Blow It Up

[Groovygreg]

"You can't get there from here" has always been one of my favorite expressions. Obviously, you can always get from one place to another, but often there's no direct route between them. That's where the Kings find themselves now. There's no direct path from this mediocre team (the latest in a long line of iterations) to actually being a consistent playoff team or even a contender.

There was a chance. The Suns showed that. Their rebuild from the remnants of the Stoudamire/Marion/Nash team really started in 2012 when they traded Nash to the Lakers. Like the Kings they blew a lot of draft picks. Between 2011 and 2017 they had 11 first rounders. They packaged three of them (2 picks plus Bogdanovic's rights) to the Kings for Marquese Chriss. They used lottery picks on Markieff Morris, Kendall Marshall, Alex Len, Dragan Bender, and Josh Jackson. But in the middle of it they hit on Devin Booker. Not too dissimilar from the Kings hitting on Demarcus Cousins and then later De'Aaron Fox.

But the Suns did three things the Kings have failed to do.

1. They hit on another high pick to compliment their star. Ayton will never be Doncic, but he's a great complimentary piece and has come on strong to show he was a worthy #1 pick in a strong draft.
2. They hired the right coach. The Kings actually did that with Malone before he was run out of town. And possibly Joerger though he seemingly ran himself out of town. They certainly didn't do that with Walton. But Monty Williams has shown he's the right man for Phoenix and they've let him do his job.
3. They traded for the veteran piece they needed and surrounded their core with the wings you need to win in today's NBA. CP3 was by far the biggest difference maker for the Suns. He transformed that team. But Bridges, Crowder, Johnson etc are the type of role players you need around Paul, Booker, and Ayton.

Now they are coming off a finals appearance and just won 17 straight, including last night's victory over the resurgent Warriors.

The Kings could have been a few breaks from a similar tranformation. Hali is a good player but maybe not a great fit with Fox and Mitchell at least looks like a long time NBA player, but neither is the compliment the Kings really need for De'Aaron. Bagley certainly isn't. And instead of balancing the roster with trades the Kings have a glut of guards and bigs and almost no true wings. Which is especially frustrating when it's clear that guys like Hield and Bagley don't have a long term future with the team. Even Barnes is probably gone after next year.

But most of all, the player that they hoped to build around has regressed. We all hoped for Fox to take his game to a higher level this season and instead we're left wondering what's wrong or if he was never the guy we thought he was. It's depressing honestly.

The Kings can't get there from here.

There isn't a piece they can add or a reasonable trade they can make that will turn this roster into a contender. With Fox not looking like a star you can build around and not enough value left in the rest of the roster to trade for a second star there's no path forward.

It's hard to stomach the idea of a full rebuild after so many years of losing but the reality is that it's because this team should have gone that route a long time before.

Tanking last year could have got the Kings Evan Mobley who looks like a transformative player. Or Cade Cunningham or Scottie Barnes. Even Wagner would have been a much better fit for the current team. I like Mitchell, but he's not moving the needle so far.

The Kings have one decent trade chip and a bunch of mediocre ones with no real path for true improvement. It's definitely time to blow it up.

Deal Fox. Deal Barnes. Deal Hield and Bagley if anyone will actually offer anything of value. I love Holmes for his play, his efficiency and his contract, but you deal him if the offer is right too. Hold on to Haliburton and Mitchell (who play well together) and see what you have in low cost flyers like King, Queta, Ramsey, Davis, and Woodard. Maybe nothing. Maybe something. But this team has never allowed itself to be all the way bad. And that's probably the only path to eventually being good.

Very aptly summed up.

I (and likely many others) agree with you.

Given his obvious on the court chemistry with Haliburton, Holmes is the only veteran I would love to keep if possible but the FO needs to strongly consider every reasonable trade option..

The Kings have gotten themselves into this basketball purgatory through serial misfeasance, and now it’s time for the organization to fully commit to the sacrificial process of rebuilding.

 

[Tetsujin]

Very aptly summed up.

I (and likely many others) agree with you.

Given his obvious on the court chemistry with Haliburton, Holmes is the only veteran I would love to keep if possible but the FO needs to strongly consider every reasonable trade option..

The Kings have gotten themselves into this basketball purgatory through serial misfeasance, and now it’s time for the organization to fully commit to the sacrificial process of rebuilding.

If you're rebuilding, Holmes and Barnes have to be the first ones to go. Period.

In Holmes' case, he's a slightly undersized hustle big with elite interior scoring metrics at 28 years old just starting a 4 year contract, which is a win-now piece no matter how you slice it, chemistry with Haliburton be damned. If you're trying to get younger, that's sorta where you have to start because there's a chance his value won't get any higher than it is now and, by the time this team would be any good again, there is a distinct chance he'd be too old/beaten-up to actually help the team.

 

[macadocious]

McNair hasn’t even been here for two years, has he? These posts are so confusing, you’d think he’s been here a significant amount of time.

better yet, he’s been here just over 14 months. He came in weeks before the draft/FA/start of last season.

 

[24 rick barry]

And who is to say you can't get that kind of talent for Fox? Maybe there's a team out there that needs a point guard much more than their very good shooting guard currently on their roster? As examples, Anthony Edwards or Jalen Brown. You have to ask yourself: If Monte can find good value in the draft pool, is there any reason he can't find value in the NBA pool? Leaving aside the above examples, McNair should be focused on getting young NBA or G-league talent (less than 25 years old) that for whatever reason doesn't fit or is redundant or is undervalued on the team on which they currently reside (or maybe the team is just desperate for Fox or Barnes as their missing piece). Then you don't have to wait for 4-5 years before they know how to play basketball because when you purchase them you purchase some experience in the NBA. Then you have some guys who are hungry with chips on their shoulders. Then you don't have prima donnas who think the world is owed to them, but instead are willing to do anything you ask of them in order to make their way in the NBA. Then you don't have to pray that you luck out in the lottery with just the right player who might or might not get you to the playoffs three or four or five years from now.

Philly was a number 1 seed last year. To be a champion, you need stars, not G-leaguers who make it to the show. This is a player centric league. Are you surprised that with a new coach, we would have about the same record. It is the lack of talent and not the coaching. To be champion, you have to have stars and talent. As a small market team like Sacramento, Funky Kingston-as always-explains it profoundly. Unless, Weber, Divac, and company fall into your lap, you are much better off approaching the NBA, like the courageous OKC. They will be back competing into the playoffs while we try to build with our maxed-out talent to get to the play-in. Whoever offers the play-in as a goal should be FIRED.

 

[Tetsujin]

Philly was a number 1 seed last year. To be a champion, you need stars, not G-leaguers who make it to the show. This is a player centric league. Are you surprised that with a new coach, we would have about the same record. It is the lack of talent and not the coaching. To be champion, you have to have stars and talent. As a small market team like Sacramento, Funky Kingston-as always-explains it profoundly. Unless, Weber, Divac, and company fall into your lap, you are much better off approaching the NBA, like the courageous OKC. They will be back competing into the playoffs while we try to build with our maxed-out talent to get to the play-in. Whoever offers the play-in as a goal should be FIRED.

Man, not sure if you've seen OKC's roster and the protections on the picks they are getting over the next couple of seasons (also they don't have much cap space thanks to buying out Kemba and Shai's max kicking in next season), but it is far from a sure thing they won't be competing for the first overall pick in next year's draft too.

 

[gilly420]

Holmes has a pretty big trade kicker if I'm not mistaking. I really like his hustle and attitude but see his limitations as well. Too bad he can't grow a few inches taller. I would think he has some trade value with certain teams.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Holmes has a pretty big trade kicker if I'm not mistaking. I really like his hustle and attitude but see his limitations as well. Too bad he can't grow a few inches taller. I would think he has some trade value with certain teams.

Holmes has a 15% trade kicker, which means we would have to pay a prorated $1.5M this year, about $1.65M next year, and about $1.8M in ‘23-‘24 if we trade him. That money would also apply to our salary cap in those years. The team trading FOR Holmes would use $10.4M + the prorated value as incoming salary (even though they aren’t paying the kicker) and we would use only $10.4M as his outgoing salary.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Holmes has a 15% trade kicker, which means we would have to pay a prorated $1.5M this year, about $1.65M next year, and about $1.8M in ‘23-‘24 if we trade him. That money would also apply to our salary cap in those years. The team trading FOR Holmes would use $10.4M + the prorated value as incoming salary (even though they aren’t paying the kicker) and we would use only $10.4M as his outgoing salary.

So BOTH teams are on the hook for the salary cap aspect? (unless it's waived?)

 

[Kingster]

Above all, McNair needs to add players that are not only talented, but are also highly competitive and have high BBIQ. He needs to subtract players that aren't. Hield fits neither category - he plays defense about 25% of the time and nobody is going to claim him to be a mensa basketball mind. Fox is smart enough, but he'll only play at his max maybe a 25% of the time; also his leadership on this team is non-existent. If anything, Fox seems to be a downer for this team and is playing a passive-aggressive game to get traded. I'd do him the honor, but I wouldn't trade him on the cheap, that's for sure. Nobody is untouchable on this team, but the core guys who seem very competitive with good BBIQ are Mitchell, Halliburton, Barnes and Holmes.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

So BOTH teams are on the hook for the salary cap aspect? (unless it's waived?)

No, the team that receives the player has to treat that year's portion of the trade kicker as part of the contract for salary matching purposes, but the kicker is only applied to the previous team's cap. It's weird.

 

[Tetsujin]

Holmes has a 15% trade kicker, which means we would have to pay a prorated $1.5M this year, about $1.65M next year, and about $1.8M in ‘23-‘24 if we trade him. That money would also apply to our salary cap in those years. The team trading FOR Holmes would use $10.4M + the prorated value as incoming salary (even though they aren’t paying the kicker) and we would use only $10.4M as his outgoing salary.

The thing to keep in mind there is that, in the case of a rebuild, that extra salary hit wouldn’t mean as much in that we probably wouldn’t be looking to add a good player via cap room and/or we’d be dumping contracts elsewhere via trade to make it not matter anyways.

 

[Groovygreg]

If you're rebuilding, Holmes and Barnes have to be the first ones to go. Period.

In Holmes' case, he's a slightly undersized hustle big with elite interior scoring metrics at 28 years old just starting a 4 year contract, which is a win-now piece no matter how you slice it, chemistry with Haliburton be damned. If you're trying to get younger, that's sorta where you have to start because there's a chance his value won't get any higher than it is now and, by the time this team would be any good again, there is a distinct chance he'd be too old/beaten-up to actually help the team.

As I said, the Kings should be open to any possibility that yields improvement for the future.

 

[NewArena]

McNair actually set this franchise back a decade by retroactively being responsible for Geoff Petrie trading C-Webb for Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner.

I KNEW he was responsible for this Godforsaken flexible pieces. Ugh.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

The thing to keep in mind there is that, in the case of a rebuild, that extra salary hit wouldn’t mean as much in that we probably wouldn’t be looking to add a good player via cap room and/or we’d be dumping contracts elsewhere via trade to make it not matter anyways.

Yeah, it's not a big salary hit, I was just pointing out what the rules were with the trade kicker!

 

[SLAB]

Blow it up and build around TD and Queta. His presence on the bench these last two games have inspired these W’s, I know it!

 

[24 rick barry]

Man, not sure if you've seen OKC's roster and the protections on the picks they are getting over the next couple of seasons (also they don't have much cap space thanks to buying out Kemba and Shai's max kicking in next season), but it is far from a sure thing they won't be competing for the first overall pick in next year's draft too.

Exactly, the first overall pick in next year's draft, and the following year for that matter....this is in OKC's best long-term interest in competing for a championship...not to be a team whose goal is to simply get into the play-in this year with no real upside in the roster.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Blow it up and build around TD and Queta. His presence on the bench these last two games have inspired these W’s, I know it!

If we stash Queta in G-League for 2 seasons and call him up in 2023 what are the rules surrounding his contract status? If we gave him two years guaranteed would we still have RFA after that? I assume so but not sure how long term prospects work.

 

[hrdboild]

I don't see why we have to blow everything up to get better. The roster does not make a lot of sense as presently constructed but Barnes, Hield, and Holmes should all have value to teams competing for the playoffs because they have clearly defined skillsets and trading one of our 2 PGs for a wing would return some normalcy to the rotation. The problem with the whole "blow it up" plan to me is that we've all seen the value of a first round pick by now and 3 times out of 4 it's not worth much. McNair has been pretty solid in his talent evaluation in his first 2 drafts but he's also created rotation problems because the BPA is often not the best fit. I see no reason to expect a new crop of first round picks will turn out substantially better than the last one. Other teams are treating their first round picks like gold right now too so I'd probably be willing to send out picks in combination with other players to get back players who would fit a system better.

As for the players themselves, I'm a big believer in Neemias Queta. I've been running statistical analysis on first round picks for the last 10 years and he ranked out as elite last season to the point where he probably should have been a top 10 pick if my predictive model works. We'll see. I also think Davion Mitchell has lived up to his billing as a defensive stopper so far even if his offense has been slow in translating to the NBA. Marvin Bagley in his last couple of games has looked like a player we should continue developing and if we do decide to trade either Fox or Haliburton I think we should be able to get a very good player in return. Call me crazy but I think there's a winning team to be made here with a couple of trades and a significant coaching upgrade. Once you get past Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah the rest of the Western Conference all looks very beatable this season with teams like LA (both), Denver, Portland, Dallas, and San Antonio all trending down.

 

[EIM86]

I don't see why we have to blow everything up to get better. The roster does not make a lot of sense as presently constructed but Barnes, Hield, and Holmes should all have value to teams competing for the playoffs because they have clearly defined skillsets and trading one of our 2 PGs for a wing would return some normalcy to the rotation. The problem with the whole "blow it up" plan to me is that we've all seen the value of a first round pick by now and 3 times out of 4 it's not worth much. McNair has been pretty solid in his talent evaluation in his first 2 drafts but he's also created rotation problems because the BPA is often not the best fit. I see no reason to expect a new crop of first round picks will turn out substantially better than the last one. Other teams are treating their first round picks like gold right now too so I'd probably be willing to send out picks in combination with other players to get back players who would fit a system better.

As for the players themselves, I'm a big believer in Neemias Queta. I've been running statistical analysis on first round picks for the last 10 years and he ranked out as elite last season to the point where he probably should have been a top 10 pick if my predictive model works. We'll see. I also think Davion Mitchell has lived up to his billing as a defensive stopper so far even if his offense has been slow in translating to the NBA. Marvin Bagley in his last couple of games has looked like a player we should continue developing and if we do decide to trade either Fox or Haliburton I think we should be able to get a very good player in return. Call me crazy but I think there's a winning team to be made here with a couple of trades and a significant coaching upgrade. Once you get past Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah the rest of the Western Conference all looks very beatable this season with teams like LA (both), Denver, Portland, Dallas, and San Antonio all trending down.

Yah this is the season to make noise with all the injuries and weaker conference. Confidence is one of the main top 3 issues with this team. When you keep losing you just don’t feel good and don’t know how to get out if it until somebody shows you

 

[kb02]

I don't see why we have to blow everything up to get better. The roster does not make a lot of sense as presently constructed but Barnes, Hield, and Holmes should all have value to teams competing for the playoffs because they have clearly defined skillsets and trading one of our 2 PGs for a wing would return some normalcy to the rotation. The problem with the whole "blow it up" plan to me is that we've all seen the value of a first round pick by now and 3 times out of 4 it's not worth much. McNair has been pretty solid in his talent evaluation in his first 2 drafts but he's also created rotation problems because the BPA is often not the best fit. I see no reason to expect a new crop of first round picks will turn out substantially better than the last one. Other teams are treating their first round picks like gold right now too so I'd probably be willing to send out picks in combination with other players to get back players who would fit a system better.

As for the players themselves, I'm a big believer in Neemias Queta. I've been running statistical analysis on first round picks for the last 10 years and he ranked out as elite last season to the point where he probably should have been a top 10 pick if my predictive model works. We'll see. I also think Davion Mitchell has lived up to his billing as a defensive stopper so far even if his offense has been slow in translating to the NBA. Marvin Bagley in his last couple of games has looked like a player we should continue developing and if we do decide to trade either Fox or Haliburton I think we should be able to get a very good player in return. Call me crazy but I think there's a winning team to be made here with a couple of trades and a significant coaching upgrade. Once you get past Golden State, Phoenix, and Utah the rest of the Western Conference all looks very beatable this season with teams like LA (both), Denver, Portland, Dallas, and San Antonio all trending down.

The Fox or Halliburton question isn’t really one. Contract & Salary Ceiling (lux tax) = Fox.

All the other things like Hali being the better player, long term is secondary. Though I think Hali will unquestionably be the better long term player.

 

[EIM86]

The Fox or Halliburton question isn’t really one. Contract & Salary Ceiling (lux tax) = Fox.

All the other things like Hali being the better player, long term is secondary. Though I think Hali will unquestionably be the better long term player.

Unquestionably is pretty absolute. He’s gonna be a good player most likely but I don’t think his ceiling is that~ high and I don’t even think he’ll make an all star game in his career

 

[hrdboild]

The Fox or Halliburton question isn’t really one. Contract & Salary Ceiling (lux tax) = Fox.

All the other things like Hali being the better player, long term is secondary. Though I think Hali will unquestionably be the better long term player.

Actually, it is a question. Haliburton is cheaper now but rookie contacts don't last forever and his extension is going to be bigger than Fox's if the salary cap continues to go up at its usual rate. Then there's the matter of which player will bring the bigger return and if the hypothetical pairing of Fox+Player A is better in the aggregate than Haliburton+Player B where Player's A and B are whoever we could get in return for trading Haliburton or Fox, respectively.

I don't think we need to trade Fox or Haliburton but we probably can't continue putting out a rotation with 5 guards and 1 full-size wing so something has to give eventually. Really I was just trying to make the point that we have options other than tanking for lottery balls. Barnes and Holmes have both raised their trade value this season and Buddy's one elite skill happens to be the one with the greatest demand. The roster is talented but the pieces don't fit together very well so a couple of mutually beneficial trades could restore hope for this season and the future.

 

[Kingster]

If you're rebuilding, Holmes and Barnes have to be the first ones to go. Period.

In Holmes' case, he's a slightly undersized hustle big with elite interior scoring metrics at 28 years old just starting a 4 year contract, which is a win-now piece no matter how you slice it, chemistry with Haliburton be damned. If you're trying to get younger, that's sorta where you have to start because there's a chance his value won't get any higher than it is now and, by the time this team would be any good again, there is a distinct chance he'd be too old/beaten-up to actually help the team.

Obviously, it all depends on what you get in return. If, for example, you're only going to get a middling 1st rounder for Holmes, forget it. That would be a joke. And given the dearth of 3s on this team and the fact that Barnes is in his prime and is very good, you better get back a younger player with a very high ceiling and/or be guaranteed a top five pick in the upcoming draft if you trade him.

Here's another example of the principle I would employ. The Warriors are out to win a championship this year. They happen to have three talented younger players on their roster. It is highly unlikely that those youngsters will have any significant role in their championship push. Might they want a proven vet or two? Not all good teams are bereft of younger talent. The Warriors are just one example to illustrate my point.

As for getting younger, that's not the main goal for me. Getting better is the priority, as long as you don't go down a road of getting back over-the-hill geriatric "name" players in exchange for your players.

 

[kingdivac]

Obviously, it all depends on what you get in return. If, for example, you're only going to get a middling 1st rounder for Holmes, forget it. That would be a joke. And given the dearth of 3s on this team and the fact that Barnes is in his prime and is very good, you better get back a younger player with a very high ceiling and/or be guaranteed a top five pick in the upcoming draft if you trade him.

Here's another example of the principle I would employ. The Warriors are out to win a championship this year. They happen to have three talented younger players on their roster. It is highly unlikely that those youngsters will have any significant role in their championship push. Might they want a proven vet or two? Not all good teams are bereft of younger talent. The Warriors are just one example to illustrate my point.

As for getting younger, that's not the main goal for me. Getting better is the priority, as long as you don't go down a road of getting back over-the-hill geriatric "name" players in exchange for your players.

I'd have to go through the reference websites, but how many seasons have the Kings been over .500 after the first 10 or 20 games in a season? 2 or 3 seasons at most I'd bet.....team needs to be average before it can be good. .500 is an average team I think. I don
t think the team has finished above .500 since their last playoffs with Ron Artest and Bonzi Wells .

 

[kb02]

Unquestionably is pretty absolute. He’s gonna be a good player most likely but I don’t think his ceiling is that~ high and I don’t even think he’ll make an all star game in his career

I think Hali and Fox end up as sometimes All Stars. Of the two, I take the player that makes others better over the player that needs others to play around him each and every time. Neither is an elite talent.

 

[kb02]

Actually, it is a question. Haliburton is cheaper now but rookie contacts don't last forever and his extension is going to be bigger than Fox's if the salary cap continues to go up at its usual rate. Then there's the matter of which player will bring the bigger return and if the hypothetical pairing of Fox+Player A is better in the aggregate than Haliburton+Player B where Player's A and B are whoever we could get in return for trading Haliburton or Fox, respectively.

I don't think we need to trade Fox or Haliburton but we probably can't continue putting out a rotation with 5 guards and 1 full-size wing so something has to give eventually. Really I was just trying to make the point that we have options other than tanking for lottery balls. Barnes and Holmes have both raised their trade value this season and Buddy's one elite skill happens to be the one with the greatest demand. The roster is talented but the pieces don't fit together very well so a couple of mutually beneficial trades could restore hope for this season and the future.

We’re talking the here and now regarding their contracts.

Trading Fox is easier, because you can absorb bigger salaries. Fox works one for one with Simmons or Sabonis (Or close to a 1 for 1; check trade machine). Trading Hali for Simmons requires pulling in other players like Barnes. And if you have only one big contract on the roster that then frees the team up to go after another big contract if they’re not tanking.

 

[Kingster]

I'd have to go through the reference websites, but how many seasons have the Kings been over .500 after the first 10 or 20 games in a season? 2 or 3 seasons at most I'd bet.....team needs to be average before it can be good. .500 is an average team I think. I don
t think the team has finished above .500 since their last playoffs with Ron Artest and Bonzi Wells .

Yep.

 

[EIM86]

We’re talking the here and now regarding their contracts.

Trading Fox is easier, because you can absorb bigger salaries. Fox works one for one with Simmons or Sabonis (Or close to a 1 for 1; check trade machine). Trading Hali for Simmons requires pulling in other players like Barnes. And if you have only one big contract on the roster that then frees the team up to go after another big contract if they’re not tanking.

lol give it up with these trades that’ll never happen. Everybody wants a bargain with us since we the poverty franchise.

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1467891744348028930

In terms of blow 'er up deals, this isn't too bad. Deni's a good young wing who isn't a total sieve on defense. We need another big like I need another hole in my head but Thomas Bryant looked very good before blowing out his knee at 23 years old last season and is an expiring deal. Sure, I'd prefer Rui or someone coming back in place of Bryant but two good young wing-forwards in one deal is probably too much to ask for (Rui's also currently dealing with mental issues). Wouldn't be thrilled about having to take Dinwiddie back (He's good but also doesn't fit the timeline of a rebuild at all since he's the same age as Richaun and coming off of lower leg surgery.) but he's pretty much the only piece that could make a tree like this work financially and is also very tradable himself as a piece going to a third team. Those 2022 and 2025 first round picks better be unprotected or at least only lightly protected and I'd say that there'd need to be a potential pick swap in between those somewhere as well but as the framework of a build-for-the-future trade, it's solid.

(Ironically, adding a solid wing like Deni and a solid scoring guard like Spencer might actually balance this roster better to the point that we'd probably still be in sight of a playoff/play-in spot)

 

[kb02]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1467891744348028930

In terms of blow 'er up deals, this isn't too bad. Deni's a good young wing who isn't a total sieve on defense. We need another big like I need another hole in my head but Thomas Bryant looked very good before blowing out his knee at 23 years old last season and is an expiring deal. Sure, I'd prefer Rui or someone coming back in place of Bryant but two good young wing-forwards in one deal is probably too much to ask for (Rui's also currently dealing with mental issues). Wouldn't be thrilled about having to take Dinwiddie back (He's good but also doesn't fit the timeline of a rebuild at all since he's the same age as Richaun and coming off of lower leg surgery.) but he's pretty much the only piece that could make a tree like this work financially and is also very tradable himself as a piece going to a third team. Those 2022 and 2025 first round picks better be unprotected or at least only lightly protected and I'd say that there'd need to be a potential pick swap in between those somewhere as well but as the framework of a build-for-the-future trade, it's solid.

(Ironically, adding a solid wing like Deni and a solid scoring guard like Spencer might actually balance this roster better to the point that we'd probably still be in sight of a playoff/play-in spot)

You spend months hating on the Fox for Simmons proposal. Depending on your perspective, the trade would send an above average to potentially elite talent for an elite talent, who has some flaws.

Your proposal would trade above average to potentially elite talent for good to potentially above average talent. And two firsts that are going to be in the late teens to 20s.

Kings need a talent upgrade. Not more solid players and meh draft picks. Kings punt Fox only if it is a for sure talent upgrade...like Simmons or Sabonis.