The Sacramento Kings have many moves to make in this free agency period. Before all the madness begins, A Royal Pain will break down what to expect and the situation Sacramento is in.
Projected Cap Space For Free Agency:
The Sacramento Kings are in a full-on rebuild mode like no other. With the abundance of rookie contracts, the Kings have the highest projected cap space as of right now. Forty-three million dollars in projected cap space gives the Kings a lot of flexibility this free agency.
A Serious Need For Veteran Leadership:
The Sacramento Kings are expected to have nine NBA players still on their rookie contracts. With that said, there’s a real deprivation of veterans on the Kings. The only real veterans on the team are Garrett Temple and Kosta Koufos. To truly succeed by building through the draft in this league, you need veterans who are effective on and off the court.
Kings Taking On A Salary Dump? :
As mentioned earlier, the Kings have a lot of flexibility due to the $43 million in their cap space. Recent rumors have linked the Houston Rockets to the Sacramento Kings as a salary dump destination for a stretch big like Ryan Anderson (Full Story).
Interesting note from @ZachLowe_NBA on Kings and Anderson: "Not even the Kings wanted him for free".
— Akis (@Aykis16) June 28, 2017
Obviously, the Kings wouldn’t take on Anderson’s contract for free, they would require multiple assets including young players and draft picks.
Teams were asking for two 1st Round Picks in exchange for taking on Ryan Anderson's contract from the Rockets.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 28, 2017
Many teams are holding awful contracts signed last year that the Kings could potentially take off other team’s hands to help spark their rebuild some more.
Next: 5 potential targets in free agency for the Kings
Final Thoughts:
The Sacramento Kings are in a very exciting position and will make pivotal steps towards a dominant future. The wait for a true rebuild is finally over and things seem to be turning in the Kings’ favor.