NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason needs for the Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are heading into a rebuilding year after trading away franchise star DeMarcus Cousins. Here is a look at the five things they most need to add this offseason.
No one will dispute that the Kings are facing a transition year. They induced a rebuild before the offseason even began when they traded their best player in DeMarcus Cousins for a role player in Tyreke Evans, a then-rookie Buddy Hield, and a draft pick.
Then they did what was expected of them: they experimented with what they had and waited for the season to end. They finished with a 32-50 record and not many surprises. They simply weren’t as good once they got rid of one of the best players in the league today. What’s there to be surprised about?
Taking the team at face value, they have are going to have a serious fight for relevance ahead of them. They have a dysfunctional front office, a green roster, and as much goodwill as the airline industry. You could probably fill these five slots be just naming five positions. But the franchise has deeper needs than just a roster tune-up, although that would certainly help. They also have to fill some intangible needs in order to make them viable.
5. More cap space
The Kings only have $6 million in projected cap space. Anybody they convince to join them is going to have to be very cheap. Unfortunately, considering the black cloud surrounding the organization, money would probably be the only thing players would go to Sacramento for.
And they do need to convince people to join them. Nearly every position has needs to be addressed. At the very least, they would benefit from more depth on the bench. They ranked 21st in offensive rating and 25th in defensive rating this season. This roster needs upgrades everywhere, but they don’t have the cash to make that happen automatically.
It isn’t as hopeless as it looks. They face at least three players entering unrestricted free agency. Ben McLemore will be joining them if the team doesn’t extend a qualifying offer. Also, number of players are entering player option years. If the Kings simply let some of these contracts go, they are looking at millions of dollars in extra cap space.
Underperforming players like Langston Gallaway, Ben McLemore, and Arron Afflalo can be jettisoned with minimum or no cap hits. None were impressive this season, and might be holding the team down as they hunt for badly needed talent.
But even without those contracts, the Kings will still have some of the smallest cap space in the league. They’re going to need to find the best value for money at every position. And they’re going to have to be ruthless with the players currently on their roster.