Free Agency

It's a whole lineup, but not an especially good one.

McNair is going to remake the roster in his own vision. There are really only three players I'm confident will be on the roster after the trade deadline: Fox, Bagley, and Haliburton. I'm sure more than just those three will be around, but I figure everybody else is potentially movable.

And it's not like we're short on players. We've got 10 players under contract counting Haliburton, we might match Bogi, there are two second round picks and DQJ (and Guy?) who we control. We had to let somebody go!
it's really confusing because we're doing what many have been begging us to do for years and now half the board is freaking out about it.

I'll also note I've not been a big fan of doing it but I'm quite at peace right now.
 
it's really confusing because we're doing what many have been begging us to do for years and now half the board is freaking out about it.

I'll also note I've not been a big fan of doing it but I'm quite at peace right now.
If McNairs draft didn't seem to look as good as it does and he still didn't basically have the same core of talent needed to win it would be different. If Bogdan is gone you still have your starting lineup intact. Fox, Buddy, Barnes, Bjelica, and Bagley. And less toys for Walton to mess it up and put in marginal role players against the leagues best over them. If that unit fails to win at least you're building value individually. The players leaving while impactful for sure (Baze and Len) weren't the difference between this team being the garbage it was and the competitor it could be. The only thorn is the coach that wiped his backside with all positivity as little as it was is still here. But! They've got options waiting to pounce on his lifeless body once he drops Night of the Living Dead style.
 
And less toys for Walton to mess it up and put in marginal role players against the leagues best over them.
This is key. I've been a broken record on this, but Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta to a lesser extent, shipped off their veterans and gave the ball to their top draft choices to let them get in game experience without worrying about earning PT. In our quest to get that 8th seed, we never fully gave the reigns to Fox and Bagley, which would have accelerated their development.
 
Honestly Whiteside at the MLE isn't bad considering what's left out there. We need a big body, Bagley and Holmes are small centers. He would definitely help our defensive rebounding woes. Plus I think he's pretty tradeable at that price.
Right? The production is there he’s got the track record to show it and at the MLE I’m not going to turn my nose up at 12 10 and 2 blocks
 
Honestly Whiteside at the MLE isn't bad considering what's left out there. We need a big body, Bagley and Holmes are small centers. He would definitely help our defensive rebounding woes. Plus I think he's pretty tradeable at that price.
Man, it sure is crazy now. Can you imagine a 7 footer putting up 15 and 13 with a few blocks a game 15 years ago? They'd get max offers left and right. Now certain types of production and ability doesn't matter at all anymore for most teams. The game is so broken. lol.
 
This is key. I've been a broken record on this, but Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta to a lesser extent, shipped off their veterans and gave the ball to their top draft choices to let them get in game experience without worrying about earning PT. In our quest to get that 8th seed, we never fully gave the reigns to Fox and Bagley, which would have accelerated their development.
And the Kings did it with some of those players already in their mid 20's. You can't make this stuff up!
 
Clearly DeMarcus is the kind of calm, level headed player that will help smooth things over with Westbrook and Harden . . .

I love Boogie but is that really the guy to insert into an already combustible environment?
I'm still of the belief if you're going to stockpile locker room dynamite don't quit half way go all out. If used right it can be a useful tool and maybe an identity. Demarcus' skills are still there but man, those specific injuries for a player like him is a tough hill to climb. If he can bring the chip on the shoulder players like Harden need and he's healthy then teams in the west could be in trouble. Who knows what they even look like heading into the season though. It's like a necessary gamble for them at this point.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
Clearly DeMarcus is the kind of calm, level headed player that will help smooth things over with Westbrook and Harden . . .

I love Boogie but is that really the guy to insert into an already combustible environment?
With there still being Wall for Westbrook rumors, this may finally be the 2010 Kentucky Wildcat reunion we’ve all been waiting for.
 
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We'd only have 10 players under contract with that $8.8 mil in cap space, so we'd have to factor in 3 undrafted rookie cap holds (I believe it was 13) which bring the cap space to $6.1 mil (not $8.8 mil). Now if you sign a player, one of those cap holds is released and you get that money "back" to use, but the Kings couldn't go out and outright sign 1 player for $8.8 mil.

I'm also assuming that Haliburton will get 120% of the rookie scale (which I believe is pretty typical), and I'm assuming Hield did not make any of his incentives in his first year thus his cap hit this year would be only base salary. Below are his incentives:

  • $500,000: Play 70 Games AND shoot 85%+ from the Free Throw Line (Played 72 Games but shot 84.6% from FT)
  • $500,000: Average less than 2 Turnovers per game (Averaged 2.3 TOs per game)
  • $500,000: Lead the League in 3PM (2nd in League with 271 3PM)
  • $500,000: Have a Defensive Rating of less than 110.5 (Defensive Rating of 114)
  • $500,000: Make the All Star team (Did not make All Star team)
  • $500,000: Make the Playoffs (Did not make Playoffs)
  • $250,000: Make the Second Round of Playoffs (Did not make Second Round of Playoffs)
  • $500,000: Make the Western Conference Finals (Did not make Western Conference Finals)
  • $1,000,000: Make the NBA Finals (Did not make NBA Finals)
Are the incentives based on the season before or the season itself (since 2021 would be the actual first year of his contract)?
 
Honestly Whiteside at the MLE isn't bad considering what's left out there. We need a big body, Bagley and Holmes are small centers. He would definitely help our defensive rebounding woes. Plus I think he's pretty tradeable at that price.
eh; nah. Everyone's caught on to the Whiteside game by now that while he puts up pretty numbers; he has a bad impact on the game.
 
it's really confusing because we're doing what many have been begging us to do for years and now half the board is freaking out about it.

I'll also note I've not been a big fan of doing it but I'm quite at peace right now.
My secret to staying a Kings fan amidst losing has always just been hoping for change. GET RID OF IT! FIRE COACH X. CHANGE GM! GET RID OF CUZ! GET RID OF WCS! FIRE WALTON! (Wasn't a fan of get rid of Buddy! but it's something).

Hey if we're going to be bad, at least be bad differently each time m i rite?

Fox is lucky if Bogi/Buddy are both gone though. You'd think he'd become the scapegoat if he doesn't take the next leap in improvement on the max contract, but then he would have the "the rest of this team couldn't beat the Lakers D-League team" protection card.
 
eh; nah. Everyone's caught on to the Whiteside game by now that while he puts up pretty numbers; he has a bad impact on the game.
I don't know, the more I think about it I can see reasons why he'd fit. The Kings were always getting beat into the paint. He could allow the Kings now with Haliburton and Fox at G to really pressure up instead of overhelping in the paint from the corners which was a complete fail for the Kings both with Joerger and Walton. Whiteside gets exposed in pick and roll but he could certainly help keep the middle a little more stuffed than it is now.
 
My secret to staying a Kings fan amidst losing has always just been hoping for change. GET RID OF IT! FIRE COACH X. CHANGE GM! GET RID OF CUZ! GET RID OF WCS! FIRE WALTON! (Wasn't a fan of get rid of Buddy! but it's something).

Hey if we're going to be bad, at least be bad differently each time m i rite?

Fox is lucky if Bogi/Buddy are both gone though. You'd think he'd become the scapegoat if he doesn't take the next leap in improvement on the max contract, but then he would have the "the rest of this team couldn't beat the Lakers D-League team" protection card.
Buddy’s role is as a 6th man instant offense off the bench for a good team. He is very much a Lew Williams type of player and at 28 he isn’t going to get smarter.

the problem is not only is the low end of his contract 18M the last year, it includes includes incentives that for a good team adds $2M on top of his already bloated salary.

Kings make playoffs: $500,000
Kings make second-round: $250,000
Kings make WCF: $500,000
Kings make NBA Finals: $1,000,000

so you have a player who is overpaid for his role, unhappy with his role and upon helping the team cashes in on other guys effort. It is going to be very hard to trade Buddy ever.
 
Who just saw jason Jones Retweet of Bogi and Whiteside both sporting kings gear getting shots up around 3 hours ago?? Is this the direction we’re going in...
Whiteside has spent years perfecting the basketball embodiment of Kangz, and it is now time to come home to where the journey began. Hassan, lead us to the promise land of blocked shots, rebounds stolen from teammates, double digits losses, and the top overall pick.
 
Who just saw jason Jones Retweet of Bogi and Whiteside both sporting kings gear getting shots up around 3 hours ago?? Is this the direction we’re going in...
Are you sure they are wearing Kings gear? Whiteside appears to be wearing standard striped shorts and a tank top and I can’t clearly see what is shirt says. Maybe it’s not coming through clear on my end
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
Are you sure they are wearing Kings gear? Whiteside appears to be wearing standard striped shorts and a tank top and I can’t clearly see what is shirt says. Maybe it’s not coming through clear on my end
I think it’s been an exhausting free agent rush and people are just looking for some sign it’ll come to an end
 
Whiteside has spent years perfecting the basketball embodiment of Kangz, and it is now time to come home to where the journey began. Hassan, lead us to the promise land of blocked shots, rebounds stolen from teammates, double digits losses, and the top overall pick.
If the Kings match Bogi, run up and down the court with a 3 guard line-up, lose every game 135-130, I’m good.