Collison Ruling Awaited: Replacements For Gay Considered

September 28th, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kings coach Dave Joerger said the uncertainty surrounding point guard Darren Collison isn’t affecting the team yet, but he hopes for a ruling from the league soon, relays Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Collison is likely to be suspended after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery involving his wife. He was sentenced to three years of probation and 20 days in jail, which can be served through alternative sentencing. “If it lingers on two more, three more weeks, it’ll have an effect,” Joerger said. “But for now, it’s so much basic stuff anyways, foundation stuff, it’s general.” The Kings recently signed Ty Lawson as insurance in case Collison receives a long suspension.

If the Kings trade Rudy Gay, there are limited options on the roster to take his place as the starting small forward, writes James Ham of CSNBayArea. Trade rumors are swirling around Gay again after he announced last week that he plans to opt out of his contract next summer. Ham believes Gay will be dealt before February’s trade deadline, and the Kings aren’t guaranteed to get a small forward in return. If that happens, Omri Casspi, Matt Barnes and Garrett Temple are most likely to take his place.

Rudy Gay Confirms Opt-Out Decision

September 27th, 2016 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

A report last week indicated that Rudy Gay will opt out of his contract with the Kings in 2017, and the veteran forward confirmed as much when he spoke to reporters on Monday. “I made the decision to opt out,” Gay said during the club’s media day, per Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “Whether I sign here, whether I’m here the rest of the season or whether I start here, it’s really not up to me. Wherever I am, I’m going play to the best of my ability.”

While Gay has not explicitly requested a trade, his comments on Monday, and throughout the offseason, suggest he’s not overly excited about spending another season with the Kings, so it will be interesting to see how aggressive the team is as it explores potential trade scenarios in the coming weeks or months.

Ty Lawson is hoping to rebuild his image and his NBA career with the Kings this season, per Michael Wagaman of The Associated Press (link via The Denver Post). “I think I’ve grown a lot and I’m just ready to move forward,” Lawson said. “I heard a GM said, ‘I think he lost a step. He can’t shoot anymore.’ I’ve got a lot to prove and I got a chip on my shoulder to prove it.”

Barnes Hopes To Improve Chemistry

September 25th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

As he gets ready for his first training camp with the Kings, one of Matt Barnes‘ objectives will be to improve team chemistry, relays Andy Furillo of The Sacramento Bee. The 36-year-old Barnes agreed to a two-year, $12MM contract this summer to come to Sacramento. He joins an organization that was beset by internal problems last season, especially between star big man DeMarcus Cousins and former coach George Karl. “I’ve never been a star player, so to speak,” Barnes said, “but I’ve been one of the leaders, one of the voices of reason, and I have, I think, an uncanny ability to be able to get through to everybody, and not so much by talking. I lead by example, so that when I do talk, people listen, and I’m respected.”

Kings Rumors: Point Guards, Gay, McLemore

September 23rd, 2016 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

As Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes in his latest piece, most NBA teams avoid making trades in training camp, preferring to wait until at least December to give their rosters a chance to mesh. However, the Kings still have multiple trade candidates on its roster, and they don’t have much depth at point guard, so it’s not out of the question that the team could make a move within the next month or so.

Here are a few of the highlights from Jones:

Currently, the Kings have 14 players on guaranteed salaries, and the team’s 15th man is expected to be a point guard — likely either Ty Lawson, Jordan Farmar, or Isaiah Cousins. According to Jones, the decision on which point guards make the regular-season roster could end up being tied to a possible Rudy Gay trade.
Sacramento has made Ben McLemore available in trade discussions for months, but Jones suggests (via Twitter) that the coaching staff has really connected with the fourth-year guard and is excited to see how he performs this season. At one point it seemed like a lock that McLemore would be dealt, but he has impressed the Kings lately, says Jones.
One another Kings veteran expected to be traded this summer was center Kosta Koufos, Jones notes. Koufos, whose name was connected to trade rumors in July and August, is fairly affordable at $8MM, given the free agent prices this offseason, but Sacramento has yet to find an acceptable deal.

Isaiah Cousins Gets $100K Guarantee

September 23rd, 2016 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

Although he may not make the Kings‘ regular-season roster, second-round guard Isaiah Cousins received a $100K guarantee on his one-year, minimum-salary contract, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). If Sacramento waives Cousins at the end of the preseason, the club will lose his NBA rights. However, the Kings will be able to hold onto his D-League rights and assign him to the Reno Bighorns. That $100K guarantee may make Cousins more willing to accept a low-paying D-League assignment rather than seeking out a job overseas.

Jordan Farmar Gets No Guaranteed Money From Kings

September 21st, 2016 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

Despite his extensive NBA experience, Jordan Farmar didn’t get any guaranteed money from the Kings, signing a minimum-salary summer contract with the team, according to Pincus. Farmar and Ty Lawson essentially have the same non-guaranteed one-year deal with Sacramento, so the team will likely end up carrying just one of those two players into the regular season.

Patterson Knows He Has To Work To Make Roster

September 20th, 2016 at 10:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Sacramento having 14 players with fully guaranteed deals on the books, Lamar Patterson knows he has to have a strong showing during the preseason if he hopes to break camp as a member of the Kings‘ regular season roster, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders writes in his profile of the swingman.“[I’m] going in prepared and just doing simple things,” Patterson said. “I don’t have to go out there and try to force the issue because that’s not my game, that’s not what I do. I just go out there and take what’s given. Just being able to have that mindset and just work and control what I can control and that’s your work ethic and attitude. Just going into camp I’m really excited by the past few weeks I’ve been in Sacramento with the guys and the way the ball has been flowing. I feel like the opportunity is definitely going to be there and it’s just up to me to take advantage.”

The Kings claimed Patterson off waivers in July, inheriting his $874,636 salary for next season, after he was waived by the Hawks. Patterson made 35 appearances for Atlanta in 2015/16, averaging 2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 11.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .350/.245/.727.

Matt Barnes, who inked a two-year deal with the Kings this summer, almost was a member of the Clippers instead, the forward told J.J. Redick on his podcast (h/t Dan Woike of The Orange County Register). Barnes noted that Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers told him “there’s a spot here for you” at the beginning of free agency, and the two were supposed to meet for dinner, Woike relays. “I was very excited to be coming back to L.A.,” Barnes said. But before the pair could meet, Los Angeles re-signed Wesley Johnson using their mid-level exception, Woike writes. Barnes then reached out to Rivers to see if he was still part of the Clippers’ plan, but Rivers said the Clippers had run out of money, as he told Redick.

Raptors Sign Brady Heslip

September 20th, 2016 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 20: The Raptors have officially signed Heslip, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 15: The Raptors will add a Canadian sharpshooter to their roster for training camp, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that Brady Heslip will get a partially guaranteed contract from the team.

Charania’s report comes on the heels of an announcement by Raptors 905, Toronto’s D-League affiliate, indicating that the club has acquired Heslip’s D-League rights (Twitter link). Heslip’s rights were previously held by the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ affiliate. The Raptors 905 traded second- and third-round picks in the 2016 D-League draft, along with the rights to Ronald Roberts, to the Bighorns in exchange for Heslip’s rights and a second-round pick.

The pair of moves suggests that the Raptors are signing Heslip with an eye toward assigning him to their D-League affiliate for the 2016/17 season. Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic confirms as much, tweeting that the Baylor alum is headed for the D-League.

After going undrafted out of Baylor in 2014, Heslip joined the Bighorns for a brief stint before heading overseas and playing in Bosnian and Italian leagues. Last season, the 26-year-old played for Acqua Vitasnella Cantù in Italy, averaging 12.7 PPG and shooting 45.5% on three-pointers in 29 Italian League contests.

Rudy Gay To Opt Out, Likely Leave Kings In 2017

September 19th, 2016 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Rudy Gay and his camp have informed the Kings that the veteran forward plans to decline his player option for 2017/18 next summer, and is unlikely to re-sign in Sacramento, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. As Wojnarowski observes, Gay’s declaration that he expects to leave the Kings in 2017 may make the franchise more motivated to trade him.

Of course, the fact that Gay is strongly leaning toward departing Sacramento next year doesn’t come as a real surprise. The comments he made during a July interview with Sactown Royalty didn’t sound like they came from a player who was committed to his team for the long term. “At this point in my career, I think I want some kind of consistency and we don’t have that here, at all,” Gay said at the time.

Nonetheless, the Kings have thus far not shown any inclination to trade Gay without a “substantial package” in return, league sources tell Wojnarowski. According to the Yahoo! Sports scribe, Sacramento has talked to several teams about Gay, but those discussions haven’t found any traction. While some clubs are unclear about exactly what the Kings are looking for in a deal, others have balked at Sacramento’s asking price, per Wojnarowski.

With the Kings intending to compete for a playoff spot this year, trading Gay for future picks or assets is not ideal, since they’d offer no short-term value. According to Wojnarowski, owner Vivek Ranadive is also reluctant to part with Gay, viewing him as a key piece of this year’s roster — Ranadive has reportedly told associates that he thinks he can persuade the 30-year-old to remain with the Kings beyond 2017. However, that seems like a long shot, given Gay’s lack of faith in team ownership’s ability to create a winning environment.

The Rockets have been among the teams linked to Gay over the last few months, so if Sacramento gets serious about moving the UConn product, Houston could be a team to watch. Considering Gay is likely to explore the free agent market in 2017 though, teams poised to have significant cap room next summer may prefer to try to land him at that point, rather than giving up pieces in a trade.

Traded Second-Round Picks For 2017 NBA Draft

September 16th, 2016 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2017 NBA draft is still more than nine months away, but with the start of the regular season fast approaching, it’s worth taking stock of how this season’s results will affect next year’s draft. Depending on how certain teams perform during the 2016/17 campaign, other clubs will have the opportunity to pick up an extra selection or two.

Earlier this week, we looked at the first-round picks that could change hands during the 2017 draft. A few more first-rounders will likely be involved in trades prior to the trade deadline, or leading up to next year’s draft night, but there are already several picks that are ticketed for new teams, depending on where they land.

That’s even more true of the second round — more than half of the league’s second-round picks for 2017 have been involved in trades so far, and while some of those picks will ultimately remain with the sending teams due to protection conditions, many will move to the receiving teams.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the second-round picks that could (or will) change hands. For each selection, we make a note of which team is sending and receiving it, the protection or conditions on the pick, and what will happen if the protection language prevents the pick from being conveyed. For instance, the Heat will send their second-rounder to either the Hawks or Grizzlies, depending on where it lands. The team that doesn’t get a pick from Miami this year will get the Heat’s second-rounder in 2018.

Here are 2017’s traded second-round picks:

Atlanta Hawks

From: Brooklyn Nets
Protection: None

Atlanta Hawks

From: Miami Heat
Protection: 31-40
If not conveyed: Hawks will receive Heat’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).

Boston Celtics

From: Cleveland Cavaliers
Protection: None

Boston Celtics

From: Los Angeles Clippers
Protection: None

Boston Celtics

From: Minnesota Timberwolves
Protection: None

Brooklyn Nets

From: Boston Celtics
Conditions: Nets will receive pick (protected 31-45) if Celtics swap first-rounders with Nets.
If not conveyed: Celtics’ obligation to Nets is extinguished.

Brooklyn Nets

From: Indiana Pacers
Protection: 45-60
If not conveyed: Nets will have opportunity to get Pacers’ second-rounder (protected 45-60) in 2018.

Denver Nuggets

From: Memphis Grizzlies
Protection: 31-35
If not conveyed: Nuggets will receive Grizzlies’ 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).

Denver Nuggets

From: Oklahoma City Thunder
Protection: 31-35
If not conveyed: Nuggets will receive Thunder’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).

Houston Rockets

From: Denver Nuggets
Protection: None

Houston Rockets

From: Portland Trail Blazers
Protection: None

Memphis Grizzlies

From: Miami Heat
Protection: 41-60
If not conveyed: Grizzlies will receive Heat’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).

New Orleans Pelicans

From: Philadelphia 76ers
Protection: None

New York Knicks

From: Chicago Bulls
Protection: None

New York Knicks

From: Houston Rockets
Protection: None

Philadelphia 76ers

From: Two of Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz.
Conditions: Sixers will receive the most and least favorable of these four picks.

Utah Jazz

From: Two of Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz.
Conditions: Jazz will receive the second- and third-most favorable of these four picks, including their own.

The following teams technically acquired second-round draft picks via trade and could receive those selections in 2017. However, these picks are heavily protected and won’t be conveyed to the receiving team unless the sending team finishes with a top-five record in the NBA. If that doesn’t happen, the receiving team is out of luck. The details:

Minnesota Timberwolves

From: New Orleans Pelicans
Protection: 31-55
If not conveyed: Pelicans’ obligation to Timberwolves is extinguished.

Orlando Magic

From: Sacramento Kings
Protection: 31-55
If not conveyed: Kings’ obligation to Magic is extinguished.

San Antonio Spurs

From: Atlanta Hawks
Protection: 31-55
If not conveyed: Hawks’ obligation to Spurs is extinguished.

RealGM’s database of future traded pick details was used in the creation of this post.