SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Kings fans know what they want, they just need to realize that by the time they get it they won't really need it anymore unfortunately. At least not in a piece that's not really something you build a long term future with.
Shams Bomb! Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder traded to Cleveland in 3 team deal. Kings acquire De’Andre Hunter
- Thread starter NewArena
- Start date
Kings fans know what they want, they just need to realize that by the time they get it they won't really need it anymore unfortunately. At least not in a piece that's not really something you build a long term future with.
Tizzy Flip
Starter
It’s not insulting, they’re facts. We all love Ellis and Caldwell since they’ve achieved beyond what anyone expected. Hunter is still a better talent than Ellis. And height and length is something we’ve all been begging for. I wish the best for Ellis, but his 175lb frame tells me he won’t be anything more than a key role players. He is what contending teams need, not rebuilding teams
QWERTYLICIOUS
Starter
Man, we have some harsh critics on this here forum.
I am willing to wait this one out before passing final judgment. Because a move like this tells me that Scott wants to put his fingerprints all over the next reincarnation of the Sacramento Kings. While it's tough to see Keon leave, I can understand why Scott has decided to send him elsewhere.
Ideally, I would've loved to see a handful of picks coming our way, but at the end of the day, I am also "glad" to see Schroder get sent out, and I have no real opinion one way or the other on Saric.
It also gives us an opportunity to see Cardwell be featured more, and that is something I can live with.
I wish Keon well. I hope he excels in Cleveland.
I am willing to wait this one out before passing final judgment. Because a move like this tells me that Scott wants to put his fingerprints all over the next reincarnation of the Sacramento Kings. While it's tough to see Keon leave, I can understand why Scott has decided to send him elsewhere.
Ideally, I would've loved to see a handful of picks coming our way, but at the end of the day, I am also "glad" to see Schroder get sent out, and I have no real opinion one way or the other on Saric.
It also gives us an opportunity to see Cardwell be featured more, and that is something I can live with.
I wish Keon well. I hope he excels in Cleveland.
ShastaKingsFan
Hall of Famer
This is weird and I see it often. The thing where you label the fans in a negative light, based on the opinions of the minority few.
HndsmCelt
Hall of Famer
I pray not. No team is ever going to have a successful starting lineup with Hunter in it to disruptive when he misses chunks of the season. But is a bench player he makes some sense. I would’ve never given up Keon for him though.
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TaxMan
Starter
Cunningham pulling the 7 foot 2 wingspan line screams the Kings front office feeding him talking points. I don’t think Hunter is going anywhere. Perry actually wants him going forward.
Hunter is a one year rental. He's solved nothing. Only now we have lost the best (or really only for all the minutes Carter is getting) defensive guard in the rotation. This is not a step forward, it's yet another Kings front office tripping and falling on their face and calling that the plan.
ShastaKingsFan
Hall of Famer
You really envision Hunter fitting this potential rebuild? He would have fit nicely at the start of last season, in place of Barnes. Now? Doesn't make sense
Elektrik
Starter
Carter who? Lol
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Hunter is right up there talent wise with the Kings top guys. He's a true wing. Yeah, the health is what it is but he better be starting at some point. DeMar has to be next. There can't be zero market for him. If there isn't then GM's are flat stupid.
Kingz19
Hall of Famer
I have no issues with Hunter as a player. Maybe outside of injuries. Definitely a guy I wish the Kings got 2 years ago. Similar to players like Precious and Cardwell who were acquired two years too late.
I especially like him much better than Schroder. But I figured another move has to be coming. If not involving Hunter, than definitely DeRozan. Though I think Hunter might be a better trade piece.
I’m also not that salty about Keon. They burned that bridge as soon as they picked up a well below value option instead of paying him maybe 8 per for 2-3 more years, picking up Schroder who nobody wanted, and then proceeding to jerk his minutes around.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Ah, no. Haha. And if that was the goal the Kings wouldn't be the one clearing someone else's cap, giving up the younger player, and picks on top of it even if it's in name only. Perry boo-booed but just like Vlade, at least he tried to clean up the mess sooner than later.
TaxMan
Starter
It’s certainly a possibility. It always seems like if a team has salary space, it’s not a bad plan to sign a solid vet in order to move them to a contender in need. With that said, giving him a third year on the contract blew any potential to get something more juicy back.
Just like Zach LaVine for De'Aaron Fox was a win for us, right?
ShastaKingsFan
Hall of Famer
If this is really the plan, Murray with Hunter is a mediocre wing tandem, if you're serious about it becoming a playoff contender. This is back to hoping to get through the play-in stuff
Tizzy Flip
Starter
Yes. It’s as simple as evaluating future talent. Wings who can shoot over 40% are rare. Keegan did it for 1 season and we proclaimed him as a future all star. Hunter almost does that in 4 seasons in a row and now he’s not a fit. Guards similar to Keon are available every draft, often in the 2nd round. If we get a top 5 pick, it would be exciting to see him on the court at the same time as Keegan and Hunter. If it doesn’t work out after 2027, then we trade him to another team that needs length and shooting. Low risk imo
Elektrik
Starter
Cardwell is definitely a rim protecting PF/center
Ignoring Saric, who never played and is filler, we traded two smalls for a big (which everyone says is impossible) and if we truly lost the trade talent-wise, why is anyone thinking we'll get good enough to move out of last place significantly (bottom three teams all have the same odds for #1, right?)? I don't really know how good or bad Hunter is (I don't watch him play), but we're getting rid of Dennis which everyone wanted, badly.
We balanced the team roster a bit, which everyone was also clamoring for all year.
Losing Keon sucks - he was likely my son's favorite player on the team and I was really hoping they would be able to keep him. But if he was gone anyways (wanted too much salary, didn't want to be here, whatever), he was already gone. And I'm certainly not going to worry too much about the worst of 3 different team's second round picks in 3 years at this point.
I think this may be a step in the right direction for team building overall given the above.
Maybe it is our consolation prize with Golden State being pretty stupid about JK? Hard to know.
We balanced the team roster a bit, which everyone was also clamoring for all year.
Losing Keon sucks - he was likely my son's favorite player on the team and I was really hoping they would be able to keep him. But if he was gone anyways (wanted too much salary, didn't want to be here, whatever), he was already gone. And I'm certainly not going to worry too much about the worst of 3 different team's second round picks in 3 years at this point.
I think this may be a step in the right direction for team building overall given the above.
Maybe it is our consolation prize with Golden State being pretty stupid about JK? Hard to know.
Tizzy Flip
Starter
We really going to revisit this and compare a Keon Ellis trade to Fox? All I know is Fox is gonna have as much staying power with the Spurs as LaVine has with us.
ShastaKingsFan
Hall of Famer
So he fits where this team currently is and "their timeline"?
Without Tyrese, Pascal Siakam's team is fighting with us for worst record in the league this season. That's not a terribly convincing demonstration of his hypothetical value to a competing Kings team. Certainly unworthy of taking a victory lap on those who didn't like the fit here.
Why are Kings fans upset about this team finally trading for a wing player? Because everything is contextual. I wanted a De'Andre Hunter trade two years ago before Vivek blew up the Beam Team. At this point, we would have been better off just re-signing Keon Ellis last summer instead. And why are you still ragging on Monte McNair about signing too many guards? Monte is responsible for the only winning Kings season in the last two decades. He had his limitations but his strategy clearly was not all bad.
And I know exactly what I want. A top10 defense and one elite scorer. That's the only formula that has ever led to consistent wins in the NBA. Keon could have contributed to the defensive part of that equation. Hunter undoubtedly will not. And given where Hunter is now in his career (28 years old with one playoff series win on his resume) and free agency one year away for him, we're likely to get about 10% of his effort as he counts the minutes until he's out of Sacramento. We're supposed to be building a franchise that winning players want to play for and instead we're building a franchise that everyone can't wait to escape from.
Dongoodboy
Bench
maybe that is the difference where many fans expect a more thorough rebuild but we will see a top pick rookie to try to win with the current team. I honestly hate this direction
QWERTYLICIOUS
Starter
Why aim for a top 10 defense when you can shoot for a top 1 defense?
Tizzy Flip
Starter
You keep saying timeline. We need to rebuild and rebuild fast. And the way to supercharge that is through this year’s draft. And have the right pieces with him in years 1 & 2. Maybe learn a thing or 2 from a 28yo “vet” like Hunter who was a major contributor for the Cavs in their playoff run (oh by the way he shot 46% from 3 in the playoffs last year). You rebuild when you surround top talent with the right complementary pieces. And if takes 3 years to get it right, fine. Pistons took 4 reasons to figure it out after drafting Cade. A few less years for OKC and Houston
Next step needs to be to get rid of LaVine, DDR, Westbrook. Anyone who wants to use our time to rebuild to build up their stat legacy, we need to jettison. And if we can get FRPs for Sabonis, pull that trigger too.
I have no idea. According to Spotrac we're $1.7M under the tax threshold. That $13M number makes no sense at all, either for this year or for next year (where our current salaries are pushing the tax line, but we can be pretty confident that the DeRozan salary won't be on our books).
My point is, sometimes the outrage is justified. There will always be fans who call every Kings trade a win. I get it, optimism feels better than outrage. I don't enjoy having to vet every stupid decision a Kings front office makes. I rather would prefer somebody competent were making these decisions instead and I could just cheer them on for their good work.
Hunter himself is not a terrible player, he's actually pretty good. But last place teams not even a full year into their rebuild don't trade for 28 year olds with one year left on their contract. We could have had Keon Ellis re-signed for the next 4 years. Keon was a legitimately valuable asset that Scott Perry just disappeared for no good reason. Unless we hit the lottery and are miraculously competing already next year, the sum total of Scott Perry's managing of the Keon Ellis contract situation was a long-term talent drain for a team that didn't have a lot of talent to give away in the first place.
ShastaKingsFan
Hall of Famer
If he's part of the plan to "rebuild fast", it's going to be another attempt at a shortcut that doesn't work. With the interest for Ellis around the league, I think they could have done better and instead added a draft pick
Tizzy Flip
Starter
Weird point on Siakam. He obviously fits well with Hali. I thought he would fit well with the beam team as a 2nd option. Which is what I was arguing for 2 years ago. Never said he would thrive as the primary option
We are where we are cuz of Monte’s choices. His strategy of building a team through offensively deficient undersized guards who are great at defense is a recipe for losing. You build championships through guards that can lead an offense and score, and with wings that can shoot and defend. Or if you have defensive minded guards, you better have elite wings or centers. He doubled down on a certain type. So we are where we are. And unfortunately we have to sacrifice some valuable pieces like Keon (who I don’t see as a rare building block) to help turn the Titanic around