NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason targets for the Sacramento Kings
After having a strong NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings will turn to NBA free agency to address their other needs. Here are five targets to pursue.
The season didn’t necessarily end the way most Kings’ fans imagined it would. Sacramento won only 32 games in their brand-new Golden One Center, while trading away the franchise’s biggest star of the last 15 years — DeMarcus Cousins.
Flipping Cousins yielded the Kings an extra first-round pick and Buddy Hield. Vlade Divac and the front office in Sacramento decided to build around a young nucleus, rather than Cousins. They had one of the best draft classes in a long time, adding De’Aaron Fox, Harry Giles, Justin Jackson and Frank Mason. Pair that with the rest of the high draft picks from recent years and the Kings could be cooking something special.
The Sacramento Kings will head into free agency with the most salary cap space in the NBA, but only have four open spots on the roster. What’s the reason for this? They’ll keep four rookies on the roster, while adding sophomores Buddy Hield, Skal Labissiere and Malachi Richardson to the mix. With so many young players on their rookie contracts, the team can spend in free agency to put veterans around them.
This past season, the Kings didn’t rank particularly high in any department. Sacramento’s offensive rating was 21st in the NBA, while their defensive rating was 25th. They didn’t rebound particularly well, finishing in the bottom five for offensive and defensive rebounds. They were an average passing team, ranking 16th in the NBA for assists.
Divac and the Kings have a lot of cap space — potentially $66 million — that they can use to sign veteran free agents that will fill out the roster. Here are five names that could lead the Kings in the locker room and also contribute on the floor night in and night out.
5. Tony Allen, SG, Memphis Grizzlies
The Dave Joerger-Tony Allen connection is real. Joerger, the head coach for the Sacramento Kings, used to be the lead man in Memphis from 2013-16. During that time, Allen was a key figure during their playoff runs as a defensive stopper.
At 35, Allen isn’t exactly what he used to be back in the day. He was still named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team, so he’s still humming on that end of the floor. The Kings weren’t very good on that side of the ball this past season, giving up 107 points per game, which was 18th in the NBA.
At an advanced age, Allen will bring a veteran presence to a young locker room. He won’t hold a starting role in Sacramento, but he could be a strong contributor off the bench. Offensively, Tony Allen isn’t offering much. This past season, he averaged 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds every night. The Grizzlies’ starting shooting guard also played in 71 games this season, so health isn’t a huge concern.
The Joerger-Allen connection is big and that could bring the Grizzlies’ guard to Sacramento — if he doesn’t chase rings in Cleveland or Golden State.