Sacramento Kings' Future Outlook
The Kings have the longest postseason drought in the NBA at 13 years, and that is very likely to continue this season. The Kings are currently would have to jump four West teams to get in, and with the current roster configuration that seems highly unlikely. So, the Kings are going back to the lottery in the 2020 off-season, but does that necessarily mean back to the drawing board? Let's find out.
WHO'S GONE: G/F Kent Bazemore, SG Bogdan Bogdanovic, C Alex Len, PG Yogi Ferrell, PF Anthony Tolliver, PF Harry Giles, F Jabari Parker?
I'm going to assume that the Kings will pick up the third year option on Marvin Bagley III, the former second overall selection, and the very club-friendly option on PG De'Aaron Fox, who has become the best player on the Kings. Even with those being picked up, the Kings will still have seven roster spots to fill, and not a ton of cap space to do so. Bogdanovic is the big name among the free agents, and he has been a very good scorer for the Kings both in the starting lineup and on the bench. I'm not sure if the Kings want to fully commit to him after already committing to Buddy Hield, as well as with Fox's contract looming. Bazemore's contract burden is the biggest being lifted, and the Kings hope to divide up some of his money into multiple players. Then there is Jabari Parker, who has a $6.5 million player option, which I'm not sure if he will take or not (hence the question mark). He's having a nice season, and might be able to make more than what he is, I'm just not sure if that's guaranteed. Plus, this is his fourth team in two seasons, so maybe some continuity is something he desires?
WHAT'S LEFT:
C-Richaun Holmes
PF-Marvin Bagley III, Nemanja Bjelica
SF-Harrison Barnes, Justin James
SG-Buddy Hield
PG-De'Aaron Fox, Cory Joseph
The Kings have a pretty good foundation of what remains on the roster, and honestly they are just removing a bunch of the roster filling. They have three good scorers, a veteran backup point guard, and a few nice big men with a variety of skills. Fox and Barnes are capable of being All-Stars, maybe Hield is as well, so they do have a nice group remaining. And that group becomes even better should Parker stay.
WHAT'S NEXT:
It's about filling the rest of the roster with smart additions. I realize it is the Kings so asking them to do something smart is not really in their culture, as shown by the postseason drought, but they have a foundation here. I'd say two really savvy moves should put them over the top and back into the postseason. What do I mean by savvy moves? I'll explain.
Adding Harrison Barnes was not savvy, it honestly is almost stupid. Signing Bogdan Bogdanovic to $20 million or more per season this off-season is pretty dumb too if you're the Kings. No, what I mean is finding Richaun Holmes or Cory Joseph again. What I mean is dumping Trevor Ariza's mistaske to Portland in exchange for expiring deals. What I mean is drafting a steal in the mid-late lottery that can contribute today.
The Kings are the Kings, so expectations should be tempered somewhat here. However, they do have a nice group of players that could lead them somewhere in the next year or two, and with the right moves a postseason berth is not out of the question.
