Apr 15, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard
Rajon Rondo(9) and guard
Monta Ellis(11) during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 114-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
From one big event to the next, free agency is now looming and the Sacramento Kings still have work to do with their roster. July 1st is the day every GM, player, media, and fan of any team will be looking to see what moves will their team be making.
The Kings biggest needs heading into this years free agency period is defense and shooting. The Kings finished the season ranked 27th in defensive efficiency (per ESPN), and while they just acquired some help with drafting Willie Cauley-Stein, they are far from being considered a good defense.
The team undoubtedly has shooters, but their shooters are not consistent. Ben McLemore showed a vast improvement in his game from his rookie to sophomore season, but found himself hitting a wall towards the middle of the season, and the revamping it once again to close out the year.
Nik Stauskas (the Kings other shooter) had a very disappointing rookie campaign, but to be perfectly fair to Nik I don’t put all the blame on him. Stauskas had to go through three different coaches, three different offensive schemes, and he did all this in year one. I will say this about Nik–towards the end of the season he really gathered a ton of confidence and it looked as if coach George Karl learned how to utilize Stauskas on the floor. But we can’t neglect the fact that he is not looked at as the answer for the teams shooting problems.
Blue Man Hoop
The Kings point guard situation is something that is what looked at as a must to be upgraded. Darren Collison actually had a very good season but sadly saw his season ended early due to a hip injury. Ray McCallum filled in nicely as the Kings fill-in starter, but the team just does not see him as their team’s official backup or starter. He seems to still be looked up as a solid prospect.
Money wise, the Sacramento Kings are not looking so hot, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t players out there that they can afford, and players that can help the issues that the team needs to address. Though the Kings don’t have many assets don’t be surprised if the Kings are the ones who makes the most trades this season.
Let’s rundown a few players the Sacramento Kings should target heading into free agency. We will look at both the positives and negatives for each player.
Next: Rajon Rondo