Do We Need to Compete Now?

[twslam07]

Your sort of playing on both sides of the field if you don't mind me saying so. On one hand, your proposed a plan that has some very questionable moves in it. By questionable, I mean very unlikely that all those moves could be pulled off. But you make the assumption that they could. On the other hand, you shoot down just about every suggestion proposed by others. The chance of being able to pull off everything you proposed is about a billion to one. Just too many players, teams and GM's involved. But hey, its a plan and more than anyone else has proposed. Reasonable or not.

One of my problems, is that your proposing all these moves, but when responding to what happens if Gay walks, you throw out a roster made up of whats left of the team, thereby assuming that the Kings won't make any changes to the roster. I seriously doubt it comes down to your plan or nothing. I do like some of your moves though. I'm not a big fan of Rondo's but if we could retain Gay, I do think he would be a good fit on our current team. I also think your overpaying for him.

By the way, draft picks don't have a cap hold of any kind, so we would actually be a little more under the cap than you stated.

Why can't I play both sides? It's very important to be prepared for anything that comes at you. You have to have a plan for if Gay stays and if Gay leaves. This plan is predicated on Gay staying with us and wanting to compete now, but if Gay leaves, what moves can be made to make us into a legitimate competitor?

It's to my understanding that we sign our draft picks before free agency thus our cap space is reduced.

 

[twslam07]

The general feeling on a Hayward is that he is a really good player but that he isn't an elite player than can carry a team offensively. He is a good defender and really good in transition D but he isn't efficient offensively. I think that many in the Jazz organization feel kind on the same way that the Kings felt about Tyreke. If you can sign him for the right price he would great but you can't give him the keys to the franchise.

So with that in mind, would you match the offer sheet that Evans was offered for Hayward?

 

[Capt. Factorial]

It's to my understanding that we sign our draft picks before free agency thus our cap space is reduced.

There's a cap hold for them if we don't sign them, so it amounts to the same thing. We can be a little bit tricky because the cap hold is for 100% of the rookie scale, but we're actually allowed to sign them (and most teams routinely sign them) for up to 120% of the rookie scale. So if we're going to be close to the cap, we can wait to sign them and hold on to a small amount of room.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

In my scenario, our payroll would be at $68 mil next year if both Gay and Rondo take $14 mil/year contracts, and we would have 11 players on our books. Considering the luxury tax will be at $81 mil in the 2015-2016 season, we will have plenty of space to work with.

Do you consider $14 mil a year a significant paycut for Rondo and Gay? It is for Gay, but there is nobody out there who is going to give him that size of contract. He's a #2 option, and $14 mil a year is a fair offer. Same goes for Rondo. In his last year of his contract, he'll be making just under $13 mil so this new contract would be considered a raise.

In my scenario, our payroll would be at $68 mil next year if both Gay and Rondo take $14 mil/year contracts, and we would have 11 players on our books. Considering the luxury tax will be at $81 mil in the 2015-2016 season, we will have plenty of space to work with.

Do you consider $14 mil a year a significant paycut for Rondo and Gay? It is for Gay, but there is nobody out there who is going to give him that size of contract. He's a #2 option, and $14 mil a year is a fair offer. Same goes for Rondo. In his last year of his contract, he'll be making just under $13 mil so this new contract would be considered a raise.

i'm not a fan of tying up all the capspace in 3 players with little left to fill out the roster or make any moves. 14m is alot for rondo and gay imo. i'd give rudy reke's contract and rondo 10m. if you have 3 players eating majority of the cap and take on a stupid contract(s) like landry... there leaves little wiggle room. those 3 players have to take you to a championship or close. rudy is good but i don't think he is one that demands a double team or alters the opposing defense like tyreke did.

your proposals are good but too many moving parts. it's like the stars have to align for it to work. this is not nba 2k14

 

[twslam07]

i'm not a fan of tying up all the capspace in 3 players with little left to fill out the roster or make any moves. 14m is alot for rondo and gay imo. i'd give rudy reke's contract and rondo 10m. if you have 3 players eating majority of the cap and take on a stupid contract(s) like landry... there leaves little wiggle room. those 3 players have to take you to a championship or close. rudy is good but i don't think he is one that demands a double team or alters the opposing defense like tyreke did.

your proposals are good but too many moving parts. it's like the stars have to align for it to work. this is not nba 2k14

I'm not saying we sign both of them to $14 mil/year. I'm saying my scenario is taking them into account at $14 mil a year as a "worst case scenario." Even in this "worst case scenario," we still have $13 mil before hitting the tax level.

The 2015-2016 team would be...
PG - Rondo/Udrih
SG - Afflalo/Johnson/Babb
SF - Gay/Dudley
PF - Hill/Landry/Acy
C - Cousins

It's not like we ONLY have Cousins, Gay, and Rondo. We have Afflalo, Hill, Dudley, and Landry to fill in around them.

I don't see how any of my trades or signings are considered NBA 2k14 like. They are all very reasonable and realistic.

 

[Bricklayer]

The general feeling on a Hayward is that he is a really good player but that he isn't an elite player than can carry a team offensively. He is a good defender and really good in transition D but he isn't efficient offensively. I think that many in the Jazz organization feel kind on the same way that the Kings felt about Tyreke. If you can sign him for the right price he would great but you can't give him the keys to the franchise.

I've ID'd him before as potentially being a very nice Chandler Parson type 3rd weapon for a good team. Do it all, just not a goto guy scorer.

 

[Npliam]

I've ID'd him before as potentially being a very nice Chandler Parson type 3rd weapon for a good team. Do it all, just not a goto guy scorer.

Yeah, similar to Tyreke.

 

[ParniValjak]

Call me dumb but I think there is a high likelihood of us trading the pick (unless inside top 3) and I think there is a VERY good chance that we might start talking Rajon Rondo again.

This off-season is HUGE for the franchise. Next year it is all about the wins and losses and the roster will be changed significantly.

I think Rudy will opt out and re-sign with us on a longer term deal. I think the interest level for IT will be reasonable but so will the offers he gets. I think we will match and see him as the 6th man for us next year. I think we will upgrade the talent on the roster significantly but will yet again fail to get that genuine shot blocker at PF.

 

[bajaden]

I'm not saying we sign both of them to $14 mil/year. I'm saying my scenario is taking them into account at $14 mil a year as a "worst case scenario." Even in this "worst case scenario," we still have $13 mil before hitting the tax level.

The 2015-2016 team would be...
PG - Rondo/Udrih
SG - Afflalo/Johnson/Babb
SF - Gay/Dudley
PF - Hill/Landry/Acy
C - Cousins

It's not like we ONLY have Cousins, Gay, and Rondo. We have Afflalo, Hill, Dudley, and Landry to fill in around them.

I don't see how any of my trades or signings are considered NBA 2k14 like. They are all very reasonable and realistic.

Realistic and reasonable as determined by you. Maybe not so by others. My main objection is the Rondo trade. Your giving up two young players that have a lot of potential and have proven they can play in the NBA. Your also giving up a a lottery pick that could be a possible star. Outlaw I don't care about. All this for Rondo, who has been injured every year for the last four years and two scrubs that I could care less about.

2010/11: 68 games played
2011/12: 53 games played
2012/13: 38 games played
2013/14: 30 games played

Now I realize that he could go the rest of his career and not miss another game, but I wouldn't bet McCallum, McLemore, and our lottery pick on it. I don't know about Rondo improving his shot, but I do know that he's shot 25.2% for his career from the three. He's never shot over 30% from the three in any year of his career. You may think it reasonable to give up that much for Rondo, but I don't. The Afflalo trade I like, but only if we have a replacement for IT first. I don't care much for the JT trade. I'm not a big fan of Dudley.

 

[Chupacabra]

I'm against the proposed trade based on one detail; I don't want Dudley. He isn't good at anything. He only plays small forward because he's too slow to play guard. I was always really annoyed by the suggested Dudley trade scenarios. I know what some of you are muttering; "BUT...BUT..point forward! Shooting! Wow, he's a great glue guy!". He's a weak link. DO NOT WANT! Yeah, I used two semicolons in this post. So what!?

 

[King Baller]

My compliment on all the work you put into this thread. And I agree with you that the Kings need to compete now.

IMO the trade for Rondo gives up too many assets. Ainge may just have the price tag to high on Rondo and thats too bad. Might as well make a big offer to Eric Bledsoe or Kyle Lowry with what it would take to keep Rondo. I agree that the McRookies are here to stay.

The Affalo trade I like. But you need a starting PG.

I agree with the others on Dudley. He seems to have left his game in Phoenix. Now if JT can net a starting PG that would be something.

KB

 

[KingMilz]

I don't think we need to compete now but we need to be competitive there's a big difference, to me a 38+ win season would be a huge step up for this group, considering how stacked the West is, unless we land like a Al Horford or a another All Star piece it's about being competitve.

Not really a fan of Rondo but.

 

[Sac.Kings]

This thought just struck me while I am watching the thunder get killed by the Spurs... What if Westbrook becomes slightly available after this series... They have had a few runs at it and while competing at a high level, never managed to win it all and probably will not this year either. Do they try and insert some new blood.. Something different? I wonder if the 8th pick and a combination of players (JT, Ben, ?) would be enough. I doubt it but somehow I have a feeling that OKC will be changing a little (absolutely no post presence).

 

[Bricklayer]

This thought just struck me while I am watching the thunder get killed by the Spurs... What if Westbrook becomes slightly available after this series... They have had a few runs at it and while competing at a high level, never managed to win it all and probably will not this year either. Do they try and insert some new blood.. Something different? I wonder if the 8th pick and a combination of players (JT, Ben, ?) would be enough. I doubt it but somehow I have a feeling that OKC will be changing a little (absolutely no post presence).

Cannot see any possibility there, let alone for the 8th pick. Once again the Thunder have an excuse (Ibaka), and Westbrook might easily be a Top 5 player. Maybe MAYBE Cleveland could get cute and offer the #1 for him. And I doubt even that works. Certainly Durant isn't going to be down with a rebuilding project, and if the pick tanks...ooh boy, you just lost Durant to go with losing Harden and Westbrook.

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

Lmfao, this is the worst thread in here.

7th pick
Ben McLemore
Ray McCallum
Derrick Williams

For a washed up Rondo passed his prime and injury prone. PASS

Ben Mac in himself could be an all-star.
Ray Mac is proving to be a hell of a player.
D-Will still has loads of potential but is inconsistent and lacks confidence due to not being first choice.
8th pick that could very likely be a superstar in our league like Cousins.

Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!? LOL

Of course Boston would take this deal in a heart beat. Why don't we just throw in Cousins as well to sweeten the deal?!

 

[Dime Dropper]

Yeah, I'd say there's next to no chance they're going to trade Westbrook.

Nurkic would be a pretty great fit for them if they could get a pick to aquire him in this draft. Gives them their big post presence to pair with Ibaka.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Lmfao, this is the worst thread in here.

7th pick
Ben McLemore
Ray McCallum
Derrick Williams

For a washed up Rondo passed his prime and injury prone. PASS

Ben Mac in himself could be an all-star.
Ray Mac is proving to be a hell of a player.
D-Will still has loads of potential but is inconsistent and lacks confidence due to not being first choice.
8th pick that could very likely be a superstar in our league like Cousins.

Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!? LOL

Of course Boston would take this deal in a heart beat. Why don't we just throw in Cousins as well to sweeten the deal?!

You're really in no position to ridicule other posts given what you regularly post. Even this one is full of fantasy. I mean, haven't you been hanging D-Will out to dry for weeks, calling him a scrub etc? And now he has loads of potential? You're back and fourth so much in your posts that it actually makes my head hurt.

Ben Mac has shown nothing so far to suggest that he'll ever be an all-star. You do realise how difficult it is to make it as an all-star as a guard in the west, right?

A few good games by Ray at the end of the year does not make him a "hell of a player".

8th pick is highly, highly unlikely to be a superstar and certainly not on the level of Cousins.

Think before you post, please. For everyone's sake.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Cannot see any possibility there, let alone for the 8th pick. Once again the Thunder have an excuse (Ibaka), and Westbrook might easily be a Top 5 player. Maybe MAYBE Cleveland could get cute and offer the #1 for him. And I doubt even that works. Certainly Durant isn't going to be down with a rebuilding project, and if the pick tanks...ooh boy, you just lost Durant to go with losing Harden and Westbrook.

Yeah I thought about all those things as well. If they won't trade Westbrook then they either need a new coach or a new offensive coach because they look exactly like we have the last 5 years. The only difference is they have one of the greatest scorers to play the game and a great scoring sidekick in Westbrook. I still think the Thunder are active this off season their weakness is a major one.

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

This thought just struck me while I am watching the thunder get killed by the Spurs... What if Westbrook becomes slightly available after this series... They have had a few runs at it and while competing at a high level, never managed to win it all and probably will not this year either. Do they try and insert some new blood.. Something different? I wonder if the 8th pick and a combination of players (JT, Ben, ?) would be enough. I doubt it but somehow I have a feeling that OKC will be changing a little (absolutely no post presence).

Are you kidding me?! LMFAO

No way, some people are on some good stuff here on KingsFans forum.

Westbrook is arguably a top 5 pg in the league with heaps and bounds of potential with the right coach. There's no way Oklahoma give him up. The problem is not that team, the problem is the coach. He sucks. Also, as much as I hate to say it because I despise this guy, Steven Adams is developing nicely...Ok, BARF

Anyhow, you'd have to be Houdini to see Westbrook go for an 8th pick in the draft and JT/Ben
Trading the #1 pick and Dion Waiters wouldn't even get you Westbrook. The kid is that good. Him and Durant are two of the most off-limits players in the league. Can't even approach them.

 

[rainmaker]

Ben Mac in himself could be an all-star.
Ray Mac is proving to be a hell of a player.
D-Will still has loads of potential but is inconsistent and lacks confidence due to not being first choice.
8th pick that could very likely be a superstar in our league like Cousins.

Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!? LOL

Of course Boston would take this deal in a heart beat. Why don't we just throw in Cousins as well to sweeten the deal?!

Or....

Ben turns into an average at best starting SG in this league who can't create his own shot and struggles regularly putting the ball on the floor as well as defensively.
Ray proves to be a solid backup point and possible bench spark but not a starter.
DWill continues to show up once every 6-7 games, fails to correct his broken jumper and the inconsistent effort stays largely inconsistent.
The 8th pick, always far from a sure thing, turns into a role player at best, 3-4 years down the road and gets 20-25 mins a night.

No one would be surprised if this version of theoretical events happened.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Are you kidding me?! LMFAO

No way, some people are on some good stuff here on KingsFans forum.

Westbrook is arguably a top 5 pg in the league with heaps and bounds of potential with the right coach. There's no way Oklahoma give him up. The problem is not that team, the problem is the coach. He sucks. Also, as much as I hate to say it because I despise this guy, Steven Adams is developing nicely...Ok, BARF

Anyhow, you'd have to be Houdini to see Westbrook go for an 8th pick in the draft and JT/Ben
Trading the #1 pick and Dion Waiters wouldn't even get you Westbrook. The kid is that good. Him and Durant are two of the most off-limits players in the league. Can't even approach them.

Westbrook is talented no doubt about it, but all that talent is not enough if it doesn't mesh with your MVP. J-Will was flashy and loose and made the crowd go nuts, but it wasn't until Bibby came that we took another step forward. I also think the coach is a problem. By the way, your tone is not appreciated. There are certain ways to get your message across without sounding like a 10 year old child. Insulting the entire board in general is not how you, or anyone, will get any respect in regards to your posts. Thanks

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

You're really in no position to ridicule other posts given what you regularly post. Even this one is full of fantasy. I mean, haven't you been hanging D-Will out to dry for weeks, calling him a scrub etc? And now he has loads of potential? You're back and fourth so much in your posts that it actually makes my head hurt.

Ben Mac has shown nothing so far to suggest that he'll ever be an all-star. You do realise how difficult it is to make it as an all-star as a guard in the west, right?

A few good games by Ray at the end of the year does not make him a "hell of a player".

8th pick is highly, highly unlikely to be a superstar and certainly not on the level of Cousins.

Think before you post, please. For everyone's sake.

First off, what makes you think that #8 pick can't end up being better than Cousins. Cousins doesn't exactly have a super refined game at the moment. Vonleh could end up being the next Garnett for all you know. Or Gordon could end up being a better defensive version of Blake Griffin.

Secondly, Ray Mac, for a second round pick, is playing like a hell of player. Towards the end of the season, he was going up against some of the best point guards in the league and against some of the best teams in the league and held his own. In fact, he did better than that. Not mentioning his assist-turnover ratio. For his contract, there's no way I'd give him up in such a deal.

Next, Ben Mac has all the qualities to become an all-star. In fact, he's reminding me a lot of Paul George and how his NBA career started off or Peja Stojakovic (number wise). He's got all the potential to be a quality 3&D guy AT THE LEAST. I wouldn't mind having a Batum player on our squad. Would not give him up in this trade.

As for D-Will, it's obvious I don't like him. I think he's an average role player who thinks too highly of himself due to his athleticism and reality will kick in once he becomes an established role player in this league. I also think he lacks the 3&D for his position nor does he have a lot of confidence.
However, if he could become more consistent, he'd be a good role player for us. PDA is obviously trying that by putting him in summer league. To boost his confidence. At this point, if it's for a top 20 draft pick or in an actual good deal, I wouldn't trade him in this type of moronic deal.

At least I'm not like you who wants to trade our pick for a washed up VET. Yeah, that's going to make our team so much better! LOL

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

Westbrook is talented no doubt about it, but all that talent is not enough if it doesn't mesh with your MVP. J-Will was flashy and loose and made the crowd go nuts, but it wasn't until Bibby came that we took another step forward. I also think the coach is a problem. By the way, your tone is not appreciated. There are certain ways to get your message across without sounding like a 10 year old child. Insulting the entire board in general is not how you, or anyone, will get any respect in regards to your posts. Thanks

Dude, I can't believe you just compared Westbrook to J-Will or even Bibby. Those guys couldn't even come close to Westbrook. Sure, he's a little trigger happy at times but with the right coach, he could become one of the best players in the league. They gave up harden because he didn't mesh with the MVP. At some point, you stop giving up all-stars and fire the damn coach. Plus, they've always lacked a post presence on the offensive end. Can't win a championship without a dominant post presence on both ends.
Duncan, Shaq, Bosh, Robinson, KG, Rodman etc.
Dirk was an exception on the defensive end (but was an underrated man-man defender). Plus, their offense was so good that year that there was no way anyone was going to stop them.
Ben Wallace was an exception on the offensive end because of their system and he was one of the best defensive big man the NBA has ever seen.

 

[SacKings2002NBAChampions]

Or....

Ben turns into an average at best starting SG in this league who can't create his own shot and struggles regularly putting the ball on the floor as well as defensively.
Ray proves to be a solid backup point and possible bench spark but not a starter.
DWill continues to show up once every 6-7 games, fails to correct his broken jumper and the inconsistent effort stays largely inconsistent.
The 8th pick, always far from a sure thing, turns into a role player at best, 3-4 years down the road and gets 20-25 mins a night.

No one would be surprised if this version of theoretical events happened.

Possible, still, my chances are better of 1 of 4 players developing rather than relying on 1 washed up star to overcome injuries. The way Rondo plays, there's no way in hell he's reliable in terms of health. Boston is going to have a hard time getting rid of him.

 

[Dime Dropper]

First off, what makes you think that #8 pick can't end up being better than Cousins. Cousins doesn't exactly have a super refined game at the moment. Vonleh could end up being the next Garnett for all you know. Or Gordon could end up being a better defensive version of Blake Griffin.

Secondly, Ray Mac, for a second round pick, is playing like a hell of player. Towards the end of the season, he was going up against some of the best point guards in the league and against some of the best teams in the league and held his own. In fact, he did better than that. Not mentioning his assist-turnover ratio. For his contract, there's no way I'd give him up in such a deal.

Next, Ben Mac has all the qualities to become an all-star. In fact, he's reminding me a lot of Paul George and how his NBA career started off or Peja Stojakovic (number wise). He's got all the potential to be a quality 3&D guy AT THE LEAST. I wouldn't mind having a Batum player on our squad. Would not give him up in this trade.

As for D-Will, it's obvious I don't like him. I think he's an average role player who thinks too highly of himself due to his athleticism and reality will kick in once he becomes an established role player in this league. I also think he lacks the 3&D for his position nor does he have a lot of confidence.
However, if he could become more consistent, he'd be a good role player for us. PDA is obviously trying that by putting him in summer league. To boost his confidence. At this point, if it's for a top 20 draft pick or in an actual good deal, I wouldn't trade him in this type of moronic deal.

At least I'm not like you who wants to trade our pick for a washed up VET. Yeah, that's going to make our team so much better! LOL

I mean, I'm not going to go through your post because it's a load of jibberish nonsense, I'll just address your last line. At what point did I ever say I want to trade the pick? I didn't. I'm willing to trade it in the right deal. Obviously not for a "washed up vet" which seems to be your buzz word of the week.

Going to use that glorious little button that's available for situations like this. As you'd say, "ROFLMFAOCOPTER".

 

[rainmaker]

Possible, still, my chances are better of 1 of 4 players developing rather than relying on 1 washed up star to overcome injuries. The way Rondo plays, there's no way in hell he's reliable in terms of health. Boston is going to have a hard time getting rid of him.

Yeah, I don't think you really know all that much about the style Rondo plays, nor all that much about his injury and what it really means.

As for washed up, that's just foolish. Go tell Adrian Peterson who had a far more severe ACL injury he's washed up.

 

[steelevt]

First off, what makes you think that #8 pick can't end up being better than Cousins. Cousins doesn't exactly have a super refined game at the moment. Vonleh could end up being the next Garnett for all you know. Or Gordon could end up being a better defensive version of Blake Griffin.

Do you even read the stuff you are typing? First you imply that the #8 pick can end up being better than cousins. Yes, one of, if not the best player on the kings. The same cousins that averaged a bit under 23 and 12 this year. Then this hypothetical pick that 7 other teams pass up on can be as good as multiple all stars like Garnett or Blake griffin, all of whom are top 5 picks. As unlikely as this is, one would seem you think highly of that #8 pick.

Then you go and start a thread wanting to trade this pick for a couple lower picks and tell us the 8 pick can only land us a "washed up vet". You are all over the place. You can't make up your own mind but if someone else disagrees with you, you jump down their throats or annoyingly put them down with a bunch of LOL or LMAO how can you think that type comments. People can disagree and have civilized arguments and acting like a jerk makes all your bad posts stand out more.

 

[The Hammer]

Do you even read the stuff you are typing? First you imply that the #8 pick can end up being better than cousins. Yes, one of, if not the best player on the kings. The same cousins that averaged a bit under 23 and 12 this year. Then this hypothetical pick that 7 other teams pass up on can be as good as multiple all stars like Garnett or Blake griffin, all of whom are top 5 picks. As unlikely as this is, one would seem you think highly of that #8 pick.

Then you go and start a thread wanting to trade this pick for a couple lower picks and tell us the 8 pick can only land us a "washed up vet". You are all over the place. You can't make up your own mind but if someone else disagrees with you, you jump down their throats or annoyingly put them down with a bunch of LOL or LMAO how can you think that type comments. People can disagree and have civilized arguments and acting like a jerk makes all your bad posts stand out more.

He did the same thing in another thread and I called him on it. Let's see if he's intelligent enough to be able to self-reflect.

You know, it's funny with the internet... you can get some really well informed and articulate fans, or you can get people acting like 3rd grade playground bullies on meth. I'M JUST SAYING.

 

[funkykingston]

Do we need to compete now? Tough question to answer.

I think you have to show Cousins that the franchise is moving in the right direction. I don't think you can say that bringing in a talented rookie would be a bad thing. If DeMarcus saw that the team was adding another player who could be a star in the NBA in a couple years I don't think he'd be upset even if the team's win total only went up a couple games. DMC is 23. Let's say the Kings made an aggressive move to trade up and draft Exum and he showed flashes of being a Penny Hardaway level player. Does anyone think Cousins would be upset at the prospect of being half of an all-star duo for the next 10 years?

Alternatively, you could make moves to compete now. Trade the pick for help. Do another Rudy Gay type trade - maybe Larry Sanders can be had for ending contracts and you gamble on him returning to form. Perhaps a Rondo deal is doable. Making the playoffs next season would placate DeMarcus. Especially if it looks like the team can really compete and not just be first round fodder.

I think people are too hung up on what particular direction the team goes, whether it's developing a roster through youth or getting into win now mode. The truth is that it's much simpler than that. The main goal is to not screw up. That's it.

If you keep the pick you'd better make a really good pick. If you trade the pick you'd better get a good return.

Drafting a bust is no worse than assembling more mismatched parts (ala Landry) and having the team be on that bubble of late lottery/weak playoff team that runs a cycle of mediocrity.

Do we need to compete now? Not necessarily. But D'Alessandro needs to have a good offseason no matter which tack he takes.

 

[funkykingston]

Oh, and to address the specific moves mentioned in the OP:

Would I do the Rondo trade? Probably, especially if the FO is really determined to move the pick rather than draft a player. But only if (1) Gay was opting in or ideally resigning with the Kings at a lower number for more years and (2) Rondo was agreeable to an extension.

Would I do the Thompson for Dudley deal? Probably not. If it were Landry I'd jump on it, but I don't see it adding much to the team.

I doubt LA or Memphis would let Hill or Davis go for an MLE deal but I could be wrong. Of the two I do think you're right that Hill is more attainable.

What I'm pretty sure of is that Orlando wouldn't give up Afflalo in a sign-and-trade for IT. Assuming the Magic want Thomas they could just sign him outright as they are WAY under the cap for next season. And if they did want to do a S&T they'd throw in much less value than a guy like Afflalo who played so well this season. That said, I'd love to have Afflalo on the team, I just don't see it happening that way.

The real issue for the Kings is that they aren't in a position to win now. The team's offense was almost entirely Thomas, Gay and Cousins and two of those guys can leave this offseason and it sounds like one (IT) definitely will. And outside of the #8 pick the Kings don't have the trade assets (McLemore's rookie struggles make him a poor chip and create a high chance that it'd be selling low to move him) to put together a contender around Cousins, even if Gay stays and they don't have the cap room to make other moves.

I will be watching the Kings' moves this offseason with a lot of interest because I'm not sure how you build a good team out of the mess they have now.

The other team I'm going to keep a close eye on is Philadelphia. So far they've had a picture perfect rebuild. Shed salary, move good players that aren't your core going forward (Holiday), draft well (ROY in MCW and a redshirt lotto pick in Noel) acquire extra picks (a second top 10 pick from NO and a ridiculous 5 2nd rounders) and then use your cap room to fill in the blanks with vets.

Michael Carter-Williams, Thaddeus Young, Nerlens Noel and a draft haul of Jabari Parker + Stauskas/Harris or perhaps Nurkic and a mixture of free agents and a couple good second round picks and all of a sudden you're competing.

Two franchises that took very different approaches to overhauling the roster under new management. Interesting case study in rebuilding.