Sasha Watch 2022-2023

[Vinny Basketballerino]

you really think he can earn that much in his career?

Oh absolutely brother. Absolutely. Money NBA guys make nowadays is just insane - and it's projected to continue to grow.

As some on here are saying, if he can prove himself in this league to be a solid rotational stretch 4 with insane range that plays 20-25 minutes, he'll make 10M a year easy. This is the Euroleague MVP we are talking about - and - his game fits exactly what the NBA is now. He also doesn't appear to be soft. His ceiling is probably a starter, 3rd or 4th option on a playoff team averaging 12-15pts. That's 15-20M year territory.

Let's split the difference: 12M a year for 6 years = 72M plus his first (I assume two year) contract at around 8M a year. Call it 90M over 8 years. I think that's perfectly reasonable to expect, if he's able to do what it appears he can. His game translates. We shall see.

 

[ockingsfan]

I'm thinking this first contract will be in the neighborhood of 3 years/$18-20 mil, to get him over to the NBA. If Sasha proves his worth as a legit stretch 4, the 2nd contract will probably be in the 4 years/ $48-60+ mil range. If it doesn't work out in the NBA, Sasha can go back to Europe at 30 years old and continue his career there.

As long as the Kings don't try to low ball him, I think he comes. With all the mutual interest by Sasha and the Kings, I think the deal gets done before free agency begins.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

Just thought of another angle that Coach Brown could use to get him over here: playing against NBA competition will make his game better, and then later in his career if he wants to come back and win one, he'll have higher level skills to do so. Access to the best coaching in the world, etc., etc.

 

[kingsfan101]

it’s not likely to be anywhere close to 5 times. He is making close to 2 mil now post tax. If he gets 7 mil a year with us that is about 3.5 here. Now factor in that it is probably 2 or 3 times more expensive living in California compared to Greece. His next contract could be a big one or if he has a Trey Lyles type impact it could be for less than you are envisioning

Valid points, but let me speak as an immigrant myself (of course, at a much lower pay scale )

I had a good job in India with IBM. Straight out of college. Lived and worked in a place I loved, had lots of friends, and was close to family.

The salaries in US were much much higher though, and after resisting for some time, I followed many of my friends who decided to follow the money. While I miss home and family, in every other way, it's been a wonderful experience. Salary difference between India and US has gone down over the years, but is still significant. The usual caveats about higher cost of living in US (and that too Bay Area) apply to me as well.

Despite all that, my savings here are a lot higher than they would be back home. It would be even more so for higher earners, since some of the fixed costs are well, fixed. A majority of high living expenses come from high cost of property value (either in terms of rent, or price leading to high monthly payments). For people who can afford to purchase outright, that's less of a concern, and you will largely recoup that value when you sell.

Each person will have their own priorities and thoughts, but from financial perspective alone, a move makes a lot of sense, even with "just" 3.5 times the salary.

 

[dude12]

Interesting reading the comments here. I’d say that in regards to Sasha and taking everything into consideration, everything points to him coming over if you take all things into consideration such as money, opportunity in best league, optimal time to make a switch, the right team and organization for him to be successful, etc.

The only thing we don’t know is what motivates Sasha and nobody can speak to that except him.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

Interesting reading the comments here. I’d say that in regards to Sasha and taking everything into consideration, everything points to him coming over if you take all things into consideration such as money, opportunity in best league, optimal time to make a switch, the right team and organization for him to be successful, etc.

The only thing we don’t know is what motivates Sasha and nobody can speak to that except him.

Very well said.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Valid points, but let me speak as an immigrant myself (of course, at a much lower pay scale )

I had a good job in India with IBM. Straight out of college. Lived and worked in a place I loved, had lots of friends, and was close to family.

The salaries in US were much much higher though, and after resisting for some time, I followed many of my friends who decided to follow the money. While I miss home and family, in every other way, it's been a wonderful experience. Salary difference between India and US has gone down over the years, but is still significant. The usual caveats about higher cost of living in US (and that too Bay Area) apply to me as well.

Despite all that, my savings here are a lot higher than they would be back home. It would be even more so for higher earners, since some of the fixed costs are well, fixed. A majority of high living expenses come from high cost of property value (either in terms of rent, or price leading to high monthly payments). For people who can afford to purchase outright, that's less of a concern, and you will largely recoup that value when you sell.

Each person will have their own priorities and thoughts, but from financial perspective alone, a move makes a lot of sense, even with "just" 3.5 times the salary.

If I had to guess, your job in India didn’t pay the equivalent of 1.5 millionUSD post tax. (I know you acknowledged this)

The greater point I’m making is he is ALREADY wealthy. He probably has endorsements, investments, savings far exceeding what he will need in his lifetime. If he loves his job, his city, his friends, his family, the Euro lifestyle he doesn’t NEED to make more money because the culture says that’s always the right decision. His current path can already lead to generational wealth. Having said that, I still expect him to come over and really hope he does. I just don’t think he is an idiot if he decides not to.

 

[kingsfan101]

If I had to guess, your job in India didn’t pay the equivalent of 1.5 millionUSD post tax. (I know you acknowledged this)

The greater point I’m making is he is ALREADY wealthy. He probably has endorsements, investments, savings far exceeding what he will need in his lifetime. If he loves his job, his city, his friends, his family, the Euro lifestyle he doesn’t NEED to make more money because the culture says that’s always the right decision. His current path can already lead to generational wealth. Having said that, I still expect him to come over and really hope he does. I just don’t think he is an idiot if he decides not to.

Of course.

You are asking if I would have come over if I were earning 1.5M+ in India, if I could potentially earn 10M in US.

I am in no position to answer it. I don't know how my perspective would be in that scenario. I think that the difference in money would still be a huge factor in the decision, but perhaps not the primary one. I wish I had the privilege to find out

It's possible though that at that stage, the primary motivation would have been to be at the cutting edge of technology (my chosen field). Honestly, am not smart enough to think in those terms, and the kind of work I do here, I could very well do in India too. So, in my case, money was the main factor. However, for elite players, (which would roughly be equivalent to elite engineers, working at the cutting edge; this would typically mean working in silicon valley, not to take away from other places that are doing amazing work) playing in the best league in the world would probably be the main motivation.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

This has evolved into an interesting debate about money. Fascinating. I am of the opinion that money can and does provide significant meaning to one's life in a exponentially increasing way. What do I mean? I mean that 1M vs 10M in income is more than 10x as meaningful and potentially impactful as 1M. This has to do with the what we understand money to be. If we make the analogy that money is power, I contend that there is an exponentially greater influence (for good) that 10M vs 1M can provide. We see this principle play out in the simple rule of compound interest. As a billionaire friend of mine once said, the first million is the hard part, the next ten are easy. This means that you can use the power of money to earn more money.

Now, you may make the argument that people can be content with x amount. I don't disagree. But if a person has ambitions of using their wealth for good, either with their family or through charitable activity, there is no doubt that having more will make it easier to grow it larger, which will then lead to more good that can be done.

Just some thoughts. Love and lasagna to you all!

Some food for thought: we wouldn't have the Kings if a very wealthy man who moved from his home country in search of riches didn't save the day

 

[kingsfan101]

This has evolved into an interesting debate about money. Fascinating. I am of the opinion that money can and does provide significant meaning to one's life in a exponentially increasing way. What do I mean? I mean that 1M vs 10M in income is more than 10x as meaningful and potentially impactful as 1M. This has to do with the what we understand money to be. If we make the analogy that money is power, I contend that there is an exponentially greater influence (for good) that 10M vs 1M can provide. We see this principle play out in the simple rule of compound interest. As a billionaire friend of mine once said, the first million is the hard part, the next ten are easy. This means that you can use the power of money to earn more money.

Now, you may make the argument that people can be content with x amount. I don't disagree. But if a person has ambitions of using their wealth for good, either with their family or through charitable activity, there is no doubt that having more will make it easier to grow it larger, which will then lead to more good that can be done.

Just some thoughts. Love and lasagna to you all!

Some food for thought: we wouldn't have the Kings if a very wealthy man who moved from his home country in search of riches didn't save the day

Agree. This discussion is more in the domain of philosophy than BB. So, the digression aside, I do believe that money can be a significant factor at any stage.

There is of course a bare minimum a person needs to get by. Beyond that, it becomes a function of your needs, desires, ambition, self-worth, competition with peers, etc. However, both from a professional and material perspective, money assigns a value to your worth and efforts. There is a reason top players insist on max contracts, sometimes at the expense of the team. These are super wealthy athletes, extremely rich by most standards. Some have had long careers and have accumulated generational wealth. Despite that, they will often try to get as much as they can.

I also think that your expectations and desires grow with your current position. There was a time when my IBM salary was a dream one. I started with a higher salary than my dad made at that time, and my pay raises were much higher. In college, the thought of such a salary was very fulfilling; not so much when I actually got it.

In some ways, it's good. It motivates you to work harder and strive for more. As long as a person is willing to work hard to make his production match what he believes is his worth, most of the time it helps everyone around him.

 

[SacTownKid]

Bottom line, if Sasha wants to prove his abilities against the best, the NBA is it. Unless dude was all fluff the, interviews I've seen suggest that's exactly the challenge he's looking to take on. I can respect a decision that revolves around making himself happy a la Bodiroga, but what better situation for him to walk into? Monte did indeed target Sasha. We have to give him that much credit. I mean, look at the team Monte built? Sasha, there is no better situation for you if you do actually want to play in the NBA. I mean, c'mon. lol.

 

[The_Jamal]

Bottom line, if Sasha wants to prove his abilities against the best, the NBA is it. Unless dude was all fluff the, interviews I've seen suggest that's exactly the challenge he's looking to take on. I can respect a decision that revolves around making himself happy a la Bodiroga, but what better situation for him to walk into? Monte did indeed target Sasha. We have to give him that much credit. I mean, look at the team Monte built? Sasha, there is no better situation for you if you do actually want to play in the NBA. I mean, c'mon. lol.

I think he had a pretty good excuse not to come over last year as well. Kings were... well bad. But now that Monte and Co have shown they can build a great team AND his skill-set is basically perfect off the two franchise players? I'm not sure he could find much better context to go into the NBA. Now, if his rights were owned by like the Pistons or Rockets? That'd be pretty easy to say no to I think. But the fact he can join a winning situation with an offense perfectly tailored to his skill-set, with star players that will be more than willing to get him shots AND make a good pay-check? That has to be an attractive situation for anyone, I'd think.

 

[Vinny Basketballerino]

I think he had a pretty good excuse not to come over last year as well. Kings were... well bad. But now that Monte and Co have shown they can build a great team AND his skill-set is basically perfect off the two franchise players? I'm not sure he could find much better context to go into the NBA. Now, if his rights were owned by like the Pistons or Rockets? That'd be pretty easy to say no to I think. But the fact he can join a winning situation with an offense perfectly tailored to his skill-set, with star players that will be more than willing to get him shots AND make a good pay-check? That has to be an attractive situation for anyone, I'd think.

 

[SacTownKid]

The other nail is what other team is going to send the GM, coach, assistant coach, and whoever else? lol. Very rarely is a franchise that clear about their interest. And don't get confused if you're Sasha when they come back at a fair price, the interest itself could turn into real $$$ once contract 2 comes around.

 

[kingsboi]

Bjelica made $39M over 8 years. And it was $34M over the 6 years of his two non-minimum contracts (3 year rookie and 3 year second contract). Bjelica should be the absolute rock bottom floor for Sasha, and he got $34M in 6 years.

how old was Bjelica when he made his NBA debut? Was he a big time player for his Euro squad?

 

[kingsboi]

Oh absolutely brother. Absolutely. Money NBA guys make nowadays is just insane - and it's projected to continue to grow.

As some on here are saying, if he can prove himself in this league to be a solid rotational stretch 4 with insane range that plays 20-25 minutes, he'll make 10M a year easy. This is the Euroleague MVP we are talking about - and - his game fits exactly what the NBA is now. He also doesn't appear to be soft. His ceiling is probably a starter, 3rd or 4th option on a playoff team averaging 12-15pts. That's 15-20M year territory.

Let's split the difference: 12M a year for 6 years = 72M plus his first (I assume two year) contract at around 8M a year. Call it 90M over 8 years. I think that's perfectly reasonable to expect, if he's able to do what it appears he can. His game translates. We shall see.

I think you are thinking too far in advance when he hasn't proven that he wants to come over with 100% certainty and that IF he does play for the Kings, that he would be a contributor. Sure, Euro League MVP is a mighty impressive feat and the play in Euro is much more disciplined and physical but until I see it in an NBA setting where he will have to defer to a bench role, is he willing to accept that? His value in dollar terms are what his agent asks and what Monte decides to give him. I think somewhere in between they reach common ground if both sides are far apart.

 

[Telemachus]

how old was Bjelica when he made his NBA debut? Was he a big time player for his Euro squad?

He came over at 27. I don't think he was as good in Europe as Sasha has been.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Just curious - is there anyone on this board who wouldn't move to another country to make 5x what you make now, with the possibility of making 10-15x in a couple years?

well I live in the USA so ... lol

real talk though, I think there is diminishing returns on NBA money at the high end. But say up to 100 million, that's going to set your family up for as long as you can keep them financially literate, and you can dole it out/entrust it in such a way that they won't just all be entitled turds (not likely from personal experience I'd say it's about 2 in 10, but possible).

 

[kingsboi]

He came over at 27. I don't think he was as good in Europe as Sasha has been.

according to basketball reference, in his 7 year NBA career he made over 34 million

 

[Ozymandias]

this thread has gone way off the rails btw...


your talking big $$$'s and havent seen him play a lick of defense vs NBA players yet


there's good reason why Vezenkov was the 58th pick in the draft and not the 8th..

 

[206Fan]

how old was Bjelica when he made his NBA debut? Was he a big time player for his Euro squad?

Bjelica was 27 during his NBA debut, and he also just won Euroleague MVP like Sasha. Comparing him to Sasha, they're both pretty different. Bjelica was a better all-around player who could do everything on the court including: dribble, pass, shoot, defend, rebound, and score. Sasha is a better 3pt shooter and off-ball scorer.

Bjelica was his team's best player, and definitely the best player in Europe that year. Sasha will be 28 at the start of the season. Just a year older than Bjelica was

 

[Ozymandias]

He came over at 27. I don't think he was as good in Europe as Sasha has been.

Bjellica was the best player on the serbian national team, that was and still is a very good team, he was in fact pretty damn good, clutch big shot maker, lots of daggers.

 

[kingsfan101]

according to basketball reference, in his 7 year NBA career he made over 34 million

NBA salaries have also gone up significantly since.

 

[kingsfan101]

this thread has gone way off the rails btw...


your talking big $$$'s and havent seen him play a lick of defense vs NBA players yet


there's good reason why Vezenkov was the 58th pick in the draft and not the 8th..

Where he was picked in 2017 is completely irrelevant in 2023. FWIW, Jokic was the 41st pick in 2014.

The only question that will define his worth to the Kings and assign a dollar amount/duration to a proposed contract will be what the management thinks of his skills xferring to NBA. Given the interest shown by flying out so many folks from coaching staff/management, clearly, they think he can play. If he comes over, we'll know how much they value him. If he doesn't, we'll never know if he just wasn't interested, or if there was a mismatch in his expectations between his worth/role and what we were ready to offer.

 

[serbiangoat]

Bjelica was 27 during his NBA debut, and he also just won Euroleague MVP like Sasha. Comparing him to Sasha, they're both pretty different. Bjelica was a better all-around player who could do everything on the court including: dribble, pass, shoot, defend, rebound, and score. Sasha is a better 3pt shooter and off-ball scorer.

Bjelica was his team's best player, and definitely the best player in Europe that year. Sasha will be 28 at the start of the season. Just a year older than Bjelica was

He was grossly misused on the Twolves as a pure shooter and had to play PF/C rather than SF which was his best position.

 

[serbiangoat]

I really hope the Euroleague changes the playoff format going from best of 5 to 1 game semi and 1 game final series just seems to crap to me I would prefer just going best of 3 for the quarter finals onwards I think 7 games is to much and 3-5 is perfect.

 

[SacTownKid]

this thread has gone way off the rails btw...


your talking big $$$'s and havent seen him play a lick of defense vs NBA players yet


there's good reason why Vezenkov was the 58th pick in the draft and not the 8th..

This is why I'm hoping Sasha is somewhat realistic about his NBA value. He's certainly got a ton of upside, but upside doesn't equate to top dollar. His top dollar is what Bjelica got coming over. If Sasha were 19 this is probably whatever it would take, but he's not. He looks as good as he does because he's developed and if he's got the right role could very well have a legit shot at ROY as a result.

 

[serbiangoat]

The following are massive assumptions:

Lets assume Sasha does not come over next year for whatever reason, now lets also assume that Barcalona is cutting huge salary (is true) and Nikola Mirotic get's out and wants to come to the NBA would the Kings offer Mirotic 2/3 year 20-30mil? Mirotic will get his final pay day while still somewhat productive at 32/33/34/35 while playing as a strech 4 and being able to be a good "go to" 3rd option guy along with Monk.

 

[NewArena]

this thread has gone way off the rails btw...


your talking big $$$'s and havent seen him play a lick of defense vs NBA players yet


there's good reason why Vezenkov was the 58th pick in the draft and not the 8th..

We’ve seen quite a few 2nd round picks end up being worth lottery pick money though

 

[sono]

The coach most certainly knows what Sasha's intention is after meeting him in Europe. We would know a tell-tale sign if the FO starts aggressively to shop around or stay low after the FA starts in July, wouldn't we?