stein/Papagiannis
Tolliver/Labissiere
Barnes/Brown
Temple/Richardson/Abrines
Payne
and around $62 million in salaries leaving around & 40 million in cap room. Their two picks will likely be top 6 so that's another $8 million or so in salary. And if Bogdanovic comes over that's likely $5-8 million more. Let's say $7 million, putting the Kings around $77 million and with $25 million in cap room.
I'd look at bringing back Collison and Casspi on two year deals if reasonable. If not, the remaining cap room can be used to take on other team's bad contracts with the Kings getting future picks etc in return.
Based on the Kings record without Cousins I would project the team to win 11 to 16 more games this year depending on when he's traded. Last year that would have slotted them 4th or 5th. Let's say they finish 5th and the Nets keep the 4th worst record. Using Tankathon that combo gave me the 1st & 6th picks in the draft.
DX has Fultz and Tatum in those slots right now. I love Fultz but I'd take Isaac, Giles (if he checks out medically) or Rabb over Tatum. But I think Isaac will rise on draft boards.
Koufos/Cauley-Stein/Papagiannis
Giles or Rabb/Labissiere/Tolliver
Brown/Barnes/Casspi or FA
Temple/Bogdanovic/Richardson
Fultz/Payne/Collison or FA
Not a good team. But lots of potential. And it would mean another pair of likely lottery picks (Kings' own plus Brooklyn's) next draft. Then Koufos, Barnes and Tolliver go, you look to deal one or two of the youngsters for future assets (or risk having to re-sign too many at once) and move along with the rebuild.
Easy.