2013 Offseason Idea

[twslam07]

Hi guys, I got another hypothetical offseason idea for you. I decided to give an executive summary for those who would prefer not to go through my entire post. Enjoy!

Executive Summary

Offseason Moves:

1. Release James Johnson
2. Release Toney Douglas
3. Release Cole Aldrich
4. Amnesty John Salmons
5. Resign Tyreke Evans for $44 million over 4 years
6. Offer a 5 year extension to Demarcus Cousins
7. Trade Jason Thompson and the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] pick to the Bobcats for the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] pick
8. Trade Marcus Thornton to the Jazz for the 21[SUP]st[/SUP] pick
9. Trade Jimmer Fredette and the 36[SUP]th[/SUP] pick to the Thunder for the 32[SUP]nd[/SUP] pick
10. Draft Victor Oladipo with the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] pick
11. Draft Gobert, Len, Adams, Dieng, Withey, T. Mitchell, Nogueira, or Jaiteh with the 21[SUP]st[/SUP] pick
12. Draft Crabbe, Rice, Bullock, or Hardaway with the 32[SUP]nd[/SUP] pick
13. Sign Andre Iguodala for 58 million over 4 years
14. Sign Samuel Dalembert for 16.5 million over 3 years
15. Sign Dorrell Wright for 12 million over 3 years
16. Sign Jamaal Tinsley for 2 million over 2 years
17. In the 2014 offseason, trade Travis Outlaw and our 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] round pick for a late 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] round pick
18. In the 2014 offseason, offer Jordan Hill the mid-level exception
19. Release Patterson

Kings’ roster going into the 2013 season:
PG – Evans/Thomas/Tinsley
SG – Oladipo/Bullock
SF – Iguodala/Wright/Outlaw
PF – Dalembert/Patterson/Hayes
C – Cousins/Dieng

Kings’ roster going into the 2014 season:
PG – Evans/Thomas/Tinsley
SG – Oladipo/Bullock
SF – Iguodala/Wright/2014 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] round pick
PF – Dalembert/Hill/Hayes
C – Cousins/Dieng

Kings’ 2013 Payroll:
$55.6 million

Kings’ 2014 Payroll:
$69.8 million

Specific Details

1. Release James Johnson: I think everyone knows this is coming. James just never seemed to find his place with this team, and it makes sense to cut him to free up more cap space to go after a more solid SF.
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2. Release Toney Douglas: This is hard for me because I love what he brings to the table. His defense was refreshing to say the least. I could definitely see him as a long term fit next to Evans, but the fact that I would like to see Evans moved back to PG under a competent coach along with Thomas being on the books for so cheap is the reason why I give him the axe here. Similar to Johnson, cutting Douglas will free up more cap space to go after free agents.
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3. Release Cole Aldrich: He performed in limited minutes for us, but I think we can do better either through free agency or the draft. For that reason, I would cut him.
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4. Amnesty John Salmons: Let us rid ourselves of his salary. We can acquire a very solid player with the amount of cash we are paying him. He is an overpaid player and we have the opportunity to shed his salary, why not?
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5. Resign Tyreke Evans for $44 million over 4 years: Evans is a key piece to this team. He is a very special talent, and you don’t let special talents walkout the door without knowing for sure they aren’t going to reach their potential. He has shown flashes of what he is capable of doing when he is being used correctly by his coach. Unfortunately, Evans has suffered under a strand of incompetent coaches. Hire a decent coach who knows how to utilize his abilities, and we will most likely see an all-star blossoming right in front of our eyes.
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6. Offer a 5 year extension to Demarcus Cousins: This is a no brainer in my mind. We either live or die by Cousins. If we trade him, we will most likely be able to produce a playoff team in the next few years, but it is almost certain that team will not have a chance at winning an NBA title. If we keep Cousins, I absolutely think our chances at bringing an NBA title to Sacramento are that much greater. He is just that type of player. You don’t find them often, but when you do, you lock them up for as long as you can.
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At this point our roster has a payroll of $40.9 mil and is composed of these players:
PG – Evans/Thomas/Fredette
SG – Thornton
SF – Outlaw
PF – Thompson/Patterson/Hayes
C – Cousins

7. Trade Jason Thompson and the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] pick to the Bobcats for the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] pick: I feel horrible about trading Thompson away. I’ve always considered him to be the perfect big man off the bench. If we could pull off Patterson in Thompson’s place, I would be thrilled, but I think it will take Thompson to pry the pick away from Charlotte. Charlottes’ big man situation is a bit of a mess. They have T. Thomas, Biyombo, Haywood, and Mullens (if they resign him). None of these players jump off the page to me. Thomas has been a disappointment throughout his career but can still provide shot blocking. Biyombo doesn’t have many aspects to his game as well. Haywood is a decent 4[SUP]th [/SUP]or 5[SUP]th[/SUP] big off the bench, but you don’t want a guy like that seeing heavy minutes. Mullens is probably the most skilled out of the four, but he shot 38.5% from the floor last season which is downright awful for a C. He’s also not a very effective rebounder which can only hurt his stock as a starting C.
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I think Thompson would bring a very well rounded game to Charlotte and give them solid and consistent minutes at PF. They get a solid player on an inexpensive, long term deal just for dropping back two spots. That’s a hell of a deal. With the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] pick they could go big again and take Len, Zeller, Adams, etc. and be on their way to a formidable big man rotation (Len, Thompson, Biyombo, Thomas, Haywood – Mullens would be relased)

Although Thompson is a significant loss for us, it is slightly negated by having Patterson on the team. He can fill Thompson’s shoes and give us decent minutes at PF. With the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] pick, we will take McLemore, Porter, or Oladipo. I’m guessing the first two players won’t fall to us which leaves us with Oladipo. The more I watch this kid and read about him, the more I like him. His motor and defensive abilities would be greatly welcomed to our team atmosphere. Evans and Oladipo would make a very solid backcourt. Oladipo can even guard PGs if we prefer to put Evans on an easier matchup in order to conserve his energy for the offensive end. I think he would be a very good compliment to Evans and we would give a lot of teams headaches with the size, strength, athleticism, and defense of those two players.

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8. Trade Marcus Thornton to the Jazz for the 21[SUP]st[/SUP] pick: Thornton will need to be moved. With Evans, Oladipo, and Thomas on the team, there will be no minutes for him. His salary also limits our cap space. The Jazz are in need of a SG. They have Burks, but he is still a question mark at this point in time. I personally like Burks though and think he will be good SG in this league. He showed promise this year putting up good stats across the board, but the Jazz still need another SG. Thornton would be good fit for them. They could either have him start or come off the bench and play that 6[SUP]th[/SUP] man role. He fills a need for them either way, and it only cost them their later 1[SUP]st[/SUP] round pick.
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With the 21[SUP]st[/SUP] pick, we target a big man. Hopefully we draft someone we could realistically see playing next to Cousins down the road. Gobert, Adams, and Dieng would be my first choice if they are still available. All could potentially be a nice fit next to Cousins. I think Dieng has the greatest chance of still being available at 21 out of these three players though. Dieng has size, athleticism, shotblockng abilities, and a nice jumpshot. I would be very satisfied if we could take Dieng with this pick.
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9. Trade Jimmer Fredette and the 36[SUP]th[/SUP] pick to the Thunder for the 32[SUP]nd[/SUP] pick: This trade is mostly to get Fredette off of our books, but it is also to give us a better shot at one of the valuable wing players that are projected to be going in the late 1[SUP]st[/SUP]-early 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] part of the draft. Crabbe, Rice, Bullock, and Hardaway are 4 players I would target all are excellent shooters which would be nice to have coming off the bench. I personally like Bullock due to his size, defense, and 3pt shooting. I would be ecstatic if he fell to us at 32.
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The Thunder do this to pick up a great long range shooter to provide scoring and floor spacing for their star players that attract so much attention. The price to get Fredette is to move down 4 spots. That seems pretty reasonable.

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10. Draft Victor Oladipo with the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] pick: See #7

11. Draft Gobert, Len, Adams, Dieng, Withey, T. Mitchell, Nogueira, or Jaiteh with the 21[SUP]st[/SUP] pick: See #8

12. Draft Crabbe, Rice, Bullock, or Hardaway with the 32[SUP]nd[/SUP] pick: See #9
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After the draft, our payroll will be around $30.1 million and the roster will look like this:
PG – Evans/Thomas
SG – Oladipo/Bullock
SF – Outlaw
PF – Patterson/Hayes
C – Cousins/Dieng

 

[twslam07]

13. Sign Andre Iguodala for $58 million over 4 years: We need a SF badly. With Evans and Oladipo in the backcourt, it would probably be wise to acquire someone who is able to create and handle at SF. Iguodala fits the bill. Not to mention he is a lockdown defender. There have been reports that he will opt out of his contract in search for a long term deal. Well $58 million over 4 years is going to be hard to beat. If we’re able to sign Iguodala, our perimeter defense would be stellar. Evans, Oladipo, and Iguodala would be tremendous at preventing lane penetration. They also all happen to be very strong players for their position. They all have NBA bodies and will not be pushed around. Another beautiful thing is that, all 3 of them could guard 1s, 2s, and 3s. It gives us a lot of flexibility on the defensive side. His passing, playmaking, and rebounding would be most welcomed as well. He would be a nice fit for this team and would instantly become our third option behind Cousins and Evans.

14. Sign Samuel Dalembert for $16.5 million over 3 years: We need a rim protector. Dalembert is once again available. I say we go after him. He is a good shotblocker who can keep up with the quicker PFs in the league. His rebounding is also very good which will help cement our hard nose defense and rebounding oriented team. Dalembert will act as a placeholder until whoever we drafted in the first round is ready to come in and give consistent minutes (Dieng).

15. Sign Dorrell Wright for $12 million over 3 years: Why not get two good SFs and solidify our SF dilemma once and for all? Iguodala is a great player, but he is on the shorter side when it comes to SF (6’7”). Wright is 6’9” and will be able to provide some size and deadly 3pt shooting when on the court. I think Wright would be an excellent backup and would give us some nice floor spacing while not giving up too much on the defensive side of the ball.

16. Sign Jamaal Tinsley for $2 million over 2 years: I really want this guy. Tinsley is a very good playmaker. He has a knack for finding the open man. I solely want him on this team to mentor our young guards (Evans, Thomas, Oladipo, and Bullock). I think having a player like him on the team will go a long way with our young guards. I think he will ultimately contribute to the development of some of our players.​

After the offseason, our payroll will be at $55.6 million and our roster will look like this heading into the season opener:
PG – Evans/Thomas/Tinsley
SG – Oladipo/Bullock
SF – Iguodala/Wright/Outlaw
PF – Dalembert/Patterson/Hayes
C – Cousins/Dieng

17. In the 2014 offseason, trade Travis Outlaw and our 2nd round pick for a late 2nd round pick: This trade is to avoid going above the luxury tax level. Plus we rid ourselves of Outlaw!

18. In the 2014 offseason, offer Jordan Hill the mid-level exception: I happen to like Jordan Hill a lot. I think he is a very underrated player. I see him as a rich man’s Jason Thompson. He is tall, big, mobile, and a better rebounder and shotblocker than Thompson. Hill is also a pretty good shooter from 15ft away. He has a nice all-around game who can play both PF and C. He would be a great 3rd big off the bench behind Cousins and Dalembert.

19. Release Patterson: To avoid going over the luxury tax level, we release Patterson. After signing Hill, Patterson shouldn’t be missed too much. The only thing Patterson has on Hill is shooting and the fact that he might be a little more athletic, but everything else I have to tip my cap to Hill. Dieng will also have progressed a year so he will be able to provide more in 2014 as well (or at least you hope so).​

After the 2014 offseason, our payroll will be at $69.8 million and our roster will look like this heading into the 2014 season opener:
After the offseason, our payroll will be at $55.6 million and our roster will look like this heading into the season opener:
PG – Evans/Thomas/Tinsley
SG – Oladipo/Bullock
SF – Iguodala/Wright/2nd round draft pick
PF – Dalembert/Hill/Hayes
C – Cousins/Dieng

Conclusion
With experience and a good coach, in my opinion, this team has a chance to win a title. Cousins would be your main option, Evans your second option, and Iguodala your third option. Thomas would be our 6th man/spark plug/change of pace guard off the bench and provide us with scoring and energy. Evans, Oladipo, and Iguodala would lock down the perimeter defensively and Dalembert, Hill, and Dieng would protect the paint. The rebounding would be outstanding. Evans, Oladipo, Iguodala, Dalembert, and Cousins are all terrific rebounders for their position. The ball would mainly be in the hands of Cousins, Evans, and Iguodala. All of whom are capable of creating for others and finding the open man. The fast break potential between Evans, Oladipo, and Iguodala would be scary. I can just picture Evans leading the fastbreak with Iguodala and Oladipo alongside him.

Shooting would probably be the weakest part of this team, but Evans has shown improvement as a spot up shooter this year, Oladipo improved as a 3pt shooter in college, and Iguodala has always been a decent spot up shooter from three. The great thing about our bench is that we have plenty of shooters. Thomas, Bullock, and Wright can all spread the floor which will help when defenses tend to collapse.

All in all, this team would be very, very difficult to matchup with and beat in a playoff series.

 

[Gilles]

You have too much free time on your hands.

 

[jalfa]

this is very well thought and presented, kudos! I like the team you've assembled a lot and the signings and extensions you mention are pretty much in line with what the Kings should do, although it will be very difficult to pry Iggy away from the Nuggets. as far as the trades go, I'm not sure that they are quite ideal. Jason Thompson is probably not enough to make up the difference between picking 4th and 7th and Marcus Thornton should net more than the 21st pick in a weak draft, no matter how direly we need to trade him.

 

[andjel]

wow
congrats for effort and thought put into this
Each individual step is plausible... there are of course too many steps for this to become reality, but who knows.

 

[lwc]

Well thought out.

 

[TSFP]

nice

 

[Darth Divac]

The only other move I'd make would be to release Chuck, and then you'd have a virtually perfect roster. Well thought out, effective, and realistic-hands down, the best Kings rebuild idea I've ever seen.

 

[twslam07]

You have too much free time on your hands.

Haha this took me a couple weeks to compile. I was just waiting on the draft lottery.

 

[twslam07]

this is very well thought and presented, kudos! I like the team you've assembled a lot and the signings and extensions you mention are pretty much in line with what the Kings should do, although it will be very difficult to pry Iggy away from the Nuggets. as far as the trades go, I'm not sure that they are quite ideal. Jason Thompson is probably not enough to make up the difference between picking 4th and 7th and Marcus Thornton should net more than the 21st pick in a weak draft, no matter how direly we need to trade him.

Thank you! The Nuggets will have a payroll of around 53 million going into the offseason leaving them with 5 mil in cap room. If we offer him a 13 mil, 14 mil, 15 mil, and 16 mil deal and they match, they will be at 66 mil in 2013, 70 mil in 2014, and 67 mil in 2015. If they match, they will likely have to let Brewer and Mozgov walk otherwise they will be nearing the luxury tax level. It is possible for them to offer as much as we can, but it is pretty much saying that they are sold on a team of Lawson, Iguodala, Gallinari, Faried, and McGee winning a title. I don't think their bigs are good enough to win a title, but maybe they think that is a winning recipe. If I were them, I would find a way to sign Bynum or Jefferson. They are going to need a low post presence and by signing Iguodala they are saying they are going to rely on only perimeter scorers. This has proved to be unsuccessful in the past.

I would probably let Iguodala, Brewer, and Mozgov walk this offseason and try and trade Chandler for a pick (cap relief plus decent young player). Hang on to Lawson and Gallinari. Unfortunately you're going to be stuck with McGee's ridiculous contract. I would hang on to Miller. He is a very good PG who can play alongside Lawson at times. Koufos is a player I really like, but I think he has to be the other player to move to allow for more cap space. I would try to get a 2014 draft pick for him (strong draft and the salary doesn't count against you for 2013).

If they do all that they will be sitting around 42-44 mil. That gives them 14-16 mil to offer a contract to Jefferson or Bynum. They also could use their MLE on a SG. Tony Allen or Reddick could be good options for them. If they do all of this, their roster will look like this going into the season:

PG - Lawson/Miller
SG - T. Allen/Fournier
SF - Gallinari/Hamilton/Miller
PF - Faried/Randolph
C - Jefferson/McGee

Plus a late 2013 1st round pick (from trading Chandler), the 27th pick in the 2013 draft, a late 2014 1st round pick (from trading Koufos), and their own 2014 1st round pick.

I think that is more on the way to a championship team if you ask me, but that's just my opinion.

this is very well thought and presented, kudos! I like the team you've assembled a lot and the signings and extensions you mention are pretty much in line with what the Kings should do, although it will be very difficult to pry Iggy away from the Nuggets. as far as the trades go, I'm not sure that they are quite ideal. Jason Thompson is probably not enough to make up the difference between picking 4th and 7th and Marcus Thornton should net more than the 21st pick in a weak draft, no matter how direly we need to trade him.

I think Thompson would be enough. This draft is considered "weak." There aren't many "star" players in this draft if any. McLemore and Burke probably have the best shot at becoming a star player in this league. Noel is a guy who can anchor your defense and be a dominant rebounder, but I don't see him as someone who can put a team on his back and win a game. Same goes for Porter. Nobody is drafting him with the intention of featuring him as their #1 option. Considering this information, Charlotte would be receiving a very good role player with great size at PF and you move back 3 spots and still have the ability to take another player who will be another very good roleplayer. If this draft had a lot of "star" talent near the top, I would tend to agree with you that it would take more than Thompson, but to me it seems like this draft is filled with very good starting caliber role players. Maybe it's just me though.

If you think we can get an earlier pick for Thornton, I'm all for it. However, I think our view on Thornton is inflated compared to the rest of the league.

 

[twslam07]

The only other move I'd make would be to release Chuck, and then you'd have a virtually perfect roster. Well thought out, effective, and realistic-hands down, the best Kings rebuild idea I've ever seen.

I don't like going into a season with only 4 bigs. It's not wise. Injuries, foul trouble, etc. Hayes would be the 5th big off the bench anyway. It's likely he won't see any time at all, but what he will do is be a great locker room presence. He can mentor some of our young bigs and show them his tricks when it comes to post defense. He will serve the same purpose Tinsley will but only for our big men.