The 2024 NBA Free Agency has been underway for over forty-eight hours now, and much to the chagrin of Sacramento Kings fans, the team has been relatively quiet.
Checking in on Kings Reddit after Day 2 of NBA free agency… pic.twitter.com/qCP397DlX2
— Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) July 2, 2024
The only major move they have to this point is retaining backup big man Alex Len, who re-signed on a one-year, 3.3-million dollar deal (the veteran minimum for a player of his level of experience).
When Does Free Agency End?
The Kings haven't made a significant transaction yet. But how much time do they have left to try and change that?
The interesting thing about free agency is that while there are rules about when it starts, there aren't really any hard and fast rules about when it ends.
Training camp starts on October 1. So, it would be wise to have your roster fully squared away before then. Although, the offseason doesn't come to an end until October 21, with the regular season starting on October 22.
Last season, the Dallas Mavericks signed Derrick Jones Jr. nearly two months after the start of free agency, and he ended up starting every playoff game for the team this year. That just shows that there really is no limit to when you can sign free agents.
Kings Still Need Some Urgency
After re-signing Malik Monk, the Kings used up most of their available cap space (they still have the Bi-Annual Exception and the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception). That move pretty much guaranteed that the Kings wouldn't be making too many big signings in free agency.
If the Kings were to make a big move, it would be in the trade market. While free agency may not have any specific end date, trade targets typically do. If you wait too long to pull the trigger on a trade for a particular player, another team may come in and swoop them from right under you.
For instance, the Kings have been heavily connected to Brandon Ingram. As it stands, he doesn't have a huge market of teams vying for his services. But if the Kings wait around for too long, they could be left regretting not making a move sooner.