Offseason Lowdown part 5 – Sacramento Kings

This is part 5 of a series outlining the upcoming offseason for each team. Each part will break down a team’s cap situation, its short-term & long-term roster outlook, and how each team may approach the draft and free agency. Part 5 will be… the Sacramento Kings!

2015/2016 record: 33-49 *Contract values courtesy of Spotrac.

Roster (16/17 salary): Cousins ($17.0 mil), Gay ($13.3 mil), Koufos ($8.0 mil), Belinelli ($6.3 mil), Collison ($5.2 mil), McLemore ($4.0 mil), WCS ($3.6 mil), Casspi ($3.0 mil). TOTAL =~ $60.4 mil

FA’s & Contract options (16/17 option/FA cap hold): Rondo (UFA, $11.4mil), Curry (RFA, $1.1mil), Butler (PO, $1.6mil), Dukan (TO), Acy (UFA), Moreland (RFA)

R1 Draft picks (16/17 salary): 8^th overall ($2.9 mil).

Total Cap Commitment: $60.4 mil + $2.9 mil = $63.3 million. $ 28.7 million in projected cap space.

Backcourt – What a mess. Rondo is a UFA and Curry is an RFA who could field some nice offers. I don’t know much about sous-chef Curry (i.e. can he defend at all?), but he put up some decent numbers when given the chance at the end of the season. I feel pretty confident in saying Rondo will not be worth what the highest bidder pays for him this offseason. I originally thought that only 1 of those 2 PGs would be brought back (at most), but Collison’s domestic violence arrest complicates matters. Based on recent reports, I’m guessing Rondo will be allowed to walk even if Collison’s status stays murky. On the other hand, I think it’s virtually guaranteed now that the Kings match on Curry or re-sign him outright. The Kings have McLemore and Belinelli under contract at SG, though neither is a starting caliber player. With the young bigs locked up and Gay having at least one more season under contract, Sacramento must be praying that one of Murray, Hield or Dunn falls to them at 8. Jaylen Brown would also warrant consideration if those 3 are off the board. In the event all 4 guards/wings are taken, Sacramento may be better off trading down to the middle of the first round and recouping future picks lost in the awful trade with Philly last offseason.

Frontcourt – Cousins and WCS have the potential to become a real nice frontcourt. They can complement each other perfectly on defense, and they can make it work on offense with Cousins stretching the floor now. Gay has one more year as a 3 & small-ball 4 before he can opt out for a larger contract. I’ve never been a huge fan and he’s coming off a down season, but I’m sure he’ll put up some nice numbers in a contract year. Casspi and Koufos provide some quality depth, so the frontcourt is fairly set in Sactown.

Outlook – The Kings really put their future at risk last offseason, clearing cap space with the Philly trade in an unsuccessful attempt to lure top free agents. Here’s a link breaking down that Hinkie-theft: http://www.nba.com/sixers/news/150710-kings-trade-story/                                                  Vlade and the new owner certainly don’t inspire a ton confidence, and it will be a tall task to right the ship they’ve capsized. A lot of what they do this offseason will depend on the draft, and if they’re able to land one of the top tier guards. There’s also the overarching question of whether you can build a contender around Cousins, although I would be shocked if they blew it all up by trading him. Maybe they could scrape out a playoff spot next season if someone like Hield fell to them and they spend wisely in free agency, but we’re talking about the Kings here…