As it stands, the Sacramento Kings currently have 13 players under standard contracts on their roster. The reason this is significant is that, under the current CBA, a team can carry less than 14 standard contracts for only 14 days at a time or 28 total days in the season.
The last time the Kings had 14 standard contracts was when Daishen Nix was on a ten-day deal. His contract ended on Monday, February 17, so the Kings have until Tuesday, March 4, to add a 14th standard contract to the roster.
With so many free agents to choose from, who will the Kings pick? Well, maybe the answer to their current conundrum is already affiliated with the team.
Isaac Jones
Instead of adding another player to the list of newbies who need to be brought up to speed (Zach LaVine, Jake LaRavia, Jonas Valanciunas, and Markelle Fultz), the Kings could convert one of their two-way guys to a standard contract in order to meet the league's roster requirements.
If they decide to go down this route, the obvious choice to do this with is two-way forward Isaac Jones. The undrafted rookie has overcome some major hurdles to get where he is, and now that he is in the NBA, he is making the most of his opportunities.
In the G League, Jones is averaging 20.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.1 BPG on 69.1% true shooting. His NBA numbers aren't nearly as gaudy. In 25 games, Jones is putting up just 3.6 PPG and 1.5 RPG on 65.5% TS. However, Jones is clearly the two-way guy the Kings' staff trusts the most, as evidenced by his playing more minutes this year (218) than Isaiah Crawford and Mason Jones combined (59).
When Jones has seen real minutes, he's been able to leave his mark on the game. During a two-game stretch to start December, Jones averaged 12 PPG on 79.6% TS in just under 19 minutes per game. At 6'8 with a 7'3.5 wingspan, Jones will also give the Kings some much-needed frontcourt depth.
Why try to integrate yet another new veteran player into a team that is already struggling to find some synergy? At the end of the day, you are better off going with the the youngster who already knows the system and you know is willing to work his tail off.