The Sacramento Kings have a busy offseason ahead of them. They have already addressed part of that project, choosing to bring in a new general manager (Scott Perry), adding several new assistant coaches (including Mike Woodson), and making Doug Christie their official head coach.
Still, the Kings need to decide what direction they are going to go with their roster. Are they going to re-tool around Domantas Sabonis? Or will they sell off all their key players (Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk) and launch a brand new era?
Part of this process will include deciding which one of their unrestricted free agents they will look to retain and who they will let look for a new employer.
Arguably their most important free agent decision will involve Trey Lyles. We have already discussed what we think the Kings should do with Lyles (check that out here). But, on Sunday, a very well-respected podcast in the NBA cap sphere gave their thoughts on the matter.
Danny Leroux thinks the Kings can do better than Trey Lyles in free agency
The Dunc'd On Basketball NBA Podcast is one of the most well-regarded shows in the die-hard NBA space. Its two co-hosts, Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux, provide in-depth coverage of all 30 teams. One of their specialties involves discussing the financial elements of the game, and, on their most recent episode, they discussed Lyles' impending free agency.
In this instance, Leroux shared the most interesting perspective on the matter. Here is his main thought on the matter:
"I'm sure [Lyles] would love to get a lucrative deal back in Sacramento," Leroux said. "He has been important at times during this Kings run...But I think Sacramento, one of the few teams that actually can use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, should get someone better and let him walk."
As Perry mentioned in his introductory press conference, the team would like to add more ball handling and length/athleticism.
In theory, Lyles should be able to offer the latter. Lyles is 6'10, but he is a questionable defender (30th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus Minus, per Dunks & Threes), and he's coming off a down shooting year. After shooting nearly 60% true shooting every year from 2022 to 2024, Lyles' efficiency fell to just 54.9%. More specifically, he had his worst rim finishing season since 2019-20 and his worst 3-point shooting campaign since 2022-23.
Lyles has been a valuable contributor in his three-and-a-half years, but Leroux is right in saying that the team can find a replacement that better suits their needs. Leroux also added that Lyles will likely command something slightly above the veteran minimum on the open market.