The Sacramento Kings ended their historic season with a game-seven loss against the Warriors in round 1. So how can they build off that momentum?
This article attempts to answer that question by breaking down their roster situation. It also evaluates their positional weaknesses and areas Sacramento can improve this off-season. In addition, it mentions possible players that can fit those needs that they should target via free agency and the draft, with a future roster forecast for the Kings to head into the 2023-24 season.
What’s Next for the Sacramento Kings?
Kings’ Free Agency Outlook
Harrison Barnes, Unrestricted, $21 million 2022-23 AAV
Terence Davis, Unrestricted, $4 million 2022-23 AAV
Alex Len, Unrestricted, $3 million 2022-23 AAV
Matthew Dellavedova, Unrestricted, $2.6 million 2022-23 AAV
Trey Lyles, Unrestricted, $2.5 million 2022-23 AAV
Kessler Edwards, Team-option, $1.7 million 2022-23 AAV
Chimezie Metu, Unrestricted, $1.4 million 2022-23 AAV
The Kings have roughly $36.2 million to work with. Of the players listed, the two that stand out as players Sacramento should prioritize keeping are Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles. In addition, Kessler Edwards is another player the Kings should strongly consider retaining on his team option.
Edwards could replace Terence Davis’ minutes as a defensive-minded energy role player and be a cheaper alternative to Davis. Harrison Barnes could have played better by his standards in the series against the Warriors. However, he’s one of the Kings’ only veteran players. Keeping him will depend on the price tag.
Positional Improvements
In an ideal scenario, the Kings’ front office would find a way to retain Barnes, Lyles, and Edwards. However, in this dream scenario, Barnes would be coming off the bench along with Lyles and Edwards. So instead, the Kings need to spend this offseason searching for a defensive-minded wing that could start alongside rookie Keegan Murray.
Another position Sacramento could improve this offseason is finding a big man to secure rebounds. In the series against the Warriors, center Kevon Looney dominated Domantas Sabonis and the Kings on the glass. He had three games of over 20 rebounds in their seven-game series. Unfortunately, the Warriors are too good of a shooting team to get more opportunities like that.
Ideally, the center should also stretch the floor to keep the lanes open for Fox and Sabonis to operate. Here are some free-agent targets that fit the mold of players the Kings should be targeting.
Free Agent Targets
Bruce Brown Jr., G/F, Nuggets
Dillon Brooks, G/F, Grizzlies
Jae Crowder, F, Bucks
Brook Lopez, C, Bucks
Christian Wood, C, Mavericks
Mason Plumlee, C, Clippers
Draft Picks and Targets
The Kings’ front office decided to retain their draft picks. They were an incredible story this season and gave the defending champion Golden State Warriors a run for their money, taking them all the way to game 7. However, the front office was realistic about their chance of winning the championship this season.
Therefore, they have been patient, relying more on incremental year-to-year improvements rather than sacrificing future assets such as draft picks.
As a result, the Kings have the 24th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. They also have two second-round picks, one of which they acquired from the Indiana Pacers.
So who are some potential draft targets that could fit nicely with their positional needs mentioned earlier? Players that come to mind to target with their first-round pick include:
James Nnaji, C, Barcelona
Adem Bona, PF, UCLA
Noah Clowney, PF, Alabama
Leonard Miller, PF, Ignite
Forecasting Next Season’s Depth Chart
This forecasted depth chart has the Kings resigning free agents Barnes, Edwards, and Lyles. With the remaining cap space, they likely would need more to get a starter.
While a player like Brook Lopez would be a perfect fit next to Sabonis, this depth chart seems more realistic regarding who they could get with their cap space. The good news is players will likely be much more intrigued by the idea of going to play in Sacramento and their exciting style of play after this season.
PG: De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, Mike Miles (R)
SG: Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Judah Mintz (R)
SF: Harrison Barnes, Bruce Brown Jr., Kessler Edwards
PF: Keegan Murray, Trey Lyles, Harrison Barnes
C: Domantas Sabonis, Christian Wood, James Nnaji (R)
Bruce Brown Jr. would be a great fit as a role player that can bring defense and energy off the bench. Christian Wood is another good flier for the Kings. He didn’t have a great year but was given little opportunity to shine on the Mavericks. He’s an excellent rebounder who can shoot from beyond the arc. It would also allow the Kings to experiment with larger lineups involving Wood at center and Sabonis at power forward.
The forecast has the Kings selecting James Nnaji as their first-round pick, an athletic, rim-running center. Mike Miles out of TCU and Judah Mintz out of Syracuse were the second-round selections as depth pieces for the guard positions.
This forecasted depth chart is another solid incremental step the organization likes. They added depth, defense, rebounding, and shooting while retaining their core and giving them another year to improve and mesh together.
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