Potential Free Agent/Trade/Sign Tracker, '25-'26 Season

[Dongoodboy]

No one is saying that. Again, it's "Top 5 picks give you a better chance for a franchise player" Unequivocally true.

I think Minny should be the example we use instead of Spurs. They were just bad, plain bad and that led them to a couple of 1st picks. The 1st pick did get them some degree of success in choosing the right guy. Then they hire Connelly to put all the things together. The no so successful 1st pick like Wiggins and Towns still gave them a decent return

 

[Warhawk]

No one is saying that. Again, it's "Top 5 picks give you a better chance for a franchise player" Unequivocally true.

Agreed on the bolded (if you get a "lucky draft year" when a true franchise player is available), but over the past season there have also been lots of folks saying over and over that all we need is some top picks and we'll be back on top. They discount trades and FA signings as realistic means to improve the team and want to trade everyone away for future first rounders that could end up being middling picks or picks that (for whatever reason) don't pan out. They discount draft years like the year we drafted Pervis as possible. The word "chance" in your statement downplays the realistic outcome.

The gambling mentality of constantly betting on "upside" of 19-year-olds juxtaposed with the frustration of damn near 2 decades of futility built on top 10 picks in this city is just mind-boggling.

Now, with the lottery odds more than likely flattened even more in coming years, this approach is even less feasible for reliable success.

The draft is a big crapshoot. Always has been. Even "sure fire" prospects flame out for various reasons.

We need to get smarter with trades, contract management, and signings as well. The draft is just one means of getting talent. Some treat it as the only way. Do that well, but you can't count on it. You can more readily count on established talent.

 

[KainLear]

 

[KainLear]

 

[KainLear]

 

[SacTownKid]

Another very Perry type of player. Really liked him in college.

 

[KainLear]

Another very Perry type of player. Really liked him in college.

In your opinion, what players would make a Perry type of players? Team player? Defensive-minded? School of Hard Knocks (lol)?

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2060096488752161156

 

[Capt. Factorial]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2060096488752161156

Just think how differently Vivek would be viewed in this town if he had just listened to the outgoing Petrie and grabbed Giannis in his first-ever Kings draft. Wow.

 

[SacTownKid]

In your opinion, what players would make a Perry type of players? Team player? Defensive-minded? School of Hard Knocks (lol)?

Physical. The one thing that Perry seems to really move towards is players more physical for their position. And with the way the league is trending I can't disagree.

 

[SacTownKid]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2060096488752161156

Here we go! lol.

 

[Hoovtrain]

Here we go! lol.

Haha

 

[eleventy]

I think he was one of the players the Kings were rumored to ask for in the Fox trade, only to be offered Devin Vessel and Keldon Johnson. The Kings should had taken any combination of those players, instead of LaVine in the Fox trade

going back to where i saw this post... note that the poster believes that sochan (who is unnamed in this post) was not allowed to be a part of the fox trade and that the poster quotes a "rumor" that thev spurs offered vassell and johnson, but the kings wanted more...

i checked with AI and that could find no rumor that either vassell or johnson were ever offered...

had they BEEN offered, the kings should have made the trade (no picks neccessary)...

does anyone disagree?...

question is, why didn't we get something for fox?

because what we GOT (lavine) looks more like clutch doing the bulls a favor at the kings' expense.

 

[eleventy]

I don’t think either Vassell or Johnson would be long term fits on the kings so I’d rather have the big expiring.

but there is always someone who disagrees (post on p. 83)

vassell and johnson for fox would have been, "the trade that helps BOTH teams

 

[Kingster]

going back to where i saw this post... note that the poster believes that sochan (who is unnamed in this post) was not allowed to be a part of the fox trade and that the poster quotes a "rumor" that thev spurs offered vassell and johnson, but the kings wanted more...

i checked with AI and that could find no rumor that either vassell or johnson were ever offered...

had they BEEN offered, the kings should have made the trade (no picks neccessary)...

does anyone disagree?...

question is, why didn't we get something for fox?

because what we GOT (lavine) looks more like clutch doing the bulls a favor at the kings' expense.

Because Monte waited until the 11th hour to deal him so he had no leverage. He should have dealt him the prior summer when his leverage was much higher. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Because Monte waited until the 11th hour to deal him so he had no leverage. He should have dealt him the prior summer when his leverage was much higher. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

But the prior summer Fox was part of our future plans. We didn't want to deal him when he was our franchise PG. We only dealt him once he and his agent refused the extension and said they weren't coming back.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

But the prior summer Fox was part of our future plans. We didn't want to deal him when he was our franchise PG. We only dealt him once he and his agent refused the extension and said they weren't coming back.

Yeah, I don't quite understand why some fans don't understand this, or refuse to understand this for that matter.

 

[hrdboild]

We'll probably still be talking about this for quite a while longer, especially if we have to go through Fox to get through the Western Conference playoffs in the future. Knowing what we do now, a slow re-build around Haliburton would have given us a longer runway but to know that Monte would have needed to anticipate the Fox/Sabonis pairing not blossoming into a full partnership and who knows what he could have gotten for Fox in trade at that point. Monte pulling the plug on the Beam Team by trading Fox in 2024 probably wouldn't have gone over well with the fans either.

The way this all transpired in record time was a worst-case scenario (Brown pushing for more defense from the team in Year 3, the players not responding well and falling into an early season hole, the front office panic firing Brown, and Fox using that as his excuse to get out of Dodge) -- but looking back on it now it's clear that the Beam Team had some fractures beneath the surface which were bound to cause problems eventually. Given that Zach LaVine might be my least favorite player in the league, I have to believe there was a marginally better trade to be made for Fox but there's only so much looking back a person can do before they start tripping over themselves. so for my part I'm ready to move on from this (emotionally at least).

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

We'll probably still be talking about this for quite a while longer, especially if we have to go through Fox to get through the Western Conference playoffs in the future. Knowing what we do now, a slow re-build around Haliburton would have given us a longer runway but to know that Monte would have needed to anticipate the Fox/Sabonis pairing not blossoming into a full partnership and who knows what he could have gotten for Fox in trade at that point. Monte pulling the plug on the Beam Team by trading Fox in 2024 probably wouldn't have gone over well with the fans either.

The way this all transpired in record time was a worst-case scenario (Brown pushing for more defense from the team in Year 3, the players not responding well and falling into an early season hole, the front office panic firing Brown, and Fox using that as his excuse to get out of Dodge) -- but looking back on it now it's clear that the Beam Team had some fractures beneath the surface which were bound to cause problems eventually. Given that Zach LaVine might be my least favorite player in the league, I have to believe there was a marginally better trade to be made for Fox but there's only so much looking back a person can do before they start tripping over themselves. so for my part I'm ready to move on from this (emotionally at least).

 

[Noble]

So currently our off-season starting point is this:

?
LaVine
Hunter/DeRozan
Murray
Sabonis

Bench: DC, Monk, Clifford, Raynaud, Caldwell

With no cap, and picks 7, 34, and 45.

Wooowy what a cluster.

Kingston Flemings and Baba Miller would be a nice haul. At the same time I can see us trading 7+LaVine for Ja Morant if we decide to double down on keeping Sabonis and building around him. Morant-Hunter-Murray-Sabonis-Raynaud is the lineup I'd like to see in that scenario

 

[hrdboild]

So currently our off-season starting point is this:

?
LaVine
Hunter/DeRozan
Murray
Sabonis

Bench: DC, Monk, Clifford, Raynaud, Caldwell

With no cap, and picks 7, 34, and 45.

Wooowy what a cluster.

I've got the pre-draft depth chart as..

Carter
Clifford
Hunter
Murray
Raynaud

BENCH: Cardwell
TRADE BAIT: Monk, Sabonis, DeRozan (likely cut if he can't be traded)
SIBERIA: LaVine

 

[Noble]

I've got the pre-draft depth chart as..

Carter
Clifford
Hunter
Murray
Raynaud

BENCH: Cardwell
TRADE BAIT: Monk, Sabonis, DeRozan (likely cut if he can't be traded)
SIBERIA: LaVine

Yeah if we go all in on a reset that looks great, then we can keep our picks and just keep acquiring talent and shed the massive contracts too. Will Vivek buy in?

 

[Section 101]

Yeah, I don't quite understand why some fans don't understand this, or refuse to understand this for that matter.

It didnt have to be done at this time especially if Vivek already knew Monte wasnt coming back. It could have waited till summer in which case SA may have been off the table.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

It didnt have to be done at this time especially if Vivek already knew Monte wasnt coming back. It could have waited till summer in which case SA may have been off the table.

The argument being contested here is that Fox should have been dealt the summer *before*, not the summer *after*.

 

[The_Jamal]

I've got the pre-draft depth chart as..

Carter
Clifford
Hunter
Murray
Raynaud

BENCH: Cardwell
TRADE BAIT: Monk, Sabonis, DeRozan (likely cut if he can't be traded)
SIBERIA: LaVine

Obviously we try to find a suitor for LaVine, but I think if we were REALLY serious about building this right, we'd buy him out, get a few dollars back and just go let him find another spot.

Terminate the DDR option, don't resign Russ and get off LaVine leaves you with

#7 pick || Carter
Nique || Monk
Hunter ||
Keegan || Maxime
Domas || Cardwell

That's a team I can root for. Defense, shooting and having a real blend of vets (Monk/Domas/Hunter/Keegan) with the young guys in major roles to let them develop (#7, Nique, Max, Cardwell, Carter). That's also providing some level of stability for a young PG to develop, being able to work off Domas, rather than just throwing him to the wolves.

Fill out the roster with our 2nd round picks, maybe Plowden and a veteran 4th guard ball-handler that's actually fine being in that role and not expecting playing time (like Russ)

 

[SLAB]

I’m sure LaVine and a second should get it done.

 

[eleventy]

So currently our off-season starting point is this:

?
LaVine
Hunter/DeRozan
Murray
Sabonis

Bench: DC, Monk, Clifford, Raynaud, Caldwell

With no cap, and picks 7, 34, and 45.

Wooowy what a cluster.

Kingston Flemings and Baba Miller would be a nice haul. At the same time I can see us trading 7+LaVine for Ja Morant if we decide to double down on keeping Sabonis and building around him. Morant-Hunter-Murray-Sabonis-Raynaud is the lineup I'd like to see in that scenario

are you crazy?... lavine AND our lotto pick for morant????

why not ALL our future number ones?

i'm willing to take their headache (with TWO massive contract years left) for our upset stomach (one year left) but not even straight up...

if they want us to take on a two year gamble with ja, , aldama has to be included from their roster and we will add monk and/or carter or perhaps hunter from our side but we must get the second player with the bigger upside... otherwise, wait out the lavine year and let memphis try to unload morant somewhere else.,,,

the only way i trade for ja even up is if i already have a deal set up with milwaukee for giannis and the bucks want ja, but not zach, as the "money piece"

naturally, the bucks would want picks but if we use our #7 for mara, we could entice milwaukee by including sabonis with ja for giannis (and perhaps just one future #1 and they include portis)

 

[jiimbob]

Yesterday A Royal Pain writer made a case for a Sabonis / Zion Williamson swap.

Granted Zion has missed close to half his games since drafted due to injuries and conditioning, but when he is on the court he’s effective. Both players have two years remaining on their contracts and Zion is actually cheaper by a few million per season and a few years younger, not that that’s worth much if injuries persist.

It probably boils down to a change of scenery for both, but does anyone think this is worth the risk? or just another nonsense article written by a writer desperate for a story.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Yesterday A Royal Pain writer made a case for a Sabonis / Zion Williamson swap.

Granted Zion has missed close to half his games since drafted due to injuries and conditioning, but when he is on the court he’s effective. Both players have two years remaining on their contracts and Zion is actually cheaper by a few million per season and a few years younger, not that that’s worth much if injuries persist.

It probably boils down to a change of scenery for both, but does anyone think this is worth the risk? or just another nonsense article written by a writer desperate for a story.

Absolutely...NOT!!!

 

[hrdboild]

Yesterday A Royal Pain writer made a case for a Sabonis / Zion Williamson swap.

Granted Zion has missed close to half his games since drafted due to injuries and conditioning, but when he is on the court he’s effective. Both players have two years remaining on their contracts and Zion is actually cheaper by a few million per season and a few years younger, not that that’s worth much if injuries persist.

It probably boils down to a change of scenery for both, but does anyone think this is worth the risk? or just another nonsense article written by a writer desperate for a story.

I do think a change of scenery might be good for both players. In Sabonis' case because Sacramento is not close to being competitive again and he's going to burn the prime of his career just trying to get back to the First Round. Zion has obviously worn out his welcome, more or less, in New Orleans and is already seeing his touches scaled back in favor of their younger core. I think they'd be happy getting a player in return who is the exact opposite of Zion in terms of reliability (though coming off the first serious injury related absence of his career).

The changes to the lottery rules certainly put a knife into the "get as bad as possible now in order to get better later" plan which Scott Perry had already eluded to. So in that context, maybe half a season's worth of healthy Zion is enough to keep us treading water and safely out of the "relegation zone" for the next 3 drafts... or make that 2 drafts actually, before he's due for a new contract. We're in uncharted territory now for team building under the new lottery rules. So I guess my answer to these types of ideas is more in the direction of "why not" then it used to be. I'm not sure that Zion Williamson fits in with Coach Christie's "defense first" overtures but if we can't be good, we may as well be entertaining?