3 Potential free agent Sacramento Kings targets with ties to Mike Brown

James Wiseman

When Domantas Sabonis was on the bench, it was usually Alex Len or JaVale McGee who would fill in for him. To their credit, both of them performed admirably when given the chance. Unfortunately, they are both set to be unrestricted free agents this offseason.

If they don't bring back one (or both) of those guys, Sacramento is going to want a nab a backup big man in free agency (or the 2024 NBA Draft). Ideally, they are going to want that big man to be someone who brings something different to the table than Sabonis without breaking the bank.

That means bringing in a center who can rim run, catch lobs, and offer some paint protection. When he was first drafted second in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Warriors, that is exactly what James Wiseman was supposed to be.

For a myriad of reasons, things haven't worked out for Wiseman in the NBA (yet). However, we've seen before that damaged goods can recoup some of their value in the right situation.

Maybe the right situation is Sacramento, and maybe the man who helped resurrect the league's most downtrodden franchise can help do the same for Wiseman. The two certainly have a familiarity with each other. After all, Brown was in Golden State when it all went wrong with Wiseman.

One thing is for certain: it would make for one heck of a redemption arc if Wiseman reinvigorated his career as a quality backup center on a team coached by the man who was an assistant coach on the team where he earned his reputation as a bust.

If you are wondering why we didn't include Klay Thompson in this list (another former player that Brown coached), it is because we wanted to focus on players that the Kings could have reasonably signed this offseason. Thompson turned down a two-year, 48-million dollar extension prior to the start of the season. That's more than the Kings can offer him. Plus, they already have someone who fills a similar role to him in Kevin Huerter.