Sacramento Kings: 2 Players That Can Help The Team Instantly

If the Sacramento Kings want to increase their chances at a playoff berth, Vlade Divac should consider signing two veterans that are on the market.

The Sacramento Kings are just 24 games into the season and now sit at an 11-13 record. They have proved they can bear some of the top teams in the West like the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets,  Dallas Mavericks, and more without their two top players in De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III. As a result, the purple and white are now the 7th seed in the Western Conference if the season ended today.

Vivek Ranadive and Kings fans have been anxiously waiting for their team to make the playoffs. To make this a reality, the Kings should bolster their bench. Now that Iman Shumpert does not look like a possibility, the Kings should take a look at acquiring two other veteran pieces. Those two guys are Jamal Crawford and Corey Brewer.

Corey Brewer

Brewer is a player who does not have to play much to be effective. He mostly scores on fastbreak opportunities and three-point shots when he is open. Brewer also is a guy that can play defense which the Kings can get better on.

Brewer’s best years came with the Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Last season, he was with the Kings during their playoff run and provided a nice 3-and-D presence during his short stint.

Jamal Crawford

Crawford has mostly been a volume scorer throughout his career. He can make tough shots and has sick handles that help him beat defenders off the dribble. He has shot around 35% from three for his entire career and 41% from the court. His best days are behind him, but I believe he still has enough in the tank to become an asset.

Crawford or Brewer?

Either one would not be a bad choice. But in my opinion, Crawford is the direction to go. With Fox still out, Crawford would provide the Kings with some assistance at the point guard spot due to his ball-handling skills. The Kings already have defense from Cory Joseph and offense with Yogi Ferrell. But with the addition to Crawford, the Kings would get an upgrade at the guard spot due to him being taller than Yogi and better offensively than Joseph.

If the Kings did sign Brewer, however, they would be upgrading their defense and transition offense. Brewer also is 32-years old compared to Crawford being 38-years old, so Brewer is likely to log in more minutes to the season.

It is unknown how each one will play at this point in their careers, but if they are half of what they were during their best days, it would help the Kings with reaching the playoffs. The Kings should assess each player on a 10-day contract, when they can on January 5th of this season, before coming to a conclusion on which player filled the team’s needs the most.

Who can the Kings Waive?

The Kings most likely will have to waive Caleb Swanigan to sign either Crawford or Brewer. Swanigan is a wasted roster spot who has only played three minutes on average in four games. With Bagley coming back, it will create more of a log jam with the number of bigs the Kings have. The Kings should look at waiving Swanigan and signing a guard/forward for insurance.

Amid their postseason run, the Kings should take a look at signing these two pieces as they will most likely provide production off the bench.