Dreams of KD for the Kings

#32
Still if you look at teams in similar situation they very rarely get a sniff at a top free agent after one decent season anyway. I am a Portland fan and we didn’t even come close to signing anyone decent in 2016 despite having a max slot available and coming off a very good season with Lillard playing like a top 10 player he is, McCollum winning MIP and team getting into second round of the playoffs and staying competitive against Warriors over all 5 games. We didn’t even get a meeting with Whiteside and we got turned down by Parsons because he felt Memphis were more of a certain thing with Conley and Gasol (thank God).

Philadelphia didn’t get a major free agent last Summer anyway and reached for Butler via trade as they probably weren’t convinced they would get him or anyone else next Summer in free agency next year.

Kings are better off chasing the second tier of very good players like Middleton, Harris etc. Basically players who will be third or fourth on the list for major free agency destinations and could go a bit unnoticed. The core of the team is already there, you now need to fill out the rest of the roster with talent that compliments Fox, Hield and Bagley.
That’s why I said ‘sleeper’. I realize it’s a long shot.

But just because Portland didn’t fare well that offseason doesn’t mean the KINGS can’t. You just never know.

Also, to be fair, while Portland has a nice team, they also have 2 guards that demand the ball a lot. The Kings don’t have a player like that, except maybe Fox, and share the ball extremely well and are playing an offensive style that I believe is attractive to a great deal of players. Those would be a couple notable differences IMO.
 
#33
That’s why I said ‘sleeper’. I realize it’s a long shot.

But just because Portland didn’t fare well that offseason doesn’t mean the KINGS can’t. You just never know.

Also, to be fair, while Portland has a nice team, they also have 2 guards that demand the ball a lot. The Kings don’t have a player like that, except maybe Fox, and share the ball extremely well and are playing an offensive style that I believe is attractive to a great deal of players. Those would be a couple notable differences IMO.
Well Portland were going to try for players who don’t need the ball that much back then though. Parsons got an offer, he’s basically a spot up shooter. Another one was Whiteside who doesn’t dominate the ball either.

Durant is basically a 0.001% chance. If you do well this season - say win 44 games and make it into playoffs which would be considered very good compared to the expectations - it maybe grows to 0.01%. Ten times more likely but still borderline impossible. I honestly think it’s just a waste of time, prepare a plan to go after players who might actually come there and pitch them hard a minute past midnight. Make them feel wanted and make them feel like a first choice instead of spending two or three days going after guys who will get five max contracts on the table from LA, New York, Chicago and other big markets.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#35
Well Portland were going to try for players who don’t need the ball that much back then though. Parsons got an offer, he’s basically a spot up shooter. Another one was Whiteside who doesn’t dominate the ball either.

Durant is basically a 0.001% chance. If you do well this season - say win 44 games and make it into playoffs which would be considered very good compared to the expectations - it maybe grows to 0.01%. Ten times more likely but still borderline impossible. I honestly think it’s just a waste of time, prepare a plan to go after players who might actually come there and pitch them hard a minute past midnight. Make them feel wanted and make them feel like a first choice instead of spending two or three days going after guys who will get five max contracts on the table from LA, New York, Chicago and other big markets.
Welcome to KingsFans! :)
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#36
1- Middleton (perfect compliment to our system. Good defender, great multi-tier scorer. Can play off the ball)
2- Klay (The fact he's more of an SG than a full-time SF lowers him down)
3- KD (The second best basketball player in the world. You'd have to redesign the entire system around him though and can be a bit of a diva. Also older)
4- Tobias Harris (really more of a 4 in the modern NBA. We've already had the Rudy Gay experience.)

Completely unobtainable: Kawhi.
 
#37
If you can get KD, you go and get him.

He's not some over the hill vet. He's the current two times finals MVP, a perennial MVP candidate, one of best scorers, and one of the best SFs ever. Franchises can go decades before sniffing on such a player. You have a chance (that too without giving up any assets!!!!), you don't think twice. You thank the BB gods for giving you that chance and grab it with both hands.

He's only 30 years old, and has at least 4-5 years of peak BB left, particularly with his height and elite shooting being skills that diminish least.

But yes, it's a pipe dream. It's not going to happen. We have to set our eyes lower. Fortunately, we seem to be getting settled at other positions, and have cap space and assets to potentially fill the void with something reasonable.
You never set your sights lower. But if it doesn’t happen then we move on. But Vlade should absolutely place a call.
 
#39
1- Middleton (perfect compliment to our system. Good defender, great multi-tier scorer. Can play off the ball)
2- Klay (The fact he's more of an SG than a full-time SF lowers him down)
3- KD (The second best basketball player in the world. You'd have to redesign the entire system around him though and can be a bit of a diva. Also older)
4- Tobias Harris (really more of a 4 in the modern NBA. We've already had the Rudy Gay experience.)

Completely unobtainable: Kawhi.
I would put KD over Klay. Tobias Harris might happen if the Clippers sign other players at his position.
 
#40
Still if you look at teams in similar situation they very rarely get a sniff at a top free agent after one decent season anyway. I am a Portland fan and we didn’t even come close to signing anyone decent in 2016 despite having a max slot available and coming off a very good season with Lillard playing like a top 10 player he is, McCollum winning MIP and team getting into second round of the playoffs and staying competitive against Warriors over all 5 games. We didn’t even get a meeting with Whiteside and we got turned down by Parsons because he felt Memphis were more of a certain thing with Conley and Gasol (thank God).

Philadelphia didn’t get a major free agent last Summer anyway and reached for Butler via trade as they probably weren’t convinced they would get him or anyone else next Summer in free agency next year.

Kings are better off chasing the second tier of very good players like Middleton, Harris etc. Basically players who will be third or fourth on the list for major free agency destinations and could go a bit unnoticed. The core of the team is already there, you now need to fill out the rest of the roster with talent that compliments Fox, Hield and Bagley.
Kings should be chasing a wide range of guys. Portland, in my opinion, struggled to sign anyone because Lillard and McCollum never pass the ball. It’s one reason it’s critical Fox passes the ball and doesn’t emulate Lillard.

That being said a good small forward could join this team with almost complete synergy.
 
#41
Kings should be chasing a wide range of guys. Portland, in my opinion, struggled to sign anyone because Lillard and McCollum never pass the ball. It’s one reason it’s critical Fox passes the ball and doesn’t emulate Lillard.

That being said a good small forward could join this team with almost complete synergy.
Portland handed out max deals in 2016 like they were candy. They didn't struggle to sign anyone, they got incredibly stupid and went from having tons of room to bumping against the luxury tax in one summer.

edit: now realizing this comes from another poster's contention they didn't get meetings with guys like Parsons (which in my mind goes to show how misguided they can be). But from what I recall that summer they were committed to extending the guys that gave them a better than expected run in 2015-2016 after Aldridge left and made a huge mistake in signing Turner early and then deciding to match on Crabbe.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
#46
He's an East Coast guy. I would put my money on him moving back East somewhere this off-season but if he does choose California I think it's very very unlikely he opts to settle down in Sacramento over LA or the Bay Area. Not to mention he's going to be making something absurd like 35-40 million a year. We probably should be looking for someone younger anyway. Our core group is mostly 19-25 right now. I'd be looking for a guy who's going to mesh better in this locker room. When young guys learn to win together, that's when you find yourself with an unstoppable juggernaut on your hands.
Hey, when it came to college, he chose Texas. That's not back east. Actually, since college he's never played back east. Texas, Seattle, Oklahoma, and San Francisco. One thing I agree on, if he wanted to establish a legacy, there would be no better chance than with the Kings. I'm going to hold my breath until it happens.. :eek:o_O
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#48
Durant isn't cut from that type of cloth, he likes easy championships so he will be signing with the Lakers
Other than Lebron, who else do the Lakers have that would guarantee Durant a championship. Remember Lebron is 32 years old, and will be 33 next season and will have played in well over 1200 games. Very few players ever make to 1000 games. And he's logged over 35 mpg in all of them. His time is running out, and it can happen quickly. He is a special specimen, but he is human. I don't see Durant going to the Lakers.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#50
Other than Lebron, who else do the Lakers have that would guarantee Durant a championship. Remember Lebron is 32 years old, and will be 33 next season and will have played in well over 1200 games. Very few players ever make to 1000 games. And he's logged over 35 mpg in all of them. His time is running out, and it can happen quickly. He is a special specimen, but he is human. I don't see Durant going to the Lakers.
how about the Clippers?
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#51
Because they're Kawhi/Butler hunting
Well, if the Clippers let Avery Bradley walk at seasons end, which they can, they can as much as 65.2 mil under the cap next summer. So they would have plenty of money to resign Harris, and then sign another big name freeagent. Bradley is a nice player, but he's only averaging 6 pts a game, and shooting under 30% from the three. He's certainly not earning his 12.5 mil, so I don't see them guaranteeing his contract for next season. Harris is going no where and the Clippers have said as much.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#53
Well, if the Clippers let Avery Bradley walk at seasons end, which they can, they can as much as 65.2 mil under the cap next summer. So they would have plenty of money to resign Harris, and then sign another big name freeagent. Bradley is a nice player, but he's only averaging 6 pts a game, and shooting under 30% from the three. He's certainly not earning his 12.5 mil, so I don't see them guaranteeing his contract for next season. Harris is going no where and the Clippers have said as much.
The issue for them though is that from a pure basketball perspective having both KD and Harris is redundant and then Gallinari being there only complicates matters. Now, all three are good enough basketball players that it could probably work but I could see the Clips having to jettison one of their two existing 3/4 guys to preempt any usage struggles.
 
#54
I would rather have Kawhi or Porter. My head would explode if I had to root for the cupcake every day.
I liked this post previously but I had to unlike it. I would be thrilled to sign Durant. Firstly, signing with the Kings is a much more competitive move than signing with the Warriors and would thusly improve my perception of him. (And it's not like joining the best team in the league makes him a bad person.) Secondly, the Kings putting themselves into a position to attract that caliber of a player would be a huge victory.
 
#55
I liked this post previously but I had to unlike it. I would be thrilled to sign Durant. Firstly, signing with the Kings is a much more competitive move than signing with the Warriors and would thusly improve my perception of him. (And it's not like joining the best team in the league makes him a bad person.) Secondly, the Kings putting themselves into a position to attract that caliber of a player would be a huge victory.
unlike noted. But leaving the second best team in the league to join the best team in the league after barely losing to the best team in the league does too make him a bad person.
 
#56
We don't need another playmaker that will take the ball out of Fox's hands. Durant is a scorer with a heavy usage %, he would be taking the ball out of his hands and we wouldn't be getting the most out of De'Aaron.


Friendly troll. Of course I'd take Durant in a heartbeat.
 
#59
Fox ups our chances of landing quality players in free agency from 0% to 10%-15%. I don't see KD coming here but I think Klay is definitely a possibility.
 
#60
Fox ups our chances of landing quality players in free agency from 0% to 10%-15%. I don't see KD coming here but I think Klay is definitely a possibility.
Funnily enough I think KD is much more likely to sign here than Klay. Makes much more sense for his career arc, and given his recent comments.

That said, I expect our chances to realistically land either to be hovering in and around the 0% mark.