There have been arguments made on this forum that we cannot wait for our rookies to develop due to the possibility of Cousins readiness to win now. The argument is if we wait too long to start competing, Cousins will become impatient and either demand a trade or leave in free agency. This proposal is a way to prevent that from happening.
Draft Day
When the Kings are on the clock come draft day, I suggest we strike a deal with Boston.
7th pick
Ben McLemore
Ray McCallum
Derrick Williams
Travis Outlaw
For
Rajon Rondo
Chris Johnson
Chris Babb
Why for Boston?
Boston is not necessarily looking to move Rondo, but they are rebuilding. After this trade, they will have 4 young, valuable assets who all have potential. That seems to be a good return for Rondo. After the trade, there team will look like this going into the 2014-2015 offseason:
5th pick, 7th pick, and 18th pick
PG – McCallum/Pressey
SG – Bradley (resigned)/McLemore
SF – Green/Wallace/Outlaw
PF – Bass/Sullinger/Williams
C – Olynyk/Faverani/Anthony
McCallum, Bradley, McLemore, Green, Sullinger, Williams, Olynyk, Faverani, the 5th pick, 7th pick, and the 18th pick are all valuable pieces that can be developed or easily moved down the line.
Why for Sacramento?
The Kings get Rondo who is one of the best defenders, rebounders, and playmakers at the PG position. There have also been talks about his jump shot improving. Not to say that he is a huge threat from outside, but it sounds like he has become a little more respectable. Obviously, the fact that he puts up a low amount of shots every game is a plus as well.
We’re giving up a great deal of young assets for possibly a 1 year rental of Rondo. Obviously, this deal would cripple us if Rondo doesn’t extend with us. It’ll be important to gauge his willingness to stay with the Kings after this season before making the deal. Competing this season, extending Gay, and continuing to add veteran talent should be good incentive for Rondo to stay.
After the trade, our team will look like this:
PG – Rondo/Thomas
SG – Terry/Babb
SF – Gay/Johnson
PF – Evans/Landry/Acy
C – Cousins/Thompson
Sign and Trade
With Rondo on the roster, there is no reason to keep Thomas on the team anymore. I don’t see them being able to play next to each other on the court due to the size mismatches on the defensive side which would limit Thomas’s minutes (Rondo averaged around 37 mpg the previous 3 seasons before his injury).
Rather than letting Thomas walk for nothing, the Kings should look to do a sign and trade for Thomas.
Isaiah Thomas (sign and trade)
For
Arron Afflalo
Why for Orlando?
Afflalo plays the same position as their future SG (Oladipo). They have been experimenting with Oladipo at PG, but you can tell that his natural position is at SG. They’ve also been playing the 6’5” Afflalo out of position at SF at times. Afflalo is a solid player, but by trading him they free up the SG spot for Afflalo and shift that talent to a position of need.
Orlando had three PGs on their roster last year, and it’s possible that none of them will be returning. Nelson has a team option next season, and at 8 million a year, I’m sure Orlando will release him at that price. Ronnie Price’s contract is unguaranteed so they can release him this year as well. E’Twaun Moore has a qualifying offer this year. I’m not sure if they will be bringing him back either. That means the PG spot is wide open in Orlando.
Thomas and Oladipo would be very good compliments to one another if Orlando saw Thomas as their future starting PG. Thomas would bring the scoring punch while Oladipo can guard both positions, share ball handling duties, and just be the glue guy all NBA teams need.
If Orlando decides that Exum or Smart is their starting PG of the future, they can treat Thomas as their sixth man of the future. Exum or Smart/Oladipo/Thomas has the potential to be a very versatile and dynamic backcourt for years to come.
Some might ask, “Why doesn’t Orlando just put in an offer sheet for Thomas and try to steal him away?” Well my answer to that would be they have the risk of driving Thomas’ price up versus trading for him and having him at a reasonable $5-6 mil a year. Also by signing him out right, they don’t have the ability to move Afflalo and thus remove the logjam at SG. Lastly, by trading Afflalo for Thomas, they maintain their cap space and can go after other free agents that fit around their roster.
After the trade, Orlando’s rotation would look like this going into the 2014-2015 offseason:
3rd pick and 12th pick
PG – Thomas
SG – Oladipo/Lamb
SF – Harkless
PF – Harris/Nicholson
C – Vucevic/O’Quinn/Dedmon
Drafting Exum and R. Hood this year would give them good potential at each position.
PG – Exum/Thomas
SG – Oladipo/Lamb
SF – Harkless/Hood
PF – Harris/Nicholson
C – Vucevic/O’Quinn/Dedmon
Why for Sac?
With Rondo on the team, Thomas is obsolete. Thomas is a talented player, but we need that talent at another position. By trading him for Afflalo, it gives us a veteran SG who can defend, hit threes, handle the ball, and score when needed. It also adds another level headed veteran to surround our young, franchise center with.
Ever since Afflalo has come to Orlando, he has had to take on more of a scorer’s mentality. He’s averaged 14 shots a game. In his previous 5 seasons as a professional, he has never averaged more than 11 shots a game. I don’t see why he can’t revert back to his old ways and become that 3 and D player we need on the wing, and perhaps his defense will elevate considering he doesn’t have to spend as much energy on the offensive side.
After this trade, our team will look like this:
PG – Rondo/Terry
SG – Afflalo/Babb
SF – Gay/Johnson
PF – Evans/Landry/Acy
C – Cousins/Thompson
Free Agency
What we do in free agency depends on if Gay opts out and signs a new contract with us or if he opts in. If he opts in and we want to stay under the tax level, we will have to buyout Evans and sign two free agents to the veteran minimum to give us 13 players on our roster.
If Gay opts out and signs for $14 mil a year, we will have just under $7.6 mil under the tax level to work with. That gives us the option of offering the MLE. It would be wise to use it on another ball handler, wing, or lower level shot blocker. I would start out by targeting one of the lower level shot blockers available. That would be Jordan Hill or Ed Davis. If we can sign one of these guys, we have our starting lineup set for next season (Rondo, Afflalo, Gay, Hill/Davis, Cousins). However, we will have way too many PFs on this team. One of them will have to be moved in a trade. I’ve seen this trade pop up every now and then:
Jason Thompson
For
Jared Dudley
Why for Los Angeles?
The Clippers have a plethora of wings (Redick, Crawford, Bullock, Barnes, Granger, Dudley, Turkoglu). However, their frontcourt is not very deep. They have only Griffin, Jordan, and Davis on their books for next season, but Davis has a player option for only a little above $1 mil. I’m sure he’ll opt out and decided to test free agency. This leaves Griffin and Jordan as their only bigs next season. Thompson would give them a solid 3 big rotation while maintaining most of their wing depth. Along with a 1st and 2nd round draft pick and whoever they pick up in free agency, this will be their team heading into next season (I’m assuming Collison, Granger, and Davis will all opt out of their contracts):
PG – Paul
SG – Redick/Crawford
SF – Barnes/Bullock
PF – Griffin/Thompson
C – Jordan
Why for Sacramento?
After signing Hill or Davis, we will have a plethora of PFs (Hill/Davis, Thompson, Landry, Evans, Acy), but we won’t have much wing depth at all. Swapping Thompson for Dudley, eases the log jam at PF a little bit while adding a wing who can swing between SG and SF. This is what the team will look after the trade:
PG – Rondo/Terry
SG – Afflalo/Babb
SF – Gay/Dudley/Johnson
PF – Hill/Landry/Acy
C – Cousins/Evans
If we are unable to sign Hill or Davis, obviously we have to go in a different direction. I would recommend giving the MLE to a wing. I think Evan Turner, Thabo Sefolosha, Trevor Ariza, Caron Butler, and Danny Granger would all be good candidates for our MLE. If we are able to snag one of them , that should bode well for our bench, and it would give us a good wing rotation of Gay, Afllalo, and ???.
Regardless of if we give the MLE to a shot blocker or a wing, we’ll still need an extra ball handler on the veteran minimum. Beno Udrih, Earl Watson, Ish Smith, or Garret Temple could all be good candidates.
If we give Jordan Hill the MLE, trade for Jared Dudley, and sign Beno Udrih to the veteran minimum, our team will still be under the tax level and look like this going into the 2014-2015 season:
PG – Rondo/Udrih
SG – Afflalo/Terry/Babb
SF – Gay/Dudley/Johnson
PF – Hill/Landry/Acy
C – Cousins/Evans
Is this team capable of competing now? I would definitely say so. The team doesn’t have an elite shot blocker, but as Cousins continues to improve his shot blocking, Hill and Cousins should be able to protect the rim. On top of that, Rondo and Afflalo are both very strong defenders which should help with dribble penetration. Defensive rebounding would be extremely strong. Cousins and Hill are very good on the glass while Rondo and Gay are above average rebounders too.
Offensively, Cousins and Gay are the top two options with Afflalo being our off the ball scorer. Rondo will be our floor general and help get them plenty of easy looks. Floor spacing should be fine. Rondo is a weak shooter, but the rest of the starting lineup can knock down jump shots from outside.
The bench would be decent. Udrih is good at running the offense and knocking down open jumpers. Terry is extremely old, but if he returns to form, he could be a very good scorer off the bench for us. Dudley would be a 3 and D wing off the bench who is a hardworking, versatile wing. Landry would give us some more scoring and a low post presence off the bench. Evans would be our high energy, down in the trenches big who will bring strong rebounding and toughness.
Again, I think this team can compete right away. I don’t see Cousins leaving anytime soon with a team like this around him. I think Rondo would think twice about leaving as well. This team has some serious talent that. If used correctly, it can do some serious damage in the west.
Thoughts?
Draft Day
When the Kings are on the clock come draft day, I suggest we strike a deal with Boston.
7th pick
Ben McLemore
Ray McCallum
Derrick Williams
Travis Outlaw
For
Rajon Rondo
Chris Johnson
Chris Babb
Why for Boston?
Boston is not necessarily looking to move Rondo, but they are rebuilding. After this trade, they will have 4 young, valuable assets who all have potential. That seems to be a good return for Rondo. After the trade, there team will look like this going into the 2014-2015 offseason:
5th pick, 7th pick, and 18th pick
PG – McCallum/Pressey
SG – Bradley (resigned)/McLemore
SF – Green/Wallace/Outlaw
PF – Bass/Sullinger/Williams
C – Olynyk/Faverani/Anthony
McCallum, Bradley, McLemore, Green, Sullinger, Williams, Olynyk, Faverani, the 5th pick, 7th pick, and the 18th pick are all valuable pieces that can be developed or easily moved down the line.
Why for Sacramento?
The Kings get Rondo who is one of the best defenders, rebounders, and playmakers at the PG position. There have also been talks about his jump shot improving. Not to say that he is a huge threat from outside, but it sounds like he has become a little more respectable. Obviously, the fact that he puts up a low amount of shots every game is a plus as well.
We’re giving up a great deal of young assets for possibly a 1 year rental of Rondo. Obviously, this deal would cripple us if Rondo doesn’t extend with us. It’ll be important to gauge his willingness to stay with the Kings after this season before making the deal. Competing this season, extending Gay, and continuing to add veteran talent should be good incentive for Rondo to stay.
After the trade, our team will look like this:
PG – Rondo/Thomas
SG – Terry/Babb
SF – Gay/Johnson
PF – Evans/Landry/Acy
C – Cousins/Thompson
Sign and Trade
With Rondo on the roster, there is no reason to keep Thomas on the team anymore. I don’t see them being able to play next to each other on the court due to the size mismatches on the defensive side which would limit Thomas’s minutes (Rondo averaged around 37 mpg the previous 3 seasons before his injury).
Rather than letting Thomas walk for nothing, the Kings should look to do a sign and trade for Thomas.
Isaiah Thomas (sign and trade)
For
Arron Afflalo
Why for Orlando?
Afflalo plays the same position as their future SG (Oladipo). They have been experimenting with Oladipo at PG, but you can tell that his natural position is at SG. They’ve also been playing the 6’5” Afflalo out of position at SF at times. Afflalo is a solid player, but by trading him they free up the SG spot for Afflalo and shift that talent to a position of need.
Orlando had three PGs on their roster last year, and it’s possible that none of them will be returning. Nelson has a team option next season, and at 8 million a year, I’m sure Orlando will release him at that price. Ronnie Price’s contract is unguaranteed so they can release him this year as well. E’Twaun Moore has a qualifying offer this year. I’m not sure if they will be bringing him back either. That means the PG spot is wide open in Orlando.
Thomas and Oladipo would be very good compliments to one another if Orlando saw Thomas as their future starting PG. Thomas would bring the scoring punch while Oladipo can guard both positions, share ball handling duties, and just be the glue guy all NBA teams need.
If Orlando decides that Exum or Smart is their starting PG of the future, they can treat Thomas as their sixth man of the future. Exum or Smart/Oladipo/Thomas has the potential to be a very versatile and dynamic backcourt for years to come.
Some might ask, “Why doesn’t Orlando just put in an offer sheet for Thomas and try to steal him away?” Well my answer to that would be they have the risk of driving Thomas’ price up versus trading for him and having him at a reasonable $5-6 mil a year. Also by signing him out right, they don’t have the ability to move Afflalo and thus remove the logjam at SG. Lastly, by trading Afflalo for Thomas, they maintain their cap space and can go after other free agents that fit around their roster.
After the trade, Orlando’s rotation would look like this going into the 2014-2015 offseason:
3rd pick and 12th pick
PG – Thomas
SG – Oladipo/Lamb
SF – Harkless
PF – Harris/Nicholson
C – Vucevic/O’Quinn/Dedmon
Drafting Exum and R. Hood this year would give them good potential at each position.
PG – Exum/Thomas
SG – Oladipo/Lamb
SF – Harkless/Hood
PF – Harris/Nicholson
C – Vucevic/O’Quinn/Dedmon
Why for Sac?
With Rondo on the team, Thomas is obsolete. Thomas is a talented player, but we need that talent at another position. By trading him for Afflalo, it gives us a veteran SG who can defend, hit threes, handle the ball, and score when needed. It also adds another level headed veteran to surround our young, franchise center with.
Ever since Afflalo has come to Orlando, he has had to take on more of a scorer’s mentality. He’s averaged 14 shots a game. In his previous 5 seasons as a professional, he has never averaged more than 11 shots a game. I don’t see why he can’t revert back to his old ways and become that 3 and D player we need on the wing, and perhaps his defense will elevate considering he doesn’t have to spend as much energy on the offensive side.
After this trade, our team will look like this:
PG – Rondo/Terry
SG – Afflalo/Babb
SF – Gay/Johnson
PF – Evans/Landry/Acy
C – Cousins/Thompson
Free Agency
What we do in free agency depends on if Gay opts out and signs a new contract with us or if he opts in. If he opts in and we want to stay under the tax level, we will have to buyout Evans and sign two free agents to the veteran minimum to give us 13 players on our roster.
If Gay opts out and signs for $14 mil a year, we will have just under $7.6 mil under the tax level to work with. That gives us the option of offering the MLE. It would be wise to use it on another ball handler, wing, or lower level shot blocker. I would start out by targeting one of the lower level shot blockers available. That would be Jordan Hill or Ed Davis. If we can sign one of these guys, we have our starting lineup set for next season (Rondo, Afflalo, Gay, Hill/Davis, Cousins). However, we will have way too many PFs on this team. One of them will have to be moved in a trade. I’ve seen this trade pop up every now and then:
Jason Thompson
For
Jared Dudley
Why for Los Angeles?
The Clippers have a plethora of wings (Redick, Crawford, Bullock, Barnes, Granger, Dudley, Turkoglu). However, their frontcourt is not very deep. They have only Griffin, Jordan, and Davis on their books for next season, but Davis has a player option for only a little above $1 mil. I’m sure he’ll opt out and decided to test free agency. This leaves Griffin and Jordan as their only bigs next season. Thompson would give them a solid 3 big rotation while maintaining most of their wing depth. Along with a 1st and 2nd round draft pick and whoever they pick up in free agency, this will be their team heading into next season (I’m assuming Collison, Granger, and Davis will all opt out of their contracts):
PG – Paul
SG – Redick/Crawford
SF – Barnes/Bullock
PF – Griffin/Thompson
C – Jordan
Why for Sacramento?
After signing Hill or Davis, we will have a plethora of PFs (Hill/Davis, Thompson, Landry, Evans, Acy), but we won’t have much wing depth at all. Swapping Thompson for Dudley, eases the log jam at PF a little bit while adding a wing who can swing between SG and SF. This is what the team will look after the trade:
PG – Rondo/Terry
SG – Afflalo/Babb
SF – Gay/Dudley/Johnson
PF – Hill/Landry/Acy
C – Cousins/Evans
If we are unable to sign Hill or Davis, obviously we have to go in a different direction. I would recommend giving the MLE to a wing. I think Evan Turner, Thabo Sefolosha, Trevor Ariza, Caron Butler, and Danny Granger would all be good candidates for our MLE. If we are able to snag one of them , that should bode well for our bench, and it would give us a good wing rotation of Gay, Afllalo, and ???.
Regardless of if we give the MLE to a shot blocker or a wing, we’ll still need an extra ball handler on the veteran minimum. Beno Udrih, Earl Watson, Ish Smith, or Garret Temple could all be good candidates.
If we give Jordan Hill the MLE, trade for Jared Dudley, and sign Beno Udrih to the veteran minimum, our team will still be under the tax level and look like this going into the 2014-2015 season:
PG – Rondo/Udrih
SG – Afflalo/Terry/Babb
SF – Gay/Dudley/Johnson
PF – Hill/Landry/Acy
C – Cousins/Evans
Is this team capable of competing now? I would definitely say so. The team doesn’t have an elite shot blocker, but as Cousins continues to improve his shot blocking, Hill and Cousins should be able to protect the rim. On top of that, Rondo and Afflalo are both very strong defenders which should help with dribble penetration. Defensive rebounding would be extremely strong. Cousins and Hill are very good on the glass while Rondo and Gay are above average rebounders too.
Offensively, Cousins and Gay are the top two options with Afflalo being our off the ball scorer. Rondo will be our floor general and help get them plenty of easy looks. Floor spacing should be fine. Rondo is a weak shooter, but the rest of the starting lineup can knock down jump shots from outside.
The bench would be decent. Udrih is good at running the offense and knocking down open jumpers. Terry is extremely old, but if he returns to form, he could be a very good scorer off the bench for us. Dudley would be a 3 and D wing off the bench who is a hardworking, versatile wing. Landry would give us some more scoring and a low post presence off the bench. Evans would be our high energy, down in the trenches big who will bring strong rebounding and toughness.
Again, I think this team can compete right away. I don’t see Cousins leaving anytime soon with a team like this around him. I think Rondo would think twice about leaving as well. This team has some serious talent that. If used correctly, it can do some serious damage in the west.
Thoughts?
