Kings reportedly involved in Brad Beal trade talks but not deep enough in to matter
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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Y'know, not for nothing but the Wizards deciding to blow things up and get as bad as possible for this season greatly improves our chances at signing Kyle Kuzma, who would do nothing to really help our defense but would give us two 6'9" wing-forwards who are capable of getting unnaturally hot from the perimeter.
Kuzma's defense has actually improved a lot since his early days. I think his defense is considered at least average or slightly above average at this point.
It's really depends on how much Kuzma is asking for in Free Agency. If we could get him for a decent contract, i.e. 4 years/$80-90 mil, then I think he may be an upgrade to HB. BUT, If it takes a $27-30+ mil per year contract, then no thanks. However, I know Monte has been linked to Kuzma in rumors for some time now.
It's really depends on how much Kuzma is asking for in Free Agency. If we could get him for a decent contract, i.e. 4 years/$80-90 mil, then I think he may be an upgrade to HB. BUT, If it takes a $27-30+ mil per year contract, then no thanks. However, I know Monte has been linked to Kuzma in rumors for some time now.
By no means do I think Kuzma is a bad defender but he certainly wouldn't change our team's ceiling defensively like OG possibly could. At the same time, having him alongside an improving Keegan Murray on defense might be enough to really shore up things on that end as opposed to watching Harrison Barnes struggle to keep up laterally with any wing/forward with two working legs.
If Kuz were willing to take a similar deal to the one HB took when he re-signed with us in 2019, I would have no qualms whatsoever.
If Kuz were willing to take a similar deal to the one HB took when he re-signed with us in 2019, I would have no qualms whatsoever.
the only issue with Kuz for me is if we are wanting/expecting Keegan to take a leap, where do the shots come from? OG would have needed shots too but he averaged just a bit more than Barnes did and then obviously gives us way more defense. If Kuz comes in you are looking at probably 18-20 points a game and that leaves Keegan likely stuck in 12-14 range.
If we don’t get OG I’m more in favor of bringing Barnes back and letting Keegan blossom. If we sign HB to a 3 year 60 mil dollar deal we would then have his contract plus Holmes deal to make a big trade if “running it back” doesn’t work. That’s 32 mil and we would then likely have control over our picks again.
If we don’t get OG I’m more in favor of bringing Barnes back and letting Keegan blossom. If we sign HB to a 3 year 60 mil dollar deal we would then have his contract plus Holmes deal to make a big trade if “running it back” doesn’t work. That’s 32 mil and we would then likely have control over our picks again.
Well, the hope is Kuz would buy into "We share the ball here" mantra and play nice with like a 22ish% USG rate. I think that would do wonders for his efficiency as well.
But one benefit the Kings do have is they can basically absorb anyone into their offense with ease because of how unselfish Domas is. It's Fox goes first then Domas finds whoever has the hot hand and feeds him. We didn't have 7 30pt scorers last season on accident. That's a product of the system and how we share the ball with 2 unselfish stars up top.
But one benefit the Kings do have is they can basically absorb anyone into their offense with ease because of how unselfish Domas is. It's Fox goes first then Domas finds whoever has the hot hand and feeds him. We didn't have 7 30pt scorers last season on accident. That's a product of the system and how we share the ball with 2 unselfish stars up top.
It's the shots you don't want. If there was a guy out there that could severely damage Keegan's chances, it's Kuz. When Kuz has that usage rate, he's basically a more athletic Barnes that draws less contact. If the Kings are going for a less efficient, more athletic, streaky shooter, Oubre is a better and likely cheaper option.
I agree, but with a few asterisks 
. These are moot now with Beal's trade to Suns, but the general points remain.
For people thinking Suns got Beal for free, yes in terms of talent. However, it's a huge financial commitment. The owners have decided to go all in, and buy a championship. Let's see if it works out.
. These are moot now with Beal's trade to Suns, but the general points remain.- Beal is not guaranteed to carve out those minutes. Over the last two seasons, not only has he played fewer games, but his PPG have also come down.
- He's been the top dog in W for a long time. With Suns, he'll be competing with Ayton as the third option. Would have been a similar story here.
- Star power matters more in the playoffs. We have to establish the tradition of going there consistently. We can't take it as a given (though I think the team showed maturity in the playoffs last year, giving hopes for this year).
- Depth matters a lot in the regular season. We were particularly blessed last season. Won't happen often. Sacrificing depth for a player who might himself be out of lineup for long periods is massively risky.
- It's quite possible that in two seasons, Kevin is actually the better player, period. Not, "if Beal is healthy" kind of scenario. Huerter is just better. I think it's even likely.
For people thinking Suns got Beal for free, yes in terms of talent. However, it's a huge financial commitment. The owners have decided to go all in, and buy a championship. Let's see if it works out.
Was listening to a podcast long back (think it was "What's your problem", but not sure). The guest was a guy who was one of the pioneers of advanced stats. To a question, he said per their stats, Beal was the most overrated guy in the league.
Not saying that advanced stats are always correct, or that the guy was right. Just mentioning what he said (and what I remember).
Not saying that advanced stats are always correct, or that the guy was right. Just mentioning what he said (and what I remember).
But this was always the problem with super max deals. Stars want it, teams are scared to say no as it shows a lack of respect, and are forced to give superstar level money to stars.
I think this was one of the main reasons we traded Cuz. Yes, it helped us retain our pick that year (hello Fox), but I think the upcoming contract, and what it could cost us were likely factors too.
I think this was one of the main reasons we traded Cuz. Yes, it helped us retain our pick that year (hello Fox), but I think the upcoming contract, and what it could cost us were likely factors too.
I agree, but with a few asterisks . These are moot now with Beal's trade to Suns, but the general points remain.
For people thinking Suns got Beal for free, yes in terms of talent. However, it's a huge financial commitment. The owners have decided to go all in, and buy a championship. Let's see if it works out.
. These are moot now with Beal's trade to Suns, but the general points remain.- Beal is not guaranteed to carve out those minutes. Over the last two seasons, not only has he played fewer games, but his PPG have also come down.
- He's been the top dog in W for a long time. With Suns, he'll be competing with Ayton as the third option. Would have been a similar story here.
- Star power matters more in the playoffs. We have to establish the tradition of going there consistently. We can't take it as a given (though I think the team showed maturity in the playoffs last year, giving hopes for this year).
- Depth matters a lot in the regular season. We were particularly blessed last season. Won't happen often. Sacrificing depth for a player who might himself be out of lineup for long periods is massively risky.
- It's quite possible that in two seasons, Kevin is actually the better player, period. Not, "if Beal is healthy" kind of scenario. Huerter is just better. I think it's even likely.
For people thinking Suns got Beal for free, yes in terms of talent. However, it's a huge financial commitment. The owners have decided to go all in, and buy a championship. Let's see if it works out.