The Sacramento Kings should throw the bag at Patrick Beverley
The NBA’s free agency period kicks off on Sunday afternoon, and only a few teams have more money to spend than the Sacramento Kings.
Attracting marquee free agents to California’s capital has proved to not only be difficult, but nearly impossible.
For the first time in well over a decade, however, the Sacramento Kings are coming off a promising season and find themselves in an advantageous talent and salary cap situation. They boast one of the best young cores in the league and should have nearly $40 million to spend this offseason.
So while the national media feed us constant Lakers, Clippers, and Knicks news, it is the Kings who may be one of the more active franchises in this offseason’s free agency sweepstakes. But who do they target? While they can count themselves out of any Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, or Klay Thompson talks, there is a solid selection of second-tier free agents that the Kings can throw money at.
Who The Kings Should Target
There have been plenty of different names and rumors thrown around by Kings fans on social media, and the one that makes the most sense is Patrick Beverly.
Every team could use a Patrick Beverley. He is a gritty, high-energy defensive specialist who came off the bench 29 times last season. He brings an edge and intensity that is rare in today’s NBA, all while shooting an impressive 39.7% from long range (better than JJ Redick, Joe Ingles, and Paul George).
There are plenty of teams that will be bidding for Beverley’s services, evidenced by the hoards of blog articles that pop up when Googling his name. The Dallas Mavericks are said to be interested, as are the Lakers if they can afford him. He could return to the Clippers, who might be the favorites heading into the weekend.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Beverly is seeking a 3-year deal in the $40 million range and has added the Bulls to his list of potential suitors.
The Kings should absolutely throw an extra ~$7 million on top of Beverley’s asking price in order to bring him to Sacramento.
Why Target Beverley?
Signing the 30-year-old veteran would be like killing two birds with one stone for Vlade Divac and the Kings front office. Beverley would fill a need for a point guard, backing up De’Aaron Fox while bringing a fiery edge to a second unit that needs a leader.
He would also give the Kings a weapon to throw at opposing offenses. Beverley is a known pest, poised to get in the heads of his opponents and create chaos with even the most seasoned of veterans.
Patrick Beverley has an extensive history with Russell Westbrook, and last season spent an entire game pestering LeBron James to the brink of frustration.
The first round of the Western Conference playoffs featured a well-documented battle between Beverley and Golden State’s Kevin Durant. Despite the inability of any mortal human to slow down Durant in his prime, Beverley did an excellent job of attempting to contain him and infiltrate his mental.
Durant scored a playoff-low 21 points in a Game 2 loss while being hounded by Beverley from the opening tip, and the duo received a double ejection in the fourth quarter of the previous game — a trade that the Clippers would take every time.
Final Thoughts
That intensity, especially on the defensive end, would be just the boost that the Kings need. Their core is full of youth, and they lack that pitbull-veteran presence that nearly every successful team has. Harrison Barnes and Kosta Koufos are not exactly lurking in the back alley with two-by-fours. Beverley would give the Kings that instant surge of energy, something they lost when they traded Iman Shumpert away last season.
So where will Patrick Beverley play next season? TMZSports cameras caught Beverley leaving an airport in mid-June and asked him about his intentions for free agency.
“Securing my family’s future. The bag.”
There may not be a team that throws a bigger bag at Patrick Beverley than the Sacramento Kings. Only time will tell.