Early in the season, it was evident that the Kings needed to address several roster deficiencies in order to be competitive in the Western Conference. They need more defense, the bench is unreliable, and their offensive options seem limited while De’Aaron Fox is sidelined.
At the trade deadline, fans were expecting big news, or any news at all, but nothing materialized. Thus, there will be a ton of work for the front office to complete this summer.
Sadly, it’s possible that free agency won’t be sufficient to make all the required modifications. Sacramento is not typically a destination for free agents, and signing a big player would be challenging given the team’s financial status.
Let’s examine four free agents who ought to be on the Kings’ summer want list, albeit there are opportunities for lesser deals to increase the team’s depth.
1 Lamar Stevens
The best asset of Lamar Stevens is his wing defense, something the Kings lack. He was a rotational player in Cleveland when he began his career, played sparingly in Boston, and most recently went off against the exceedingly thin-handed Memphis Grizzlies.
Stevens has a reputation for being a tough defender who rises to any challenge. He can battle in the paint, lockdown wings, and make life difficult for ballhandlers. Since they won’t be signing a big-name 3-and-D player in free agency, the Kings could really use someone with that mentality—a fighter who won’t just give up and allow the opposing team win once things don’t go their way anymore.
Stevens’ current salary is just $2,092,354, and he will soon be free to sign with any team. Even though he has demonstrated his scoring potential over the past five games, teams are unlikely to spend a lot of money on him in the summer. Thus, for a small fee, the Kings may persuade him to move to Sacramento in order to strengthen their bench.
Despite being a wonderful fit for Memphis’ mindset and playing style, Stevens may need to find a new team if the Grizzlies do not provide him a stable role once they return to full health.
Although acquiring a top-tier 3-and-D wing should still be the Kings’ top target, Stevens by himself won’t improve their defense, he would be a useful reserve defensive option.
2. Biyombo Bismack
For the Kings, neither JaVale McGee nor Alex Len have been having exceptionally successful seasons. When both become unrestricted free agents in the summer, it might be time to somewhat alter the big man’s depth.
A cheap solution to add rebounding and rim protection may be Bismack Biyombo. In Memphis, where he played for the majority of the season, he averaged 5.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks. He would rank second on the Kings in rebounds per game and lead the team in blocks.
Unless Domantas Sabonis were to miss any time, he obviously wouldn’t be playing more than 20 minutes per game in Sacramento, but he still gives the Kings all they need in a backup big man.
They just need someone who can battle on the glass, block shots, and establish strong screens to cover Sabonis instead of a miracle worker. It is especially important to safeguard the rims. It must come off the bench since Sabonis will never be a rim protector and there aren’t many shot-blocking bigs he could realistically play next to. The backup guard Monk is unable to lead the Kings in blocks scored per game. Biyombo might be that player without incurring excessive costs.
3. Wright Delon
There may yet be space for a few more modest improvements, depending on how much and if the Kings are able to persuade the Monk to stay. If a new agreement with Monk is not reached, then leads to further discussion. Delon Wright would make an intriguing addition to the Kings in any case.
Wright could provide the Kings more guard depth and experience than Davion Mitchell or Keon Ellis, which is why the team was already linked to him at the trade deadline. He has a 35.4 percent career three-point shooting percentage and plays strong defense. Although not particularly impressive, in 27 games during his most recent stint in Sacramento, he shot 39.8 percent on 3.1 attempts. Furthermore, it remains superior to Mitchell’s average.
Wright just faced the Kings in Miami, where he scored 13 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, blocked 1 shot, and stole 2 steals. The Kings could have used his 35 minutes of play, which won’t happen often, but he is a constant presence on both sides of the court.
Wright’s current salary is $947,205. In the summer, he will be a reasonably priced unrestricted free agent.
4. Monk Malik
The Kings have a difficult decision to make because Malik Monk is nearing the end of his contract and will be available as an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The Sixth Man of the Year front-runner deserves a wage increase after posting his finest statistical season to date, particularly as a playmaker.
Do the Kings grant it to him, or do they let him go in the hopes of finding someone else? They ought to use every effort to attempt to keep Monk around, in my opinion. He is their most dependable bench scorer and backup ball handler. Aside from De’Aaron Fox, the only other King who can consistently go get a bucket whenever he wants is the Monk, who constantly contributes energy off the bench that is difficult to duplicate.
Fox and Monk are tight, therefore it should gratify the star guard of the Kings to resign Monk. Monk will obviously have to want to stay, and Mo Dakhil of Bleacher Report said it would be stupid for the 26-year-old to move out of Sacramento. Together with the Kings, he has grown. He might start somewhere else, but it might not be as comfortable for him.
