I gave the off-season a "B".
1. I like the Bagley pick. For many of the people who've been acting like it was a colossal failure somehow easily forget that he was the third highest prospect on most big boards. He was not 40th. I even read articles and heard pundits going back and forth on Luka or Marvin for the number two pick. I was pulling for Doncic but the unforced (Not "Stauskus? Stauskus!) enthusiasm from the front office and the absolute swiftness with which they drafted Bagley made me reconsider. ( in addition to the fact that he was third on my board anyway and it certainly did not hurt that Atlanta passed on Doncic as well).
2. Relatively irrelevant for me was the essential release of Bruno.
3. I do not believe in karma but I do believe in some level of being a blessing and also paying it forward. Vlade Divac probably had the conversation with Garrett Temple that if he opted in, he would be traded. Memphis seems to be a team that could be in the playoff hunt this season with a healthy and returning Gasol and Conley. These are the kind of underrated moves front offices make to build their credibility with agents and players. In addition that landed a second round pick in a season that Memphis might not be very good.
4. Summer league was eye-opening regarding Frank Mason. At best he has not improved in regards to running an offense, at worst he has regressed. To guard against that and to improve the overall talent of the team, Vlade Divac signed Yogi Ferrell. Solid contract to get a high quality second point guard.
5. Getting Professor Big Shots signed up for 3 years of team control was a big get, especially at roughly 7 million per. From what I gather he is best played at the stretch-four but can certainly give some minutes at the three due to his shooting and skill. Quite importantly, he is a big that can stretch the floor to create driving lines for Fox. This offseason certainly proves to me that the team is building around Fox.
6. Hiring Bobby Jackson was a nice cherry on top. I do have some hesitations about constantly adding former Kings to the front office and the coaching staff. With that said, I'll respectfully set that aside for Bobby J because he earned his stripes about working his way up through the ranks.
I believe other moves could have been made but at the end of the day it takes two to tango. I have yet to hear of a player who was upset that the Kings spurned them by not signing them. Also if you believe that you have the players that need developmental room and will be stars, you don't sign someone over top of them. Right or wrong I truly believe Vlade Divac believes he has a young super team. As a result everything for this offseason has been about getting that one more super star piece through the draft and getting solid role players that are willing to be here.
I hope we can see extended minutes where Fox, buddy, Bogdan, Bagley, and Giles are on the floor together
