The NBA season is just one week away, and the Sacramento Kings head into the 2024-25 year trying to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Of course, that will be a sizeable task given the stacked talent all throughout the Western Conference.
Sacramento took the league by storm in 2022-23, finishing third in the standings and finally snapping their 16-season playoff drought. Their supercharged offense took the defending champions to Game 7 in the first round, but they were unable to win their first playoff series since the 2003-04 season.
With a target on their backs for the first time in years, the Kings struggled in 2023-24 and came one play-in victory away from returning to the playoffs. In response, they made some slam-dunk moves in the 2024 offseason that should give them a solid chance of getting back on the right track.
The most recent of these moves was inking veteran wing Doug McDermott to a one-year deal on Wednesday. The 10-year league vet will join the Kings on what is presumed to be a standard, non-training camp contract. The financial details of the agreement are yet to be released, but Sacramento's cap situation indicates McDermott is likely signing for the minimum, or around a $3.3 million deal.
The Kings traded Jalen McDaniels in order to sign McDermott
As we recall the roster moves the Kings have made over the last several days, the McDermott signing begins to make more sense. On Monday, they traded Jalen McDaniels to the San Antonio Spurs without taking a player back, which freed up a roster spot. This might have seemed puzzling at the time, but now their reasoning comes to light. The empty spot, of course, was being held open for McDermott.
As for the on-court fit, Doug makes a lot of sense on this Sacramento roster. Last season, the Kings were 15th in the association in three-point shooting percentage at 36.6% as a team. In an attempt to get out of the miserable middle, the front office made a move for one of the most reliable pure shooters in the NBA.
McDermott is a career 41.0% shooter from beyond the arc. The gravity he provides on the offensive end will have wonderful effects on Sacramento's offense, forcing defenses to guard on the perimeter and giving slashing scorers like DeMar DeRozan more room to operate. And when McDermott gets hot from outside, he can catch fire quickly.
There are still downsides to having Doug in certain lineups, as he is not a strong individual defender. But utilizing the proper schemes will ensure that McDermott is a fantastic addition to this team, especially considering his assumed low price tag.