A Royal Acquisition: Arron Afflalo

The Sacramento Kings had problems regarding their two-guard position this season. With that being said, should the Kings try to solve this situation by finding a new starting shooting guard this offseason?

There are many routes that the Kings could take. The Kings could get a two-guard in the NBA draft which contains players like Jamal Murray and Jaylen Brown, try to sign one in free agency, or they could acquire one via trade.

In this piece, we will discuss if current New York Knick Arron Afflalo would be a good fit for the Kings and the possibility of the purple and white acquiring him this summer.

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The Player/Statistics

Afflalo, who stands at 6’5 and weighs 210 pounds, has played in the NBA for the last nine seasons, and throughout that time has started 489 games. Throughout his career, the former UCLA Bruin has averaged 11.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. He also has a career field-goal percentage of 45.2, a three-point percentage of 38.2, and a free-throw percentage 82.

In his most recent season with the New York Knicks, Afflalo averaged 12.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 44.3% from the court, 38.2% from the perimeter, and 84% from the charity stripe.

The Acquisition

Afflalo does have a player option on his contract, so if he does decide to opt out he can be a free agent this summer. But right now he is under contract with the Knicks until the end of the 2016-2017 season (per Spotrac), so if the Kings do want the services of Afflalo it would most likely be done through trade. A proposed trade that contains sending Ben McLemore and Kosta Koufos in exchange for Afflalo and Jerian Grant could possibly benefit the Kings, but I personally would be hesitant in adding Koufos to the mix.

The Fit

If the scenario did happen where Afflalo would play for the Kings next season, he most likely would be the starting two-guard on opening day. He has proven throughout his career that he can produce at a consistent rate and has been a starting two for successful teams in his past.

With the addition of Afflalo, the Kings would also improve on both ends of the court. The stats show that Afflalo is a solid offensive player, but he can also hold his ground as a defender too. So if Afflalo were to rock the “Kings” name on his chest next season, he could be that two-way shooting guard that the Kings have desperately wanted.

Express Yourself

So Kings fans, do you think that the Kings should try to trade for Arron Afflalo this offseason? We want to hear from you. To express your thoughts on the issue, feel free to participate in our survey that is currently up on our Twitter account.

Rafe’s Thoughts

If the Kings were to acquire Arron Afflalo, it may be too much of a risk for the Kings.

The package deal that I mentioned above, which was approved by the trading machine, is possible, but I am an advocate of not packaging Koufos in a trade unless the Kings could get a huge reward in return.

I would be fine if the Kings and Knicks simply swapped Afflalo and McLemore straight up, but the NBA Trade Machine says that is not possible due to Afflalo having a much higher salary. Trading Marco Belinelli for Afflalo, however, was approved by the trading machine. Could both parties agree to this?

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But the best chance for the Kings to get Afflalo is if he opts out of his contract with the Knicks and becomes a free agent. This would be the scenario in which it would be smart for the Kings if they really do want Afflalo to come to Sacramento.