The Offseason, what are the true possibilities:

[bajaden]

There have been many threads started suggesting this trade or signing that freeagent. But in fact, the only absolute, is that we'll have two new players via the draft. At least as it stands now. So I think you have to step back and take a look at the big picture. And that also means looking at our limitations.

To start, we have ten players committed to the team for next season. With that said, we should have around 14 million under the cap to work with in freeagency. Or will we? First, a list of the commited players.

1. John Salmons: committed for three more years, with the last year being non-guaranteed.

2. Marcus Thronton: Committed for three more years.

3. Francisco Garcia: Committed for two more years, with the second year being a team option.

4. Chuck Hayes: Committed for three more years.

5. Tyreke Evans: Committed for one more year. He becomes a restricted freeagent in 2013/14 with a qualifying offer.

6. Travis Outlaw: Committed for three more years.

7. Jimmer Fredette: Committed for three more years, with last two being team option. He then becomes a restricted freeagent if offered a qualifying offer.

8. DeMarcus Cousins: Committed for two more years, with second year being a team option. He then becomeds a restricted freeagent if offered a qualifying offer.

9. Tyler Honeycutt: Committed for two more years, with the second year being non-guaranteed.

10. Isiah Thomas: Committed for two more years, with both years being a team option.


Those are the ten players that will be back next season barring amnesty or a trade.

There are four players in limbo.

Jason Thompson: restricted freeagent. We can match any offer, but that doesn't mean we will. But I believe we'll try.
Donte Greene: Not sure of his status, but I believe he's an unrestricted freeagent, or shortly will be. Probably gone, unless he wants to play for a bag of chips.
Terrence Williams: unrestricted freeagent. Would be a nice addition, but will also eat up capspace.
Hassan Whiteside: He still has a two year contract, but its unguaranteed, so the team could just let him walk.

I doubt that Whiteside will walk. He's a live body with upside, and he's cheap. So you can probably add him to the 10 that are already committed. Which brings us up to 11 players.

So were at 11 players on the roster, and our first order of business is to resign JT. Now I'm sure all of you would like to resign him for around 5 to 6 Mil. So would I! But is that realistic? He will get offers from other teams, and my gut tells me those offers will exceed 6 mil. So what is your ceiling? How high will you go? 7 mil? 8 mil? There has to be a cut off point. But for the hell of it, lets say we resign him for 7 mil a year. Please, I don't want to debate the amount. I just picked it out of thin air, Ok? My point is, we've just used up half of our capspace. We also have a first round pick, currently at number 5.

So lets say we stay at 5. There goes another 4 mil. Now were down to about 3 mil left in capspace. And, were up to 13 on the roster. So, how badly do you want Terrence Williams now? We have 3 mil left, and I think he would sign for that amount. It would be a healthy increase from what he made last season. That would bring the roster to 14 players, and leave us with no capspace. Or very little, even if the signings are done for somewhat less. We also have to sign our second round pick, unless we use it on a european player that can play over there for a couple of years. And by the way, that would bring our roster to its limit. 15 players. Seems the only big freeagent we signed is our own. And now were out of money.

So where is the wiggle room other than letting JT walk, and not attempting to sign T. Williams. If you let JT walk, you still have to replace him. Now if we get real lucky and get the first pick in the draft, then you have your long term replacement. And a cheaper replacement at that. You could then go out and use a couple of million and sign, say, a Darnell Jackson for insurance off the bench. But were talking about a hope and a prayer, and not something you can count on.

So the way I see it, there are only two options. One is to use the amnesty clause, and the other is to make a trade, or trades. Otherwise, the team will be essentially the same, but with the addition of a couple of draft picks. Now I haven't yet gone and looked at the new rookie scale in the CBA. So I could be a little high with the 4 mil, but I doubt its much. Its going to take some clever moves to really improve this team. We signed some people who didn't contribute very much. Like Outlaw! Thats 3 mil a year that could have helped with the cap.

Thats money that could be the difference in signing a player of need. Like a Kirilenko! Who I doubt would play for a bag of chips.

By the way, we used to have an unwritten rule around here, that when you proposed a trade, or suggested a signing, you had to justify it, and show that it was possible. Salaries had to match, and you had to show reason as to why each team would be willing to make such a deal. I think its a good rule because it keeps proposals sane.

 

[VF21]

By the way, we used to have an unwritten rule around here, that when you proposed a trade, or suggested a signing, you had to justify it, and show that it was possible. Salaries had to match, and you had to show reason as to why each team would be willing to make such a deal. I think its a good rule because it keeps proposals sane.

Actually, it's not really unwritten - it's stickied up at the top of this forum. http://www.kingsfans.com/forums/showthread.php?21353 It's a really good way to separate the wheat from the chaff, as my dad used to say.

The ten players we're committed to bringing back aren't really that bad, all things considered. It's what we do with the remaining four roster slots that will make the difference. Of course, it would be great to find a way to glean out the glut at SF (especially Salmons and Garcia), but I'm still very concerned that Keith Smart just isn't a good enough coach to bring the defensive focus that we desperately need.

It seems like EVERYTHING is in flux right now, from the ownership to the general manager to the coaches to the players ... all the way down to who will represent the Kings at the draft lottery the end of this month. Add in the nightly theater of the absurd on the evening news about the Maloofs AND the ongoing questions about whether Sacramento can/should go forward with a new ESC without an anchor tenant, and I'm truly surprised we have anyone willing to even think about the future.

 

[Section 101]

There have been many threads started suggesting this trade or signing that freeagent. But in fact, the only absolute, is that we'll have two new players via the draft. At least as it stands now. So I think you have to step back and take a look at the big picture. And that also means looking at our limitations.

To start, we have ten players committed to the team for next season. With that said, we should have around 14 million under the cap to work with in freeagency. Or will we? First, a list of the commited players.

1. John Salmons: committed for three more years, with the last year being non-guaranteed.

2. Marcus Thronton: Committed for three more years.

3. Francisco Garcia: Committed for two more years, with the second year being a team option.

4. Chuck Hayes: Committed for three more years.

5. Tyreke Evans: Committed for one more year. He becomes a restricted freeagent in 2013/14 with a qualifying offer.

6. Travis Outlaw: Committed for three more years.

7. Jimmer Fredette: Committed for three more years, with last two being team option. He then becomes a restricted freeagent if offered a qualifying offer.

8. DeMarcus Cousins: Committed for two more years, with second year being a team option. He then becomeds a restricted freeagent if offered a qualifying offer.

9. Tyler Honeycutt: Committed for two more years, with the second year being non-guaranteed.

10. Isiah Thomas: Committed for two more years, with both years being a team option.


Those are the ten players that will be back next season barring amnesty or a trade.

There are four players in limbo.

Jason Thompson: restricted freeagent. We can match any offer, but that doesn't mean we will. But I believe we'll try.
Donte Greene: Not sure of his status, but I believe he's an unrestricted freeagent, or shortly will be. Probably gone, unless he wants to play for a bag of chips.
Terrence Williams: unrestricted freeagent. Would be a nice addition, but will also eat up capspace.
Hassan Whiteside: He still has a two year contract, but its unguaranteed, so the team could just let him walk.

I doubt that Whiteside will walk. He's a live body with upside, and he's cheap. So you can probably add him to the 10 that are already committed. Which brings us up to 11 players.

So were at 11 players on the roster, and our first order of business is to resign JT. Now I'm sure all of you would like to resign him for around 5 to 6 Mil. So would I! But is that realistic? He will get offers from other teams, and my gut tells me those offers will exceed 6 mil. So what is your ceiling? How high will you go? 7 mil? 8 mil? There has to be a cut off point. But for the hell of it, lets say we resign him for 7 mil a year. Please, I don't want to debate the amount. I just picked it out of thin air, Ok? My point is, we've just used up half of our capspace. We also have a first round pick, currently at number 5.

So lets say we stay at 5. There goes another 4 mil. Now were down to about 3 mil left in capspace. And, were up to 13 on the roster. So, how badly do you want Terrence Williams now? We have 3 mil left, and I think he would sign for that amount. It would be a healthy increase from what he made last season. That would bring the roster to 14 players, and leave us with no capspace. Or very little, even if the signings are done for somewhat less. We also have to sign our second round pick, unless we use it on a european player that can play over there for a couple of years. And by the way, that would bring our roster to its limit. 15 players. Seems the only big freeagent we signed is our own. And now were out of money.

So where is the wiggle room other than letting JT walk, and not attempting to sign T. Williams. If you let JT walk, you still have to replace him. Now if we get real lucky and get the first pick in the draft, then you have your long term replacement. And a cheaper replacement at that. You could then go out and use a couple of million and sign, say, a Darnell Jackson for insurance off the bench. But were talking about a hope and a prayer, and not something you can count on.

So the way I see it, there are only two options. One is to use the amnesty clause, and the other is to make a trade, or trades. Otherwise, the team will be essentially the same, but with the addition of a couple of draft picks. Now I haven't yet gone and looked at the new rookie scale in the CBA. So I could be a little high with the 4 mil, but I doubt its much. Its going to take some clever moves to really improve this team. We signed some people who didn't contribute very much. Like Outlaw! Thats 3 mil a year that could have helped with the cap.

Thats money that could be the difference in signing a player of need. Like a Kirilenko! Who I doubt would play for a bag of chips.

By the way, we used to have an unwritten rule around here, that when you proposed a trade, or suggested a signing, you had to justify it, and show that it was possible. Salaries had to match, and you had to show reason as to why each team would be willing to make such a deal. I think its a good rule because it keeps proposals sane.

Math and the elderly.

If we renounced JT and Donte we have about $25 mil under the cap.

The Cap is currently $58 mil and could be the same next year. With JT's and Donte's QO's we are at $40 mil for next year. If JT signes for double his QO so make it $8 mil we are at $44 mil and still $14 mil under the cap before signing draft picks.

 

[bajaden]

Math and the elderly.

If we renounced JT and Donte we have about $25 mil under the cap.

The Cap is currently $58 mil and could be the same next year. With JT's and Donte's QO's we are at $40 mil for next year. If JT signes for double his QO so make it $8 mil we are at $44 mil and still $14 mil under the cap before signing draft picks.

Unfortunately, its not my math thats wrong. I wish it were. If you add up all the salaries for next season, not counting Thompsons, and Greene's, they add up to $44,092,644.00. The salary cap for this past season, and may be the cap for the coming season, is $58,044,000.00. If you substract one from the other, your left with $13,951,356.00, or, roughly 14 million dollars. I used three different sites. Shamsports, Hoopsworld, and Hoopshype. They all come out basicly the same except for a few dollars here and there.

If you go to one of the sites, it shows JT and Donte's salaries listed with a Q after them and with a total salaries at the bottom. Just by looking, you would think that their salaries are included in that total. But if you take your calulator and add just the other salaries, it will match the total at the bottom. Meaning JT and Donte's salaries aren't included. Believe me, I wish I was wrong.

 

[Glenn]

I think bajaden is correct and has done a nice job laying out our immediate options. The problem will get very sticky when Evans becomes a RFA and then Cousins becomes the same. Using amnesty would be wonderful but I can't imagine the Maloofs using a method that allows more money to be spent, a certain percentage being to pay the salary of someone playing for another team. By the time Cousins becomes a RFA, this team should be set and ready to function at a high level. Everyone is a few more years mature and will have played together and be more acclimated to each other. I assume certain roster mismatches will be straightened out. I have long thought that Thornton is the odd man out and should be combined with another player to fill whatever hole needs filling via trade (depends on the draft) or gets us some salary enders. That's assuming normal owners.

 

[Kingster]

There have been many threads started suggesting this trade or signing that freeagent. But in fact, the only absolute, is that we'll have two new players via the draft. At least as it stands now. So I think you have to step back and take a look at the big picture. And that also means looking at our limitations.

To start, we have ten players committed to the team for next season. With that said, we should have around 14 million under the cap to work with in freeagency. Or will we? First, a list of the commited players.

1. John Salmons: committed for three more years, with the last year being non-guaranteed.

2. Marcus Thronton: Committed for three more years.

3. Francisco Garcia: Committed for two more years, with the second year being a team option.

4. Chuck Hayes: Committed for three more years.

5. Tyreke Evans: Committed for one more year. He becomes a restricted freeagent in 2013/14 with a qualifying offer.

6. Travis Outlaw: Committed for three more years.

7. Jimmer Fredette: Committed for three more years, with last two being team option. He then becomes a restricted freeagent if offered a qualifying offer.

8. DeMarcus Cousins: Committed for two more years, with second year being a team option. He then becomeds a restricted freeagent if offered a qualifying offer.

9. Tyler Honeycutt: Committed for two more years, with the second year being non-guaranteed.

10. Isiah Thomas: Committed for two more years, with both years being a team option.


Those are the ten players that will be back next season barring amnesty or a trade.

There are four players in limbo.

Jason Thompson: restricted freeagent. We can match any offer, but that doesn't mean we will. But I believe we'll try.
Donte Greene: Not sure of his status, but I believe he's an unrestricted freeagent, or shortly will be. Probably gone, unless he wants to play for a bag of chips.
Terrence Williams: unrestricted freeagent. Would be a nice addition, but will also eat up capspace.
Hassan Whiteside: He still has a two year contract, but its unguaranteed, so the team could just let him walk.

I doubt that Whiteside will walk. He's a live body with upside, and he's cheap. So you can probably add him to the 10 that are already committed. Which brings us up to 11 players.

So were at 11 players on the roster, and our first order of business is to resign JT. Now I'm sure all of you would like to resign him for around 5 to 6 Mil. So would I! But is that realistic? He will get offers from other teams, and my gut tells me those offers will exceed 6 mil. So what is your ceiling? How high will you go? 7 mil? 8 mil? There has to be a cut off point. But for the hell of it, lets say we resign him for 7 mil a year. Please, I don't want to debate the amount. I just picked it out of thin air, Ok? My point is, we've just used up half of our capspace. We also have a first round pick, currently at number 5.

So lets say we stay at 5. There goes another 4 mil. Now were down to about 3 mil left in capspace. And, were up to 13 on the roster. So, how badly do you want Terrence Williams now? We have 3 mil left, and I think he would sign for that amount. It would be a healthy increase from what he made last season. That would bring the roster to 14 players, and leave us with no capspace. Or very little, even if the signings are done for somewhat less. We also have to sign our second round pick, unless we use it on a european player that can play over there for a couple of years. And by the way, that would bring our roster to its limit. 15 players. Seems the only big freeagent we signed is our own. And now were out of money.

So where is the wiggle room other than letting JT walk, and not attempting to sign T. Williams. If you let JT walk, you still have to replace him. Now if we get real lucky and get the first pick in the draft, then you have your long term replacement. And a cheaper replacement at that. You could then go out and use a couple of million and sign, say, a Darnell Jackson for insurance off the bench. But were talking about a hope and a prayer, and not something you can count on.

So the way I see it, there are only two options. One is to use the amnesty clause, and the other is to make a trade, or trades. Otherwise, the team will be essentially the same, but with the addition of a couple of draft picks. Now I haven't yet gone and looked at the new rookie scale in the CBA. So I could be a little high with the 4 mil, but I doubt its much. Its going to take some clever moves to really improve this team. We signed some people who didn't contribute very much. Like Outlaw! Thats 3 mil a year that could have helped with the cap.

Thats money that could be the difference in signing a player of need. Like a Kirilenko! Who I doubt would play for a bag of chips.

By the way, we used to have an unwritten rule around here, that when you proposed a trade, or suggested a signing, you had to justify it, and show that it was possible. Salaries had to match, and you had to show reason as to why each team would be willing to make such a deal. I think its a good rule because it keeps proposals sane.

Thanks for the nice analysis. Nice kick in the teeth to start the morning.

I was operating under some nice comfortable denial about Garcia until I read your post. I don't even want to know what he's costing us. The only way to feel good about this list is to believe that Hayes and Outlaw will play better than they did last year because nobody is going to want them in a trade. Then you amnesty or trade Salmons. Then you trade the expensive Thornton and having the inexpensive Jimmer take his place. Finally, you coach up Whiteside, Honeycutt and Jimmer in a big way so that you're getting something for your money. (At least with IT you're getting a screaming deal. That's a ray of sunshine).

If they don't sign Thompson, they have to have a Plan B. If the Kings got incredibly lucky and got Davis, then yes, he could probably step in immediately and be an upgrade over Thompson. If we got semi-lucky and got Robinson I doubt he could step in as a rookie and make as much of an impact as a veteran Jason Thompson. Robinson for Thompson would be a step backward, at least for Robinson's rookie year. Who they would get to replace Thompson I have no idea.

Tyreke is the wildcard in all of this. Thinking in the most cynical terms, how great do you really want him to play next year? Would the Maloofs be able to afford Tyreke Evans with a jump shot?

 

[Mass]

To be palyers in the free agents market, we should unload some of the bad contracts we have. Cisco and Salmons are the first 2 who comes to my mind, but also Hayes is one of those players I would like to move. Is Adelman still in love with him? I'd trade him for a second round pick.
Garcia and Salmons are the problem. I'm sure the Kings are not going to amnesty Salmons, so a trade is the only way to get rid of him. But the question is, who's going to be willing to get him? Do you think there is a team out there willing to add his salary, even if we don't want anything in return? I don't think so.
The only way we could improve this team is via trade, and Thornton is our best asset (I don't want to trade Reke and DMC). Maybe we can trade him and Cisco to get a real SF in return. Iguodala could be available.

Realistically, I think that our only real acquisitions will be our draft picks. We'll keep JT and maybe Williams. I'm afraid our summer won't be very exciting.

 

[Section 101]

Unfortunately, its not my math thats wrong. I wish it were. If you add up all the salaries for next season, not counting Thompsons, and Greene's, they add up to $44,092,644.00. The salary cap for this past season, and may be the cap for the coming season, is $58,044,000.00. If you substract one from the other, your left with $13,951,356.00, or, roughly 14 million dollars. I used three different sites. Shamsports, Hoopsworld, and Hoopshype. They all come out basicly the same except for a few dollars here and there.

If you go to one of the sites, it shows JT and Donte's salaries listed with a Q after them and with a total salaries at the bottom. Just by looking, you would think that their salaries are included in that total. But if you take your calulator and add just the other salaries, it will match the total at the bottom. Meaning JT and Donte's salaries aren't included. Believe me, I wish I was wrong.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/sacramento.htm

I hate when people make charts and don't do them right. I was looking at the total from hoopshype which when you look at it should include all salaries in the column. But they don't add up the QO's. They need an * that says QO not included in the totals.


Anyways. Real owners would buy out Cisco next year and amnesty Salmons.

 

[TTown Kings]

I'm not expecting a whole lot. Realistically I think they'll try to re-sign JT, TWill and Hassan and then draft two players and that's it. I've lost all hope in ever getting an impact player through FA.

We won't amnesty Salmons or buy out Cisco. That's what a competent team with competent ownership would do and we don't have that.

 

[bajaden]

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/sacramento.htm

I hate when people make charts and don't do them right. I was looking at the total from hoopshype which when you look at it should include all salaries in the column. But they don't add up the QO's. They need an * that says QO not included in the totals.


Anyways. Real owners would buy out Cisco next year and amnesty Salmons.

Hey, I did the same thing when I was doing research, but then decided to add them up just to make sure before I posted. Sure enough, when I added up all the salaries listed, they came up to more than the total at the bottom. At that point, it was obvious they wern't including Thompson and Greene. Damm easy mistake to make.

 

[upinsmoke]

A sign and trade with Portland might be the best option. If we offer our 1st rounder + Salmons or Cisco for Batum and they keep their pick it might spark an interest. After that GP could push speed dial and get Houston on the phone and ask if they want Hayes back for Dally.

 

[bajaden]

To be palyers in the free agents market, we should unload some of the bad contracts we have. Cisco and Salmons are the first 2 who comes to my mind, but also Hayes is one of those players I would like to move. Is Adelman still in love with him? I'd trade him for a second round pick.
Garcia and Salmons are the problem. I'm sure the Kings are not going to amnesty Salmons, so a trade is the only way to get rid of him. But the question is, who's going to be willing to get him? Do you think there is a team out there willing to add his salary, even if we don't want anything in return? I don't think so.
The only way we could improve this team is via trade, and Thornton is our best asset (I don't want to trade Reke and DMC). Maybe we can trade him and Cisco to get a real SF in return. Iguodala could be available.

Realistically, I think that our only real acquisitions will be our draft picks. We'll keep JT and maybe Williams. I'm afraid our summer won't be very exciting.

As I said, its easy to say we should get rid of bad contracts, but you need a partner to do that. And, in most cases, they want to send back a player you don't want that has a bad contract as well. Now I think Garcia is very tradable, but for who is the question? He'll be in the last year of his contract, so those contracts are always valuable to a team wanting to make a splash in the freeagent market the following year. The problem is, if that team is looking to gain salary cap space, that means they want to send you a player with a contract that extends for 2 years or more. Which is OK, if its a player that fits your needs. Most times it doesn't.

The simple answer of course is to use the amnesty clause on Salmons. I do think that there are teams out there that would love to have Salmons on their roster. But not at that price. With that said, that would almost ensure that if you did amnesty him, someone would end up paying some of that contract, similar to what were doing with Outlaw. Would the Maloofs be willing to gamble on that? Who the hell knows!

 

[twslam07]

To be palyers in the free agents market, we should unload some of the bad contracts we have. Cisco and Salmons are the first 2 who comes to my mind, but also Hayes is one of those players I would like to move. Is Adelman still in love with him? I'd trade him for a second round pick.
Garcia and Salmons are the problem. I'm sure the Kings are not going to amnesty Salmons, so a trade is the only way to get rid of him. But the question is, who's going to be willing to get him? Do you think there is a team out there willing to add his salary, even if we don't want anything in return? I don't think so.
The only way we could improve this team is via trade, and Thornton is our best asset (I don't want to trade Reke and DMC). Maybe we can trade him and Cisco to get a real SF in return. Iguodala could be available.

Realistically, I think that our only real acquisitions will be our draft picks. We'll keep JT and maybe Williams. I'm afraid our summer won't be very exciting.

I think getting Iguodala might be the best move we can make that is also realistic. I like the Thornton and Cisco for Iggy deal. Sixers have been looking for a player to be that guy to take the last shot. Thornton has shown he is capable of doing it. With meeks as their starting SG, you would think Thornton would be a nice upgrade for them. Once Iggy is gone, they can slide Turner into the SF spot and have a backcourt of Holiday, Thornton, and Turner.

For us we would have a lineup that would most likely look like this:

Thomas/Fredette
Evans/Williams
Iguodala/Salmons/Outlaw/Honeycutt
Thompson/Hayes
Cousins/Whiteside.

If were able to grab Davis, Robinson, or Drummond with our pick, we would be sitting pretty.

 

[bajaden]

A sign and trade with Portland might be the best option. If we offer our 1st rounder + Salmons or Cisco for Batum and they keep their pick it might spark an interest. After that GP could push speed dial and get Houston on the phone and ask if they want Hayes back for Dally.

Portland has two first round picks already, so offering ours might not be that much of an incentive. Unless ours happens to be top three, and then I'm not sure I'd want to give it up. But if I did, I'd want one of theirs in return. Plus, asking them to take on both Salmons and Cisco would probably be a deal killer.

Portland wants to resign Batum, and they certainly have the resourses to do so. They're about 35 million dollars under the cap. Batum made $2,155,365.00 last season, and the combined salaries of Cisco and Salmons for next season is $14,183,000.00. Now you tell me, would you make that deal? I don't see any incentive for them to make such a trade. I'm sure they would rather have Batum than either of our players, and like I said, they already have 2 lottery picks, so our offering another is not big deal to them.

 

[upinsmoke]

You misunderstood me i said Pick + Salmons OR Cisco. Look at it from this angle Portland is in full rebuild mode and with 3 top 11 picks they could flip that into something really nice.

 

[Glenn]

I think getting Iguodala might be the best move we can make that is also realistic. I like the Thornton and Cisco for Iggy deal. Sixers have been looking for a player to be that guy to take the last shot. Thornton has shown he is capable of doing it. With meeks as their starting SG, you would think Thornton would be a nice upgrade for them. Once Iggy is gone, they can slide Turner into the SF spot and have a backcourt of Holiday, Thornton, and Turner.

For us we would have a lineup that would most likely look like this:

Thomas/Fredette
Evans/Williams
Iguodala/Salmons/Outlaw/Honeycutt
Thompson/Hayes
Cousins/Whiteside.

If were able to grab Davis, Robinson, or Drummond with our pick, we would be sitting pretty.

This is essentially what I was suggesting as it it gets us out of a money bind and a guard bind. It has nothing to do with disliking Thornton. It has to do with having money available to resign Tyreke and Cuz and also to straighten out the overload of guards which to this point leaves Jimmer as an unusable piece unless we go small ball. Gack! Ideally we pray Jimmer can handle at least part time PG minutes or we take the risky jump of signing TWill as a part time PG. TWill is versatile and hard to pass on.

The draft is the major direction changer to send us in whatever direction is best. We MUST lose a player or two via a 2 or 3 to one trade and we have at least one valuable and tradeable pieces for with a SF or a big guy. We could even package Salmons and Thornton and get us someone who is darn good.

We can straighten out a few messes this summer without the pie in the sky idea of signing a good FA. It'll never happen. We also need to look ahead to the days when we need to sign Tyreke and Cousins.

This gets us out of several traps. We will never use the amnesty or waive someone. That would call for a personality change of our ownership. As an aside, isn't it easy to see how rich large market teams have it so much easier manipulating money and bodies?

 

[pshn80]

Thanks, baja. Appreciate your work and analysis. As one who follows the Kings we have this lets me see wat we have except for the draft picks. More importantly I get to see what Petrie is looking at. The next bit of info I'd love to wee here is a time line on when and in what order decisions will likely be made. I'll be on the look out.

 

[bajaden]

I think getting Iguodala might be the best move we can make that is also realistic. I like the Thornton and Cisco for Iggy deal. Sixers have been looking for a player to be that guy to take the last shot. Thornton has shown he is capable of doing it. With meeks as their starting SG, you would think Thornton would be a nice upgrade for them. Once Iggy is gone, they can slide Turner into the SF spot and have a backcourt of Holiday, Thornton, and Turner.

For us we would have a lineup that would most likely look like this:

Thomas/Fredette
Evans/Williams
Iguodala/Salmons/Outlaw/Honeycutt
Thompson/Hayes
Cousins/Whiteside.

If were able to grab Davis, Robinson, or Drummond with our pick, we would be sitting pretty.

I would love to have Iggy, but my gut tells me that Philly isn't that excited about trading him. I don't know if you've been watching the playoffs or not, but Iggy is amost single handedly willing them to wins. He's doing it a different way everynight, but without him right now, I doubt they'd be in the second round. They have my boy Turner playing SG right now, and he plays that position just fine. Where they need future help is at PF. Brand is just a mere shell of his former self, and he's due $18,160,355.00 next season. It is an expiring contract, but I'm sure that if they thought they could help the team and save some money at the same time, they'd agree to some sort of trade.

The problem is, we'd be stuck with Brand for a year. Not sure they'd take Salmons off our hands, but they'd probably go for something like Cisco and Hayes. They would save themselves $6,574,105.00 next season. Unfortunately we would have to absorb that amount. I'd have to recieve their first round pick as incentive.

I'm not saying we should do a deal like this, just that it makes more sense for the 76'ers. The only way I see them giving up Iggy, would be in a sign and trade for JT and Jimmer, and I'm not sure they value JT that much. As much as they might like some better outside shooting, Iggy shot amost the same percentage from the outside as Thornton this past season.

 

[Mass]

I would love to have Iggy, but my gut tells me that Philly isn't that excited about trading him. I don't know if you've been watching the playoffs or not, but Iggy is amost single handedly willing them to wins. He's doing it a different way everynight, but without him right now, I doubt they'd be in the second round. They have my boy Turner playing SG right now, and he plays that position just fine. Where they need future help is at PF. Brand is just a mere shell of his former self, and he's due $18,160,355.00 next season. It is an expiring contract, but I'm sure that if they thought they could help the team and save some money at the same time, they'd agree to some sort of trade.

The problem is, we'd be stuck with Brand for a year. Not sure they'd take Salmons off our hands, but they'd probably go for something like Cisco and Hayes. They would save themselves $6,574,105.00 next season. Unfortunately we would have to absorb that amount. I'd have to recieve their first round pick as incentive.

I'm not saying we should do a deal like this, just that it makes more sense for the 76'ers. The only way I see them giving up Iggy, would be in a sign and trade for JT and Jimmer, and I'm not sure they value JT that much. As much as they might like some better outside shooting, Iggy shot amost the same percentage from the outside as Thornton this past season.

If they throw in a 1st round pick, I'd do it. On the court, Brand can help this team. He's still a decent player, and he has veteran experience. We have to absorb his contract, but it's fine as long as we get rid of Hayes. Brand's contract is big, but it expires after next season, so it's not a big deal. Doing this trade, we would save $ 5,107,146 over the next 3 years, and we would free a SF spot in the roster.

If we can't sign any good FA, we should think about a move like this.

 

[KingsCitizen]

I can't see us being able to trade any of the heavy contracts. So I think the closest thing we can do is basically just draft and maybe buyout Cisco at mid season(since he's basically an ender with only team option for the next season). That's what I see with the Maloofs still owning the Kings.

Here's my realistic roster going to training camp.

PG - Evans/IT/Jimmer
SG - TWill(resigned)/MT/Salmons
SF - Barnes/Outlaw/Honeycutt
PF - JT(resigned)/Hayes
C - DMC/Whiteside/Ezeli (I hope he falls to us at 2nd round)

Even with this roster, IMO, we can still make some noise because:
1.) Barnes is a legit catch and shoot kid and that's the type of player we need next to Evans or T-Will.
2.) Evans/TWill backcourt has solid D potential
3.) Thornton off the bench is nice if Smart can make him accept it.
4.) Smart got the whole summer to preach. I believe he can get into these kids. And if he implements the run and gun. Evan/Twill is easily one of the best combo at open court.

Yeah, that's it no superstars. But I still think they'll be a nice core.

 

[Mass]

Actually, I can see a superstar in the making. He wears the number 15 and plays the center position...

 

[KingsCitizen]

Actually, I can see a superstar in the making. He wears the number 15 and plays the center position...

Yeah! I love that kid too. That's why I'm still confident moving forward, as long as Smart makes the most out of the offseason.

 

[Kingster]

I think getting Iguodala might be the best move we can make that is also realistic. I like the Thornton and Cisco for Iggy deal. Sixers have been looking for a player to be that guy to take the last shot. Thornton has shown he is capable of doing it. With meeks as their starting SG, you would think Thornton would be a nice upgrade for them. Once Iggy is gone, they can slide Turner into the SF spot and have a backcourt of Holiday, Thornton, and Turner.

For us we would have a lineup that would most likely look like this:

Thomas/Fredette
Evans/Williams
Iguodala/Salmons/Outlaw/Honeycutt
Thompson/Hayes
Cousins/Whiteside.

If were able to grab Davis, Robinson, or Drummond with our pick, we would be sitting pretty.

We need a guy who can shoot outside, so Iggy doesn't fit the bill. If Petrie wants 3 pt shooting, no Iggy.

 

[bajaden]

We need a guy who can shoot outside, so Iggy doesn't fit the bill. If Petrie wants 3 pt shooting, no Iggy.

Actually Iggy shot around 38% from the three this season. However, it should be noted that its the highest percentage of his career, so it could be improvement, or an abberation. But in general I agree, that if your looking for outside shooting, I wouldn't bet on Iggy. Its extremely difficult to find that perfect player. In other words, someone with Iggy's skills that can also shoot the ball. Let me see, there's Kobe, Hmmm, anyway, thats an exaggeration, but you get my point.

Fact: We were last in the league in 3pt shooting this season. So I think I can safely say that its an area of need. In the draft, where were picking, Harrison Barnes would certainly help fill that need. But make no mistake, he's no Iggy. At the moment, he basicly a catch and shoot offensive player. He can put the ball on the floor a little, but he's no threat to drive the basket. Defensively, I think he can become a decent defender. Not my first choice, but he would fill a need.

 

[bluntsnbball]

i think realistically, lets jus let george, gavin, and even adrienne suit up and play. that way they can save even more money, although they will likely give themselves max deals so it might not end up being too much cheaper.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Kind of got a crazy thought it my head the other day ..

Pau Gasol could be on his way out in LA. He has two more years on his contract. Kobe threw him under the bus, and the Lakers tried to deal him last offseason. What would it take to give us a Boogie-Gasol combo? Would they be good on D? No. But they would have a lot of size, and cause a lot of problems on the glass. In the past Cousins has said he 'looks up' to Gasol. Vlade - Webber 2.0 ??

I would obviously have some concern about trading Evans for him. (Under the assumption that Evans would be flipped to Orlando in a Dwight Howard package)... but is there a chance that Thornton and our pick could get it done? Again - Thornton and the pick would most likely be dealt to Orlando, sending Howard to LA.

 

[Gilles]

The trade price is shockingly not the main issue. It's whether Maloofs are willing to increase team salary beyond team minimum since I doubt Lakers take Salmons or Hayes. Would be big improvement but you will have to run offense of early 00s to really utilise Cousins-Gasol frontcourt. Not sure Smart is capable of that.

 

[Uncia03]

Kind of got a crazy thought it my head the other day ..

Pau Gasol could be on his way out in LA. He has two more years on his contract. Kobe threw him under the bus, and the Lakers tried to deal him last offseason. What would it take to give us a Boogie-Gasol combo? Would they be good on D? No. But they would have a lot of size, and cause a lot of problems on the glass. In the past Cousins has said he 'looks up' to Gasol. Vlade - Webber 2.0 ??

I would obviously have some concern about trading Evans for him. (Under the assumption that Evans would be flipped to Orlando in a Dwight Howard package)... but is there a chance that Thornton and our pick could get it done? Again - Thornton and the pick would most likely be dealt to Orlando, sending Howard to LA.

Let's not be the team that bails out the Lakers by allowing them to get out from under Gasol's contract.
He's owed 19+ million for the next two seasons and isn't remotely worth that price.
The Lakers have no chance of bringing in a major star player while keeping Kobe and Bynum unless they trick some team to take on Gasol's contract, and I'd rather not be the team that gives them the flexibility to make a major move.

 

[bajaden]

Let's not be the team that bails out the Lakers by allowing them to get out from under Gasol's contract.
He's owed 19+ million for the next two seasons and isn't remotely worth that price.
The Lakers have no chance of bringing in a major star player while keeping Kobe and Bynum unless they trick some team to take on Gasol's contract, and I'd rather not be the team that gives them the flexibility to make a major move.

I agree 100%! The Lakers payroll is sitting at 83.7 mil for next season. They're over the salary cap, and the luxury tax cap. The only flexability they have is through trades. If I've read the new CBA correctly, they won't even have the Mid-level or bi-annual exceptions to work with. In other words, what you see is what you get. Unless some foolish team helps bail them out. I certainly don't want that team to be us. I'd rather watch them get old and wither away.

 

[Glenn]

Also Kobe in two years will make $30 mil. They are painted into a corner. Can you imagine a team that has 2 players using up $50 mil of their salary?