As the regular season gets closer and closer, all NBA teams are making cuts to their preseason roster to get them in fighting form. The Kings are not immune to this, recently waiving guard Mitch Mascari and forward Daniel Batcho. Neither was a huge surprise.
The highest number of players an NBA team can have is 15 on standard contracts. That doesn't include three additional players on two-way contracts. With these cuts, the Kings are now at their regular-season roster size. That doesn't mean more changes are not on the way.
The Kings' cuts
Mitch Mascari was definitely not a shocking release. Unfortunately for Mitch, he was a rookie guard on a team with way too many guards. Given how well other rookie guards, particularly Nique Clifford, are playing, it was going to be tough for him to make the cut.
Former Louisiana Tech Bulldog Daniel Batcho was in an equally tough position. The Kings have their fair share of forwards, with several players competing for two spots. Batcho played reasonably well, but not enough to take someone else's role at this point.
What's next for Sacramento
Keeping in mind that these cuts put the overall roster in the state it needs to be for the regular season, that doesn't mean the front office is done making changes. There could be more big moves on the way, specifically related to a former All-Star.
The Sacramento Kings and Russell Westbrook are still circling each other. With the main issues being a roster spot and cap space, it's hard for the Kings to make things official. There could be a competing offer from a Chinese franchise out there, so the Kings might not want to wait too long.
Westbrook isn't worth it
No one wants to see a former All-Star and MVP unrostered this season. If retirement is closing in for Russell, all fans want to see him go out as an NBA player, not fading away because he overplayed his hand with the Denver Nuggets. He's not on a team because he chose to explore free agency, after all.
At the same time, it's hard to see what Westbrook could do to help improve this season for the Kings. Their playing for a good lottery spot at this point and some big trades at the deadline. Bringing in Westbrook now would just end up costing a potential young star their spot.