Trade Rumors: Butler, LaVine, Russell, Gay
The Bulls and Celtics are still discussing a deal involving Jimmy Butler, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Chicago, which traded Derrick Rose to the Knicks on Wednesday, reportedly wants to draft Providence point guard Kris Dunn, but isn’t enamored with Boston’s latest offer, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
More trade rumors are heating up as the draft is under way:
- Another deal the Bulls received came from the Timberwolves, who offered the fifth pick and Zach LaVine, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Minnesota is willing to listen to offers for anyone besides Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, but he doesn’t believe that offer will be enough to land Butler.
- The Kings have been “heavily engaged in trade talks” with several teams this week and are targeting Lakers‘ point guard D’Angelo Russell, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN. Sacramento is seeking a possible replacement for starting point guard Rajon Rondo, who is headed toward free agency.
- Before picking up Thaddeus Young in a deal with the Nets today, the Pacers talked to the Kings about Rudy Gay, according to Wojnarowski.
Kings Discussing Trades Involving No. 8 Pick
There are eight players at the top of most big boards for the 2016 draft, and that cutoff seems to be reflected in the Kings’ trade talks. Sacramento, which holds the No. 8 overall pick, has received offers for that selection that include multiple future first-rounders, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that multiple teams are attempting to get to that No. 8 spot.
Meanwhile, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com reports (via Twitter) that two sources have told him the Kings are trying to move into the top six.
While those two reports appear on the surface to be at odds, it’s possible they’re both true. The Kings could be mulling a three-team trade, or two separate deals, which would see them trade the No. 8 overall selection for future picks, then flip those picks – plus perhaps one more asset for a top-six selection. It’s also possible that Sacramento is simply exploring all potential alternatives, attempting to determine whether it makes sense to be buyers or sellers tonight.
If they are indeed exploring a move up, it’s not clear which player the Kings might be targeting. However, multiple reports in recent weeks have suggested Sacramento is very fond of Oklahoma sharpshooter Buddy Hield, and it appears as though Hield may be off the board by the time the eighth overall pick rolls around.
An earlier report indicated that the Sixers had spoken to the Kings within the last 24 hours. Philadelphia won’t be parting with its first overall pick, but has been attempting to land a second top-eight pick.
Draft Rumors: Sixers, Noel, Magic, Butler, Raps
The 76ers have had “significant engagement” with the Celtics in the last 24 hours, and those trade talks are continuing, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). However, Wojnarowski reports that Philadelphia has also recently been in touch with the Timberwolves (No. 5) and Kings (No. 8). According to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link), the Sixers are dangling Nerlens Noel and their two picks near the end of the first round (Nos. 24 and 26) in an effort to pick up a second top-eight pick.
Here are a few more draft rumors and updates from around the NBA:
- There have been reports that some teams with high picks tonight – such as the Celtics at No. 3 or the Timberwolves at No. 5 – are willing to include those selections in a package for Jimmy Butler. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News suggests (via Twitter) that the Magic are also among the teams pursuing Butler, but according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (via Twitter), the Bulls forward is under the impression that Chicago intends to keep him.
- If none of the consensus top eight players on draft boards slip to No. 9 for the Raptors, GM Masai Ujiri may end up taking Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford (Twitter link), who is hearing “strong rumblings” about Toronto’s interest in the big man.
- League sources tell Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic that Washington’s Marquese Chriss is believed to be the Suns‘ preferred target at No. 4, assuming he’s available. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that he expects Phoenix to take either Chriss or Dragan Bender, adding that he doesn’t believe Buddy Hield or Jamal Murray are in play.
- Ford (ESPN Insider-only link) and Jonathan Givony of The Vertical have both updated their mock drafts today to reflect the latest info they’re hearing from around the league.
Top Prospects Haven't Worked Out For Kings
- The Kings hold the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, yet none of the players projected to be lottery selections worked out for the team, notes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The highest-regarded prospect who worked out was former Vanderbilt guard Wade Baldwin, who is a projected mid-first round pick, Jones adds. The team downplayed the significance of pre-draft workouts, with assistant GM Ken Catanella saying, “It’s important, but I would always say we’re looking at a guy’s body of work. It is a small piece, but you still want to, if you haven’t had the opportunity to interview a player at the combine perhaps, or you haven’t had the opportunity to see a guy live, it never hurts. But again, you take the available information you have, and you make the most of it.”
Draft Rumors: Lakers, Ingram, Celtics, Bembry
With Ben Simmons having reportedly received a promise from the Sixers at No. 1, the Lakers know who will be on the board for them at No. 2, and barring a last-minute blockbuster trade offer, Los Angeles intends to select Duke’s Brandon Ingram with that pick, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford and Ramona Shelburne. The decision, which comes as no surprise, comes after the Lakers spent three hours meeting with new head coach Luke Walton on Tuesday night, per the ESPN.com report. The team did its homework on other top prospects, but this year’s class has always been viewed as having a consensus top two, so it would have been a huge upset if the Lakers had landed on anyone but Ingram.
Let’s check in on a few more draft rumors, notes, and updates around the league…
- ESPN’s Marc Stein wrote last night that the Celtics‘ preference at No. 3 – assuming they keep the pick – has “emerged as one of the bigger mysteries of draft week.” Bill Simmons of The Ringer agrees, tweeting that the Suns (Marquese Chriss), Timberwolves (Kris Dunn), Pelicans (Jamal Murray), and Kings (Buddy Hield) all appear to have preferred targets, but Boston could throw a wrench into the top eight by selecting one of those players. Meanwhile, Brett Dawson of The Advocate cautions (via Twitter) that it’s not yet clear whether Murray is New Orleans’ top target.
- The Hawks, Sixers, and Spurs – all of whom have picks in the 20-30 range tomorrow night – have done the most extensive research on former St. Joseph’s wing DeAndre’ Bembry, a source tells Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- Rothstein adds (via Twitter) that two names he’s hearing on the Grizzlies‘ short list for the No. 17 pick are Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt) and Malachi Richardson (Syracuse).
- The Pacers have narrowed down their list of realistic targets for the No. 20 overall pick to eight prospects, and prioritizing versatility, writes Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star.
- ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has revealed his final big board for the 2016 draft, which has Kris Dunn supplanting Jamal Murray at No. 3, and Marquese Chriss cracking the top five.
- The NBA has announced 19 Green Room invitees for the 2016 draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details. The list of prospects who will be in attendance on Thursday night includes the usual suspects, such as Simmons and Ingram, but also features a handful of names further down on draft boards, including Timothe Luwawu, Malik Beasley, and Denzel Valentine.
Kings To Hire Darrick Martin As D-League Coach
There is interest around the league in shooting guard Ben McLemore and with teams aware that he is available, the Kings have been fielding trade inquiries in advance of Thursday’s NBA draft, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. The 23-year-old saw his playing time diminish this past season under former coach George Karl, with McLemore only averaging 21.2 minutes per outing, down from the 32.6 he notched in 2014/15. If Sacramento does find a taker for McLemore, it would make him the second former lottery pick the team has shipped out in as many years, with the Kings sending 2014 first-rounder Nik Stauskas to the Sixers prior to the start of the 2015/16 campaign.
- The Kings are closing in on an agreement with Darrick Martin that would make him the new coach of the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical relays (via Twitter).
Kings Shopping No. 8 Pick
There likely won’t be much drama with the first overall pick on draft night, now that the Sixers have reportedly informed LSU’s Ben Simmons they’ll be selecting him. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of surprises the rest of the way. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford (via Twitter), all six teams picking between Nos. 3 and 8 – the Celtics, Suns, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Nuggets, and Kings – are shopping their selections to some extent. This year’s draft class is viewed as having a consensus top eight, with a drop off after that point, so those picks could generate plenty of trade interest.
Caron Butler Exercises Player Option With Kings
Veteran small forward Caron Butler has exercised his player option for the 2016/17 season, locking in his contract with the Kings for one more year, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). The option is worth $1,551,659.
[RELATED: Offseason Outlook: Sacramento Kings]
As our list of player option decisions for this year shows, Butler is only the second player who has decided to pick up his option rather than testing the free agent market, joining Cavaliers guard Mo Williams. Considering Butler’s option is only worth the minimum salary, it’s a little surprising he would opt in, but perhaps he figured he’s better off taking that guaranteed money rather than trying to find another team willing to sign him for the minimum.
Butler, who initially entered the NBA as the 10th overall pick in the 2002 draft, barely saw the floor during the 2015/16 season, playing a total of 176 minutes in 17 games for the Kings. Although he was briefly nagged by an ankle problem early in the year, his absences from games were primarily the result of DNP-CDs.
Sacramento reportedly tried to find a trade partner during the season to give Butler an opportunity to play more elsewhere, but ultimately kept him on the roster. The team may again attempt to include the 36-year-old in a deal this offseason — moving his minimum salary shouldn’t be too difficult, assuming there are any teams with interest.
With Butler’s minimum contract now on the books for the 2016/17 season, the Kings are carrying nearly $63MM in guaranteed salary, which doesn’t include the cap hold for their first-round pick. The salary cap is projected to increase to about $94MM.
Michael Bryson Comes In For Second Workout
- The Kings could revamp their roster for a second straight summer with their primary focus being the point guard spot, according to James Ham of CSNBayArea.com. The Kings could use a power forward who can stretch the floor, a long-term solution at small forward in place of Rudy Gay and an upgrade at shooting guard but solving the point guard dilemma is the biggest concern, Ham continues. Rajon Rondo is headed to unrestricted free agency and Darren Collison is engulfed by legal issues but the draft and free agency are unlikely to produce a solution, Ham believes. Kris Dunn and Jamal Murray could be off the board by the time the Kings’ No. 8 overall selection comes up, and it would take a tremendous sales job to land top free agent point man Mike Conley, Ham adds.
- The Kings were the only team to bring in Sacramento native Michael Bryson for a second draft workout, Kings radio reporter Sean Cunningham tweets. The 6’4” shooting guard averaged 18.2 points during his senior season at UC Santa Barbara.
Offseason Outlook: Sacramento Kings
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise heading into the summer.
State Of The Franchise
If nothing else, the Kings should have a more harmonious locker room in 2016/17.
Controversy swirled around coach George Karl and star player DeMarcus Cousins throughout last season. Karl nearly got fired midway through the campaign and finally got the ax after it ended. A disconnect between the front office and Karl added to the turmoil enveloping the franchise.
“There were too many distractions on and off the court,” said point guard Rajon Rondo, no stranger to controversy himself.
There are signs of better days ahead for a franchise that hasn’t visited the postseason for 10 years. They hired a much less contentious head coach to replace Karl in Dave Joerger, who guided the Grizzlies to three straight playoff appearances. They’ll also be playing in a brand new arena, the Golden 1 Center, which should boost attendance and create some positive energy.
The next step is to reshape the roster and give their fans a reason to keep coming back.
Point Of Contention
The Kings may have to find replacements for their top two point guards, Rondo and Darren Collison.
Rondo revived his career after a woeful stint with the Mavericks in 2014/15, leading the league in assists at 11.7 per game. He’s an unrestricted free agent and the Kings want him back, but apparently don’t want to get into a bidding war for his services. Rondo, who made $9.5MM in the final year of his contract, will explore all his options, though he’s not averse to re-signing as long as he’s convinced of a culture change in the organization.
Collison has a team-friendly $5.23MM contract for next season but he could face a lengthy suspension after domestic violence charges were filed against him over a May incident. Collison wasn’t a typical backup, as he averaged 14.0 points — third most on the team — and 30 minutes despite starting only 15 games.
The Kings ranked third in points scored and fourth in assists with Rondo and Collison being the main distributors. Even if they manage to re-sign Rondo, they’ll have to acquire another point guard who can play regular minutes if the league cracks down on Collison.
Building Block Or Blockbuster?
VP of Basketball Operations and GM Vlade Divac tried to quell speculation about a possible Cousins trade this summer, saying in recent interview, “He’s not going to be traded — this year for sure.”
Joerger echoed that sentiment by saying he wouldn’t have accepted the job if the team was in a full rebuild mode.
“There’s still some heavy lifting to do but some of the heavy lifting has been done,” he said. “This is not a blow it up, let’s start all over again situation.”
That still won’t end all the rumors about Cousins’ status, considering the Kings have never won more than 33 games with the big man as their centerpiece. Teams such as Celtics and Sixers have been angling to acquire a superstar for years and could put together impressive packages for Cousins, who averaged 26.9 points and 11.5 rebounds last season.
The mercurial Cousins has said all the right things since his frequent verbal sparring partner, Karl, was sent packing.
“I want to bring us back to those glory days,” said Cousins, who has two years remaining on his contract.
Free Agent Targets
The Kings will be hanging up a “Help Wanted” sign and with only $61.3MM committed to guaranteed salaries, they’ll have plenty of salary cap space to pursue top free agents.
Naturally, they’re not a prime destination and some free agents may not want to put up with the volatile Cousins. Thus, the Kings may have to overpay to land a player they covet.
Would Mike Conley consider joining his former head coach in Sacramento? Unlikely, but Joerger’s presence gives the Kings a glimmer of hope toward landing the top free agent point guard on this year’s market.
Beyond Conley and Rondo, there are only second-tier options such as Jeremy Lin and Brandon Jennings.
The Kings, who gave up the most points in the league last season, also need to acquire some veteran defenders to instill toughness. A player like shooting guard Courtney Lee, whom Joerger coached in Memphis, would be a good fit.
Potential Trades
Even if the Kings live up to their vow to retain Cousins, they will likely be active on the trade market.
Rudy Gay, who will make $13.3MM next season and holds a player option on the final year of his deal, will be easier to move with the salary-cap jump coming this summer. Ben McLemore could also get sent packing to a suitor willing to take a chance on the disappointing lottery pick.
Marco Belinelli has two years left on his deal but with shooting at a premium around the league, he could also draw interest.
Draft Outlook
- First-round pick: No. 8
- Second-round pick: No. 59
The Kings brass is reportedly enamored with Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, who would be an immediate upgrade at shooting guard. However, there’s certainly no guarantee he’ll still be on the board when the No. 8 pick comes up. They may have to trade up to get him.
Otherwise, the Kings are expected to shop the pick for a more experienced rotation player.
Coaching Outlook
There’s a lot more stability along the sidelines than on the roster, as Joerger signed a four-year, $16MM contract. He has promised to work closely with the front office and end the discord that was so prevalent during the Karl era. How he’ll mesh with Cousins is the big unknown. The jury is still out on whether Cousins will respond better to a players’ coach like Joerger or a no-nonsense type like ex-Kings coach Michael Malone.
Final Take
The Kings seem content to build around Cousins for the time being and hope that he matures into a true leader. They can always explore trades for him during the season if that doesn’t happen.
The bigger issue is that they have question marks at every other spot on the roster. The front office will have make a series of shrewd moves to obtain quality pieces and end the playoff drought. It’s easy to be skeptical of that happening.
Guaranteed Salary
- DeMarcus Cousins ($16,957,900)
- Rudy Gay ($13,333,333)
- Kosta Koufos ($8,046,500)
- Marco Belinelli ($6,333,333)
- Darren Collison ($5,229,454)
- Ben McLemore ($4,008,882)
- Willie Cauley-Stein ($3,551,160)
- Omri Casspi ($2,963,814)
- (Wayne Ellington $882,630) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- Total: $61,307,006
Player Options
- Caron Butler ($1,551,659)
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Duje Dukan ($874,636)
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Seth Curry ($1,215,696/$1,215,696)1
- Eric Moreland ($1,180,431/$1,180,431)
- Totals: ($2,396,127/$2,396,127)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Rajon Rondo ($11,400,000)
- Quincy Acy ($980,431)1
- James Anderson ($980,431)1
- Total: $13,360,862
Other Cap Holds
- No. 8 pick ($2,451,200)
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
Footnotes:
- Curry, Acy, and Anderson all declined player options for 2016/17.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.