The Kings‘ 118.6 offensive rating this season was easily the best mark in the NBA, but their 116.0 defensive rating was the worst of any of the 16 teams that made the playoffs. It’s no surprise then that general manager Monte McNair identified upgrading the defense as a top priority for Sacramento this offseason, per Eduardo Razo of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Still, McNair made it clear that he doesn’t want defensive upgrades to come at the expense of the Kings’ NBA-best offense, stressing that the front office will need to find a way to balance those efforts.
“You always want to continue to shore up your deficiencies, but you don’t want to pull on one string and you lose another,” McNair said. “So we’re going to have to do it in a way that we were able to put all the things we need on the floor for both offense and defense. So, yeah, I don’t know, delicate balance. Everybody has the same challenge, but yes, we need to maintain and improve. We can’t just make trade-offs that keep us in the same spot.”
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Domantas Sabonis will be extension-eligible this summer and the new CBA will allow the Kings to give him a 40% raise (instead of 20%) in an extension offer. Still, that may not be enough to entice him to sign a deal, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. An extension for Sabonis could be worth up to $27.1MM in 2024/25, whereas his maximum salary as a free agent that summer may exceed $42MM. “Domas is a huge part of what we do,” McNair told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re going to do all we can to keep him here and build around him.”
- Asked about Harrison Barnes‘ possible future in Sacramento, McNair referred to the free-agent-to-be as “a pretty fantastic part of our team,” per Slater, and suggested the Kings will have conversations in the coming weeks about retaining Barnes.
- McNair praised the season that draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Vezenkov has had in Greece for Olympiacos and told reporters that a decision on the standout EuroLeague forward will be made later in the summer (Twitter video link via Deuce Mason). Vezenkov is under contract with Olympiacos through 2025, but could be bought out of that deal.
- Keegan Murray didn’t come close to averaging 20 points per game in his first NBA season like Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero, but McNair made the case this week that the Kings forward was the standout player in his draft class for another reason. “A rookie who started seven games in a playoff series, was, I believe, the most winning impact rookie on the court this year,” McNair said, per Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area. “While we didn’t ask him to come in and shoot 30 shots, he certainly could have, he was the leading scorer in college basketball last year. But to come in and know what we need, which was to actually defend multiple positions, hit shots, cut to the basket, play off of our veterans, I thought it was a fantastic year for him.”
- Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee explores whether it’s realistic for the Kings to attempt to emulate the Warriors’ championship blueprint.
sabonis is not a $42 million a year player. He is a piece but not a top all star. Kings should offer him no more than $27 million a year.
I know you’re biased because Sabonis conveniently put his chest there so Dray could stomp on it but as the article states $27 million is all they can offer him in an extension. Sure they could offer it but he’d be a fool to take it. That’s not even Jordan Poole money.
If they offered it when he becomes an unrestricted free agent that’d be silly. You don’t low-ball your best player when he has all the leverage. He’d get offered much more on the open market. He’s not the top big in the league but he’s top 10 and he should be paid accordingly.
Sabonis is not their best player. Fox is their best player. I don’t think Poole deserves even close to what he is going to make.
thanks for posting your 100% bias opinion. I don’t think a lot of players are worth a max contract. I wouldn’t give Thompson or Green a max deal either. I wouldn’t call Sabonis a top 10 player. 64th in scoring is not top 10 or even top 20. Even Poole out scored sabonis. he is 3rd best option on most teams.
I never said he’s a top 10 player, I said he’s a top 10 big. I’m not bias, my teams in a rebuild. Sabonis has his faults, he’s not much of a defender and he can’t shoot but he’s still worth $42 million.
In defense of Sabonis, he does what a big needs to do in today’s NBA. He’s a great defensive rebounder, scores inside, and most importantly, he is a great assist man. The last, separates the good bigs from the double-double guys. They are common. Yes he was outclassed by Looney. That said, Looney is the most underrated player in the NBA. What he lacks in scoring, he makes up for in steals and passing. Nobody drafts better than GS. As for the Kings, they need to find better shooters. Fox is a nice player, but if he’s leading the team in shots and scoring, that team has issues. Sarongs isn’t the problem and the Kings paid a dear price to get him.
If kings want to be better they need to get a Center and never play Sabonis at center. Fox is the Kings best player by far. I would even say he is better than ja Morant. Fox just needs a player like Thompson to pass when being double teamed.
I think he’s worth closer to 27 than 42 I will say but…..
He will get paid closer to 42 tho in the end as it climbs
Sac doesn’t have much leverage considering how good Hali’s looking over in Indy
They do need to get the number low as possible tho as a team with actual cap space moving forward – They were only team in both conferences with top 6 seed that has ANY Cap this offseason
Defense was not the issue these playoffs. Sabonis disappeared and so did their 3 pt shooting. Defense feels like ESPN buzzword for this team. Focus on toughening up Sabonis and just getting more experience of everyone together.
The Kings 3pt shooting didn’t disappear. They’re just not a a good shooting team to begin with.
The Kings 3pt shooting didn’t disappear. They’re just not a good shooting team to begin with.
Top 10 in makes and % during the regular season. I wouldn’t say they are a bad 3 point shooting team.
Sabonis was owned by Kevin Looney. His D was not that good in the series. The Kings need to sign Naz Reid and let Barnes go or come off the Bench.
That top paragraph totally throws off what most basketball fans (even many on this site) have always accepted as common knowledge about Mike Brown – being a “defensive coach”.
That’s been more myth than reality.
His teams have always been top tier offensively, but people would just say, “he had LeBron James”.
He didn’t have LeBron this year.
*coulda used him in G7 recently tho!
lebron is not a top defensive player anymore. Many times he hangs out in the back court for break away baskets. He can’t stop younger faster players. So I am confused what LeBron has to do with this?
Like Sabonis a lot. Great player. Not a max player ……