The Sacramento Kings made a questionable decision regarding Harry Giles’ contract. It could be even more questionable than passing on Luka Doncic.
The current front office for the Sacramento Kings has made plenty of questionable choices over the past few years, but there might not be a more questionable decision than the one they made on October 31st, 2019.
The Kings actually made four decisions that day, all of which had to do with extending rookie contract options. They all seemed like no-brainers: extend De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, and Harry Giles, and decline Caleb Swanigan. Sacramento went 3 for 4, and that miss looks like it is going to hurt.
In a move that seemed dumb at the time and has only gotten worse, the Kings opted to decline the contract option on Giles, making him a free agent this coming off season. Due to the rules of the current CBA, the maximum that Sacramento can now offer Giles this off season is $3.9 million.
While there was no direct reason given from the team, the decision was not a total surprise for the fan base. Giles had yet to appear in any of the Kings first four games up to that point, and had missed the entire preseason with what the team was calling knee soreness. Maybe the team knew something we didn’t about Giles’ medical report and didn’t see his oft-injured knees making it past this season?
Giles sure has made the Kings look silly so far. Due to injuries across the front line for Sacramento, Giles went from getting 15 DNPs in a row to becoming a part of the regular rotation, and eventually became the starting center. Finally given the first real minutes of his career, he has been able to build in-game cohesion with his teammates and find a personal rhythm that has worked for him.
Since Giles was re-integrated back in to the rotation at the end of December, he has been impressive with his hustle and intensity while not exactly filling out the stat sheet. That has changed over the last few contests. The hustle is still present, but now Giles has become a legit scoring option and is beasting on the boards. His last 3 stat lines:
As the Kings enter the last full month of the regular season, the off season decisions that they’ll have to make begin to loom larger and larger, especially if they drop out of the playoff race. And now with Giles beginning to impress on a nightly basis, the noise regarding his contract situation and the disdain for Sacramento’s front office will only grow.
So just how bad is the decision to decline Harry Giles’ option? It is worse than the decision to draft Marvin Bagley over Luka Doncic. Here’s why…
Worse Than Passing On Doncic?! How?
How could it get worse than passing on a generational talent and future perennial MVP candidate that everyone around you knew was the right choice? How can a contract option on a guy whose medical future is questionable be worse than taking Bagley over Doncic?
It is because at the time, there was actually an argument for taking Bagley. Doncic was thought to be too ball dominant to thrive alongside De’Aaron Fox, and Bagley was no slouch of a prospect. He was widely thought to be one of the top talents in a deep draft, a decorated recruit who excelled in his one season as a Duke Blue Devil.
Sacramento drafted for fit. They wanted someone who could run alongside Fox, an insanely athletic big man who could keep true to the Kings identity of run-and-gun. We all wanted Doncic, but many of us talked ourselves in to believing in Marvin Bagley. We knew they made the wrong decision, but we were willing to see how things panned out before we panicked. (go ahead and panic if you haven’t already)
As for the Harry Giles situation, there is really no feasible explanation for not giving him an extension. Instead of having a promising piece (who loves this city, by the way) under team control at a good price, the Kings will likely be left with nothing but $3.9 million to throw at someone else. For a team that has question marks along the front line, having the security of a solid bench option is certainly worth more than $4 million.
The front office had to have known how we would react. Giles has become a fan favorite in Sacramento, and he is never shy about expressing his adoration for the fan base and the city itself. The Kings, who have to overpay free agents to come and play in their small market city, have a player on their roster who is wildly talented and loves the fans that he plays in front of, and they’re letting him go for no good reason at all.
The Bagley/Doncic draft pick has become a black eye this season, and it is likely only a matter of time before the Giles’ contract decline becomes a bruise for the other.
It was never about the being able to afford Bogdan Bogdanovic or some other free agent. The Kings could have made it work to afford both. Instead, we are left to watch Giles blossom before our eyes, only to likely be swooped up this summer by some other team who is willing to shell out a small amount of cash for a loveable player with high upside.
To the Hornets/Hawks: you’re welcome.