Sacramento Kings should target Leandro Barbosa in free agency
By Tyler Watts
The Phoenix Suns waived Leandro Barbosa on July 3. This article details why the Sacramento Kings should target Barbosa in free agency.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Phoenix Suns are waiving veteran guard Leandro Barbosa. The Suns are reportedly shedding payroll to start a youth movement and have the flexibility to take on a salary dump with future draft choices included. This move presents an opportunity for the Sacramento Kings.
With Barbosa on the open market, he becomes a fantastic target for the Kings. First, we will take a look at a brief scouting report on Leandro Barbosa. Then, I will detail his fit with the Sacramento Kings. Without further ado, let us roll right into it.
Leandro Barbosa Scouting Report
Leandro Barbosa affectionately known as the Brazilian Blur is a 34-year-old combo guard who was the 28 overall draft pick by the San Antonio Spurs back in 2003. Barbosa has played for five different teams during his 14 year NBA career.
Last season, he played off the bench in 67 games for the Suns. Barbosa averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebound, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.5 three-pointers made per game in 14.4 minutes a night. He shot 43.9% from the field, 35.7% from three and 88.9% from the free throw line.
Related Story: Sacramento Kings needs and strategy this offseason
Barbosa also won the Sixth Man of the Year in 2007 and an NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.
Fit with Sacramento
The Sacramento Kings should be targeting Leandro Barbosa because he fits their need of a high character veteran who will allow the youngsters to grow and play. Barbosa is not going to command a huge workload. He will be comfortable playing 10-15 minutes a night and mentoring young talents like De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield. Barbosa is known for being a great teammate and human being. What more can you ask for from a veteran leader of a young team?
Barbosa also brings the experience of winning an NBA Championship and playing in two Olympic Games with Brazil in 2012 and 2016.
The Sacramento Kings have a plethora of guard talent, but Barbosa can mix in on the wings or as a third string point guard. At the two, Sacramento should start Hield with Garrett Temple and Malachi Richardson backing up, but someone can slide down to the three where the Kings have plenty of minutes available behind Bogdan Bogdanovic and Justin Jackson.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, why the Sacramento Kings should target fresh on the market Leandro Barbosa. More likely, Barbosa will prioritize playing for a contender, but if Sacramento offers him a juicy contract, they may be able to sway the Brazilian Blur to California’s capital city. It would be a welcome sign to this observer if Vlade Divac and company could make it happen.
Next: Sacramento Kings projected 2017-2018 starters
A Royal Pain has you covered this offseason with all the Sacramento Kings content you desire. We have a ton of draft and free agency articles up on the site. We will also be covering all the signings and those juicy rumors, so please check back with us often. Thank you for reading.