Who Should We Sign? (2023 Off-Season)

[Kingster]

Lyles is the only player that I want badly from the bunch whose contracts are up. He's continually come up big in big moments and is physical, tough and has a good BBIQ.

Barnes is a good player that I wouldn't mind resigning, but not nearly worth the $20 mill he's currently getting, imo.

As we've discussed, the Kings need a lengthy athletic physical wing - think a young Alonzo Mourning. That should do it. Easy peezy, McNair, just find him in the upcoming draft.

 

[notoriousBEN3]

It’s probably an unrealistic target, but I continue to think that Mikal Bridges would just be such a fantastic fit for this team. He plays offense and defense, and his age fits right in with the current core. I don’t know if we can find a better fit who is *maybe* available in free agency or a trade, but I fear we’d have to give up A TON to land him. But I might be ok with that…

 

[iowamcnabb]

One name we might see floated around is Kyle Kuzma. He isn’t popular on this board, then again neither was Wiggins but as a player he is an upgrade over Barnes. He is a better scorer, defender, passer and rebounder. The downside is he likely doesn’t possess the leadership and role flexibility that Barnes does and could potentially limit Keegan’s ascension into a prominent role.

 

[The_Jamal]

For the record on Barnes, I’m open to an upgrade, I’m just not seeing anything both definitive and realistic

My "realistic" thinking is you replace him in the aggregate and bring in a few guys:

Go get Naz Reid
Go sign Sasha
Resign Trey

You'd probably need to clear Holmes to get all 3, but I think you could easily swing 2 with thr Barnes money

 

[iowamcnabb]

My "realistic" thinking is you replace him in the aggregate and bring in a few guys:

Go get Naz Reid
Go sign Sasha
Resign Trey

You'd probably need to clear Holmes to get all 3, but I think you could easily swing 2 with thr Barnes money

are you starting Naz at the 4?

 

[206Fan]

One name we might see floated around is Kyle Kuzma. He isn’t popular on this board, then again neither was Wiggins but as a player he is an upgrade over Barnes. He is a better scorer, defender, passer and rebounder. The downside is he likely doesn’t possess the leadership and role flexibility that Barnes does and could potentially limit Keegan’s ascension into a prominent role.

Unlike.

wouldn’t be surprised if he is a King next season though

 

[The_Jamal]

are you starting Naz at the 4?

Naz 4/5 flex, Sasha (hopefully) 3/4 flex, Lyles 4/5 flex, Keegan 3/4 flex, Domas at the 5.

 

[206Fan]

Man. I just got really confused between Jaden McDaniels, Jalen McDaniels, and Jalen Smith…

but Jalen McDaniels (the not as good one) will be a free agent. Could be a good lower tier signing. I know he had a lot of fans here when he was on the Hornets. I don’t think he’s done as much on the Sixers

 

[jiimbob]

I recon Monte has this.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Naz 4/5 flex, Sasha (hopefully) 3/4 flex, Lyles 4/5 flex, Keegan 3/4 flex, Domas at the 5.

it’s a thought. He, like all these guys has his warts. He can shoot the three but his percentages from deep and the line aren’t great. Doesn’t rebound all that well for a guy his size. I go back and forth on him and basically all the options

 

[iowamcnabb]

Man. I just got really confused between Jaden McDaniels, Jalen McDaniels, and Jalen Smith…

but Jalen McDaniels (the not as good one) will be a free agent. Could be a good lower tier signing. I know he had a lot of fans here when he was on the Hornets. I don’t think he’s done as much on the Sixers

it’s so hard to know. Most of the options can play defense but not really shoot or the other way around.

 

[iowamcnabb]

One of the best things this team has going for it is chemistry. It’s a delicate balance between maintaining that and upgrading talent

 

[LPKingsFan]

One name we might see floated around is Kyle Kuzma. He isn’t popular on this board, then again neither was Wiggins but as a player he is an upgrade over Barnes. He is a better scorer, defender, passer and rebounder. The downside is he likely doesn’t possess the leadership and role flexibility that Barnes does and could potentially limit Keegan’s ascension into a prominent role.

If he’s a better defender, passer, and rebounder, is there a concern about role if you’re looking for others, like Keegan, to score more? Or do you mean he might not be willing to accept that role, even if he’s capable of it?

 

[The_Jamal]

it’s a thought. He, like all these guys has his warts. He can shoot the three but his percentages from deep and the line aren’t great. Doesn’t rebound all that well for a guy his size. I go back and forth on him and basically all the options

What's real interesting about Naz is the 4/5 versatility as a big (very rare), gives you some rim protection and he's been insanely good any time he gets to be a starter and have a real role. Like I think he's a potential 20 PPG type scorer with the minutes and right role.

 

[SacTownKid]

One of the best things this team has going for it is chemistry. It’s a delicate balance between maintaining that and upgrading talent

Fox and Domas will lift anyone next to them, I have no doubt about that at this point.

 

[SacTownKid]

What's real interesting about Naz is the 4/5 versatility as a big (very rare), gives you some rim protection and he's been insanely good any time he gets to be a starter and have a real role. Like I think he's a potential 20 PPG type scorer with the minutes and right role.

If Monte isn't willing to shoot for the moon, going under the radar on a potential huge payoff buy is the way. Is Naz that under the radar though? I think the Wolves certainly hope he is.

 

[jiimbob]

What's real interesting about Naz is the 4/5 versatility as a big (very rare), gives you some rim protection and he's been insanely good any time he gets to be a starter and have a real role. Like I think he's a potential 20 PPG type scorer with the minutes and right role.

What's the likelihood Naz doesn't resign with the Wolves. He sounds like a good fit here.
Also read that Crowder is not happy with his role with the Bucks, as much as I like Barnes as a person etc.. sorry but disappointed right now.

 

[The_Jamal]

If Monte isn't willing to shoot for the moon, going under the radar on a potential huge payoff buy is the way. Is Naz that under the radar though? I think the Wolves certainly hope he is.

That's where if we cut bait with HB and we have some cap room, things get real interesting. Not a ton of teams have money this off-season (I think?) so if we come in, offer a starting gig and somewhere around a 8-11 mil AAV deal has to be super appealing to Naz. And Minny just doesn't have the resources to commit that to him imo with KAT and Gobert.

 

[iowamcnabb]

If he’s a better defender, passer, and rebounder, is there a concern about role if you’re looking for others, like Keegan, to score more? Or do you mean he might not be willing to accept that role, even if he’s capable of it?

potentially blocking Keegan’s ascension with a high usage player is part of the equation. I think Keegan would accept it but I want his usage to go way up next year. To me the biggest concern is whether Kuzma would fit into the culture of the Kings and if he replaced Barnes how much does that hurt leadership?

 

[iowamcnabb]

That's where if we cut bait with HB and we have some cap room, things get real interesting. Not a ton of teams have money this off-season (I think?) so if we come in, offer a starting gig and somewhere around a 8-11 mil AAV deal has to be super appealing to Naz. And Minny just doesn't have the resources to commit that to him imo with KAT and Gobert.

this is the cap space landscape at the moment.

 

[The_Jamal]

What's the likelihood Naz doesn't resign with the Wolves. He sounds like a good fit here.
Also read that Crowder is not happy with his role with the Bucks, as much as I like Barnes as a person etc.. sorry but disappointed right now.

I just don't think they can afford it.

Gobert has 3 years left on his crazy expensive deal
KAT on a super max
Edwards gets his max after next season
McDaniels probably gets at least 15+mil/season with another strong year. He's on that short-list of guys with the potential to win a DPOY and very likely is in contention for all-defensive team awards for a majority of his career.

 

[SacTownKid]

this is the cap space landscape at the moment.

View attachment 11918

What's the over/under on Ainge still being in love with Harrison? lol. I see a few potential dump locations for Holmes if number 24 gets the job done.

 

[jiimbob]

We are so close with the right tweeks. Easy to get optimistic.

 

[Stan.Helsing]

I think signing Cam Johnson and trading for Herbert Jones + Jericho Sims would solve the problems seen in this series (i.e., having another consistent 3-point shooter, defense, rebounding).

1) Make offer to Cam and get him to ask out so the Nets do not match.
2) Trade 24th pick to the Pels for Herbert? The trade can be completed after the draft.
3) Trade Alex Len + Kessler Edwards to the Knicks for Sims?
4) Sign Keita Bates-Diop as UFA?
5) Draft Zach Edey with 38th pick.

G: Fox, Davion
G: Huerter, Monk
F: Murray, Herbert Jones?, Keita Bates-Diop?
F: Cam Johnson?, Lyles
C: Sabonis, Jericho Sims?, Zach Edey?

Most used lineups...
1) Fox, Herbert, Murray, Johnson, Sabonis
2) Fox, Huerter, Herbert, Murray/Johnson, Sabonis
3) Davion, Monk, Murray, Johnson, Sims/Edey

 

[serbiangoat]

I've mentioned him in the thread before but watching Petrusev play the PF at 6'11 in the Euroleague (season finished for his team) and the fact he played a lot next to Luka Mitrovic who is the Serbian Sabonis (way worse than Sabonis off course but near exact style of play), I would love to see him and Lyles as the Kings 4/5 back ups/part time starters. He shot 35% from 3 in the Euroleague and over 52.5% from 3 in the ABA and is a solid finisher with amazing timing on his dive cuts from the baseline. Also he's completely changed his game from being a go to in the post back to the basket player at Gonzaga/Mega to a off the ball dunk spot finisher/face up 1 dribble drive to the basket and floor spacer which shows he's a hard worker.

On D he slides his feet side to side really well but does get cooked by players with good pull up games. If the Kings don't bring Sasha over I don't think it would take much to get him from Philly who already have Embied/BBall Paul and Harrell. Also his trolling abilities in a subtle way and composure when being attacked (has been attack 1 minute into a game by former NBA player Willie Reed) and straight after a game by French International Lessort is impressive. Also getting paid minimum in the NBA would be way more than he would be making in Red Star (Campazzo is the highest paid player at 1.4mil per season or over 2 seasons I can't remember).

https://youtu.be/5uOARxjGXaQ (all dunks from Euroleague season including potential dunk of the year over a 7'4 guy).

 

[twslam07]

I've been thinking about this a bit more and it's easy to get wrapped up in the immediate emotional reaction to being in the playoffs, winning playoff games, losing playoff games, etc., but I think we need to keep our eyes on the prize and play the long game.

This is the 1st time we've been to the playoffs in 16 seasons. At the start of next season, Fox will be 25, Mitchell will be 25, Huerter will be 25, Monk will be 25, Davis will be 26, Murray will be 23, Edwards will be 23, Lyles will be 27, & Sabonis will be 27. We still have a relatively young core who should be in playoffs in many of the upcoming years.

Having said that, I think many of us can recognize that this team would likely need a 3rd star if we really want to become a contender one day which would push Sabonis into a 3rd option/facilitator role (which I think would be his sweet spot). If we acknowledge that fact and acknowledge that's the long term goal to elevate this team, we probably should recognize that we shouldn't trade any of our assets for anything less than that type of player (or cap space to sign such a player).

Now if Murray continues to develop and looks like he will become that 3rd star, great! We can look at selling off some of our assets for better fitting, complementary upgrades around Fox, Murray, and Sabonis, but until we know Murray will be that type of player, I think we need to keep our assets close and stay patient. If Murray looks like he won't develop into a star player, then perhaps that's when you look to combine your assets (Murray, Mitchell, Picks, etc.) to bring that type of player in to hopefully elevate a Fox/Sabonis core to a contender.

Giving us more time to assess what we have with Murray seems crucial to the direction we take as a franchise. If Murray breakouts into a fringe star next season, maybe we open the door to trading our assets for better fitting, complementary upgrades around Fox, Murray, & Sabonis. If Murray doesn't take a huge leap but we see good progression from Murray next season, perhaps we remain patient and give Murray a 3rd season to see if he progresses again. If Murray essentially looks like the same player next season, perhaps we consider moving Murray, Mitchell, and/or assets to bring in a 3rd star. The other bonus of being patient 1 more season, is that our 2024 1st will hopefully convey to Atlanta (protected top 14) which frees up all of our future 1sts (making it much easier to put together an attractive offer for a star).

With that in mind, we have ~$22.0 mil in cap space this offseason with the following players under contract:

• De'Aaron Fox
• Davion Mitchell
• Kevin Huerter
• Malik Monk
• Keegan Murray
• Kessler Edwards
• Domantas Sabonis
• Richaun Holmes
• 2023 SAC 1st

That cap space drops to ~$19.6 mil if we keep Lyles cap hold in place. I'm wondering if we just keep it simple and attempt to sign one of Cam Johnson, PJ Washington, or Grant Williams with that cap space. And if that doesn't work out, I'd likely just resign Barnes (who will be 31 at the start of next season). Then we'd use our exception on a backup C and call it an offseason. We'd have the following roster:

PG - Fox || Mitchell
SG - Huerter || Monk
SF - Murray || Edwards
PF - Johnson/Washington/Williams/Barnes || Lyles
C - Sabonis || FA C
Picks - #24 || #38 || #54

This essentially allows us to keep the same team/core while potentially replacing Barnes with a younger forward (who might be a more attractive asset if we do end up needing/wanting to trade for a 3rd star vs. the 31 year old Barnes). We'd also hopefully have an upgrade at backup C and have some young players via our draft picks that maybe surprise us.

After the 2023-24 season, you then go into the offseason (assuming our 2024 1st conveyed to Atlanta), and we'd have the following young assets to use in a trade (if we're not confident in Murray's ability to become that 3rd star at that point in time):

• Mitchell
• Monk (would need to be resigned first)
• Huerter
• Murray
• Edwards (would need to be resigned first)
• Johnson/Washington/Williams (assuming we signed one of these guys and not the 31 year old Barnes)
• #24 (from 2023 Draft)
• #38 (from 2023 Draft)
• #54 (from 2023 Draft)
• 2025 SAC 1st
• 2026 SAC 1st Pick Swap
• 2027 SAC 1st
• 2028 SAC 1st Pick Swap
• 2029 SAC 1st
• 2030 SAC 1st Pick Swap
• 2031 SAC 1st

I wouldn't be surprised to see McNair take this approach. He seems like the "long game" type and with an extension in place, he has the security to approach it in such a way.

I still see this as the approach we should take. Try for one of the young forwards, resign Lyles, and use the MLE on a better backup C. If we can't steal one of the young forwards, resign Barnes instead (~$45 mil/3 years).

I think the 2023-24 season will be telling if we have found our 3rd star (Murray), and if Murray isn't looking like he is that type of player (or at least on that trajectory), you're going to need all the assets you can to trade for that 3rd big piece.

 

[Ozymandias]

Jaxson Hayes!

Ultra athletic, 7', long arms and explosive, throws down ridiculous dunks and flys around on defense and protects the rim. A great buy low candidate for Coach Brown to help fine tune. He needs a new spot to start over, a high paced uptempo suits him. He's a guy if he's really engaged on the boards, it could pay huge dividends. He's also just able to get his hands on boards in the upper atmosphere, can highpoint and tip rebounds that most players could only dream of reaching.

He'd provide us with a VERY different look. Turns 23 in a few weeks, could we nab him super cheap on a 2 or 3 year deal and get outselves a great bargain in year 2 or 3 sorta like what we did with Malik Monk?

Pound-for-Pound he's easily gotta be one of the best athletes per dollar on the market, cuz it sure seems he'll be cheap.

Major space eater, covers incredible amounts of ground very quickly, including recovering out to the perimeter to block 3's.

Obviously he had some off the court issues, maybe we catch him in a maturing / growth phase. Worth investigating he'd add a very different look here.

 

[Ozymandias]

I've mentioned him in the thread before but watching Petrusev play the PF at 6'11 in the Euroleague (season finished for his team) and the fact he played a lot next to Luka Mitrovic who is the Serbian Sabonis (way worse than Sabonis off course but near exact style of play), I would love to see him and Lyles as the Kings 4/5 back ups/part time starters. He shot 35% from 3 in the Euroleague and over 52.5% from 3 in the ABA and is a solid finisher with amazing timing on his dive cuts from the baseline. Also he's completely changed his game from being a go to in the post back to the basket player at Gonzaga/Mega to a off the ball dunk spot finisher/face up 1 dribble drive to the basket and floor spacer which shows he's a hard worker.

On D he slides his feet side to side really well but does get cooked by players with good pull up games. If the Kings don't bring Sasha over I don't think it would take much to get him from Philly who already have Embied/BBall Paul and Harrell. Also his trolling abilities in a subtle way and composure when being attacked (has been attack 1 minute into a game by former NBA player Willie Reed) and straight after a game by French International Lessort is impressive. Also getting paid minimum in the NBA would be way more than he would be making in Red Star (Campazzo is the highest paid player at 1.4mil per season or over 2 seasons I can't remember).

https://youtu.be/5uOARxjGXaQ (all dunks from Euroleague season including potential dunk of the year over a 7'4 guy).

Petrusev is an NBA quality player for sure. Always looked that way when he was at Gonzaga. He'd be interesting here. I like this idea.

 

[Ozymandias]

I am of the opinion we resign Barnes, Lyles, TD

* = Draftee (James Nnaji @24, Brandin Podziemski@37 and Nadir Hafi@ 54)
** = FA Signing (Keita Bates-Diop, Jaxson Hayes and UDFA Matthew Murrell)

PG - Fox, Mitchell, Monk, Podziemski*, Hafi*(two-way)
SG - Huerter, Monk, Davis, Podziemski*, Murrell(two-way)
SF - Murray, Bates-Diop**, Huerter/Barnes, Edwards
PF - Barnes, Murray, Bates-Diop**, Lyles, Edwards
C - Sabonis, Lyles, Hayes**, Nnaji*
Cheerleader - Richaun Holmes

No massive changes just a few upgrades, Bates-Diop being the biggest, a potential flamethrower off the bench in Podziemski, plus shotblockers in Hayes and Nnaji who cover lots of ground quickly, makes our frontcourt much longer.

 

[Stan.Helsing]

I've mentioned him in the thread before but watching Petrusev play the PF at 6'11 in the Euroleague (season finished for his team) and the fact he played a lot next to Luka Mitrovic who is the Serbian Sabonis (way worse than Sabonis off course but near exact style of play), I would love to see him and Lyles as the Kings 4/5 back ups/part time starters.

Seems like a decent enough offensive talent to take a chance on at PF. However, I think getting Cam Johnson and a defensive SF/SG (like Herbert Jones) are the most important moves to make though, followed by getting a viable defensive/rebounding Center (like Sims). Then the FO can start filling in the blanks, like making moves for guys like KBD and Petrusev, as well as deciding how much to pay Lyles.

G: Fox, Davion
G: Huerter, Monk
F: Murray, Herbert Jones?, Keita Bates-Diop?
F: Cam Johnson?, Lyles, Petrusev?
C: Sabonis, Jericho Sims?, Zach Edey?