Kings free agency, part 3

Supposedly the Suns are trying to trade Markief Morris. Thoughts ? I don't think we have any trade assets left that I would want to move but I was just curious what y'all thought.
Yeah , the wheels in my brain started turning when I read that too. Don't think there's a way we can swing that one.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
I'm clueless on the cap rules, but if this were the case - why would we give Smith 3.6 Mil, instead of the vet minimum if Detroit is on the hook for the rest of the 7.7?
Detroit waived Smith using the "Stretch" provision so that he'd no longer count against the salary cap. And the way a player is paid under the stretch provision is that you take the years left on the contract, double them and add one more and then divide the balance remaining evenly over the years. So in Josh Smith's case he was owed $27 million for the next two seasons. Instead the Pistons will pay him $27M over five years for an average of $5.4 million.

So if Josh Smith doesn't sign a deal he'll earn $5.4 million next season.

If he DOES sign a deal then what Detroit owes him will be reduced by half of what his new contract pays. So if he signed for the veteran's minimum (just under $1.5 million since he has 10+ years of NBA experience) then Detroit would pay $5.4 million - $750,000($1.5 million divided by two) = $4.65 million plus the $1.5M from his new team makes $6.15M

A $4M deal would mean $5.4M - $2M + $4M = $7.4M

A $6M deal would mean $5.4M - $3M + $6M = $8.4M

So if he wants to maximize his earnings it's still in Smith's best interest to sign the biggest deal he can. But with few teams having caproom and the difference between signing for $4M or $6M only really working out to $1million more I think Smith will be looking at his best fit. Sacramento might be it.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
Markief would be nice.
Markieff would be a nice fit for George Karl. But with the Kings existing caproom it would mean they'd have to deal Collison to make it work. And that assumes that Casspi signed using the Room Exception

While I think PHX would love DC I think their goal is to clear caproom which that deal wouldn't do. But beyond that I think it'd be a terrible move to trade DC for a backup PF. Collison was fantastic early last season and at the very least is Rondo insurance. In fact, I'm not so certain that he's not the better PG right now.

Capt. Factorial would have to weigh in here and correct me but I'm not sure I see another way Morris could be attained. There were rumblings that the Philly deal would create a trade exception but I'm not sure that's the case. It doesn't make sense to me anyway. If that were the case then the Kings could essentially trade David Stockton for Morris. The Suns would waive Stockton and open up caproom.

Of course there's still an assault case pending against the Morris brothers and the rumor of why Markieff is being shopped is that Hornacek can't stand him. So there's some chemistry and off court concerns there too even if a deal for him is possible.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
So who is still left as options for the Kings to round out their roster?

I think the Kings need three players - one more SF, one more big and then either another wing or another big depending on how much time Gay is really going to spend at the PF spot

The flashiest name is Josh Smith. He's still a horribly inefficient chucker on a team that lacks outside shooting but he's a good passer, a decent rebounder and can still be a good weakside defender who can thrive in transition. Does he want to join his buddies Rondo and Rudy? We'll see.

Available Bigs
  1. Josh Smith - I'm not sure he fits, but then I'm not sure Rondo fits. The most talent of anyone left on the market though.
  2. Jordan Hill - a bit redundant with Cauley-Stein and Moreland but obviously he has a lot more experience
  3. Mirza Teletovic - a solid stretch four but he's restricted and the Nets will likely match
  4. Kevin Seraphin - similar to Hill but younger with more potential and cheaper. Might be a good idea.
  5. Darrell Arthur - Athletic but inconsistent. Offense consists primarily of long 2's that he hits at an only decent clip something that may not fly with George Karl.
  6. Glen Davis - Championship Experience and familiarity with Rondo but definitely on the decline and inconsistent
  7. Tyler Hansbrough - Not very skilled but a good energy guy for 12-15 mpg
  8. Reggie Evans - Terrible offensive player and poor defender but a great rebounder who Boogie likes. Could do worse for the minimum
  9. Quincy Acy - Not all that effective in Sacramento but tons of fun to watch. Could be somewhat better in Karl's offense.
  10. Andrea Bargnani - Was vastly overpaid on his last deal but not a bad player on a cheap contract. Shooting and skill, not much defense or toughness
  11. Cole Aldrich - A guy I'd really like as a minimum contract third C
  12. Amare Stoudamire - A veteran presence who can still play a bit. I'm not sure he'd come and I'm not sure we'd want him to
  13. Luis Scola - Not sure why I didn't think of him before. Crafty defender and decent (if inefficient) scorer, good rebounder and not a bad passer
  14. Drew Gooden - Learned to shoot the three. Forgot how to score inside the arc. Wouldn't be awful as a stopgap for the vet minimum
  15. Carlos Boozer - Better than most people believe. Another stopgap vet but I don't know if he's suited for a George Karl team
  16. Ryan Hollins - Meh. Not terrible as an emergency C
  17. Chuck Hayes - NO MORE TWIN DUPLEXES
  18. Charlie Villanueva - Signed a minimum deal with Dallas
  19. Matt Bonner - Also doesn't do much else but shoot 3's. But he's done it on championship teams
  20. Ekpe Udoh - I really liked him coming out of college. But he's redundant with this roster. Might not even beat out Moreland for PT
  21. Jeff Withey - Another guy I like if Vlade/Karl want an emergency 3rd C for the minimum.
  22. Joel Anthony - A guy I liked before Cuz became a good defender and before Koufos, WCS and Moreland

Available Wings
  1. Dorell Wright - A guy I've wanted for a while. Really solid shooter that got lost in Portland
  2. K.J. McDaniels - Really like him as a bench defender but Rockets say they'll match all offers
  3. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute - James Ham put him on blast as not wanting to play but he looked good in a Kings uni to me. I think we need a wing defender
  4. James Jones - For the minimum I think he'd be a great signing. Career 40% 3Pt shooter. Championship experience.
  5. Gerald Green - Athletic but not really good at anything. Poor rebounder, low Bball IQ
  6. Jeff Taylor - Liked him as a 3&D wing coming out but offcourt stuff tells me to pass. Plus he's restricted
  7. Richard Jefferson - Not much left and almost certain to resign in Dallas. Still, would be a nice vet presence
  8. Chase Budinger - Decent shooter and energy guy but terrible defender. Meh
  9. Rasual Butler - Is he going to play another season? 20 mpg in WAS last year was too much but a decent emergency option
  10. Gigi Datome - One dimensional shooter who hasn't shown he can shoot consistently
  11. Landry Fields - Welcome to the land of meh. Not excited by Fields or anybody below him on this list
  12. Wesley Johnson - Doesn't really do anything well but Cuz could razz him incessantly about the draft. Signed with the Clippers
  13. Alonzo Gee - Meh. I think Wesley Johnson is a better option and that's saying something.
  14. Hedo Turkoglu - Would be a nostalgia signing only at this point.

Guys on our Summer League Team
  • DeAndre Liggins - Could be a very good wing defender and not much else. Offcourt allegations trouble me.
  • Sim Bhullar - I'm not sure he'll ever be an NBA quality big, but you can't teach height
  • Corey Hawkins - Could be a poor man's Eddie House in time - will likely need seasoning.
  • David Wear - Not bad in SL/training camp but if he didn't crack last year's roster why would he this year?
  • Julyan Stone - Karl coached him before so there's that.
 
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Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
Detroit waived Smith using the "Stretch" provision so that he'd no longer count against the salary cap.
Since you enjoy me being detail-oriented...;)

The stretch provision is the standard (and only, now that amnesty is off the table) method for waiving players. If a player is waived during the season, the only season that is not stretched is the current season - all other seasons must be stretched. While amnesty removed the player's contract from the salary cap calculations, the stretch provision does not, so Smith will count against Detroit's cap at a $5.4M for the next five years.

If he DOES sign a deal then what Detroit owes him will be reduced by half of what his new contract pays. So if he signed for the veteran's minimum (just under $1.5 million since he has 10+ years of NBA experience) then Detroit would pay $5.4 million - $750,000($1.5 million divided by two) = $4.65 million plus the $1.5M from his new team makes $6.15M

A $4M deal would mean $5.4M - $2M + $4M = $7.4M

A $6M deal would mean $5.4M - $3M + $6M = $8.4M
You missed one detail on the "set-off", which is that the waiving team (Detroit) only gets to set-off 50% of the salary above a one-year minimum salary ($845K this year). The calculation should look like this:

A $4M deal would mean $5.4M (Detroit) +$4M (new team) - (($4M-$845K)/2) (Detroit offset) = $7.8M

A $6M deal would mean $5.4M (Detroit) +$6M (new team) - (($6M-$845K)/2) (Detroit offset) = $8.8M

Capt. Factorial would have to weigh in here and correct me but I'm not sure I see another way Morris could be attained. There were rumblings that the Philly deal would create a trade exception but I'm not sure that's the case.
You're right, there's not going to be any trade exception left over because we will have to renounce any that gets created. If we wanted Markieff (and with his current legal troubles I'm not sure that's a good play right now) we would have to trade something of actual value to get him. Without looking at salaries, I would guess we'd have to part with at least Collison, maybe Collison+Ben to get him. We don't have a lot of trade assets right now, because once you take Cousins and Gay off the board, we have Collison, McLemore, and three min-value contracts. We can't trade the guys we just signed until later in the season.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
I figured I could count on you to fill in all the blanks. Thanks for that.

Yeah, I knew the stretched player still counted against the cap - misfiring neurons there. Happens more and more often these days . . .

I like Morris as a fit but we don't have the pieces to acquire him and his off court trouble and on court attitude would probably have me passing even if we did.
 
Top three names from Funky's list:

Scola
Boozer
K.J. McDaniels

Scola/Boozer are both experienced vets who could really help off the bench. I think K.J. is a really good wing prospect.Unfortunately, none of them are really realistic.
 
Still would like Seraphin on the cheap, every time we play the Wizards he shows up well against Cousins and is a sneaky low post scorer. Jerry and Grant always seem surprised by him. Dorell Wright would also be a pretty solid signing to really round out our bench.
 
Top three names from Funky's list:

Scola
Boozer
K.J. McDaniels

Scola/Boozer are both experienced vets who could really help off the bench. I think K.J. is a really good wing prospect.Unfortunately, none of them are really realistic.
I think we have a shot at Scola. Those European players really seem to have a liking to Vlade. :)
 
Some news:

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine
It's a one-year minimum deal for Villanueva, who won a lot of admirers in Dallas in his first season as a Mav

Chris Broussard ‏@Chris_Broussard
Pelicans join Clippers, Mavs and Raptors as teams showing interest in Carlos Boozer, sources say

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine
ESPN sources say Aaron Brooks has struck a one-year deal to return to the Chicago Bulls

I know some of you mentioned Boozer as an option, it doesn't seem like we are in the mix.
Charlie V is staying with the Mavs (great pick-up at minimum)
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
Top three names from Funky's list:

Scola
Boozer
K.J. McDaniels

Scola/Boozer are both experienced vets who could really help off the bench. I think K.J. is a really good wing prospect.Unfortunately, none of them are really realistic.
I think we have a shot at Scola. Those European players really seem to have a liking to Vlade. :)
I like McDaniels. I think he'll be a very good defender in time and any offense is a bonus. But I also think he was purposely misused in Houston to keep his value low and that the Rockets will match any offer the Kings make.

The Kings need a veteran PF and ideally one that can score either as a stretch 4 or in the low post.

I don't see Boozer as a good fit. Scola would be a great get though. I didn't realize he was still on the market and I think he's a realistic option.

In fact, he and either Dorell Wright (if we want a shooter - my pick), or Mbah a Moute (if we want a defender) would round out the roster nicely.

Add one more body at the vet minimum (Andre Miller, Cole Aldrich, DeAndre Liggins or Julyan Stone etc) and the roster is set and looking pretty solid and balanced.
 
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None of it justifies dealing Nik Stauskas, a future first-round pick, and swap rights — lottery balls,
- Zach Lowe on the Kings

Can anyone explain the pick swaps for me? Is it swapping lotto balls or the picks?
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
Arthur is not a SF. He is a PF/C, especially these days.
You know, you're right. For some reason I was typing Arthur but thinking of Jared Dudley who was another guy I wanted. Good pickup in trade for Washington and a SF who can be a small ball stretch 4.

Edited my post on available free agents.
 
So who is still left as options for the Kings to round out their roster?

I think the Kings need three players - one more SF, one more big and then either another wing or another big depending on how much time Gay is really going to spend at the PF spot

The flashiest name is Josh Smith. He's still a horribly inefficient chucker on a team that lacks outside shooting but he's a good passer, a decent rebounder and can still be a good weakside defender who can thrive in transition. Does he want to join his buddies Rondo and Rudy? We'll see.

Available Bigs
  1. Josh Smith - I'm not sure he fits, but then I'm not sure Rondo fits. The most talent of anyone left on the market though.
  2. Jordan Hill - a bit redundant with Cauley-Stein and Moreland but obviously he has a lot more experience
  3. Mirza Teletovic - a solid stretch four but he's restricted and the Nets will likely match
  4. Kevin Seraphin - similar to Hill but younger with more potential and cheaper. Might be a good idea.
  5. Darrell Arthur - a SF/PF tweener. Not a bad option though he's as inconsistent as DWill but without the highlight dunks
  6. Glen Davis - Championship Experience and familiarity with Rondo but definitely on the decline and inconsistent
  7. Tyler Hansbrough - Not very skilled but a good energy guy for 12-15 mpg
  8. Reggie Evans - Terrible offensive player and poor defender but a great rebounder who Boogie likes. Could do worse for the minimum
  9. Quincy Acy - Not all that effective in Sacramento but tons of fun to watch. Could be somewhat better in Karl's offense.
  10. Andrea Bargnani - Was vastly overpaid on his last deal but not a bad player on a cheap contract. Shooting and skill, not much defense or toughness
  11. Cole Aldrich - A guy I'd really like as a minimum contract third C
  12. Amare Stoudamire - A veteran presence who can still play a bit. I'm not sure he'd come and I'm not sure we'd want him to
  13. Luis Scola - Not sure why I didn't think of him before. Crafty defender and decent (if inefficient) scorer, good rebounder and not a bad passer
  14. Drew Gooden - Learned to shoot the three. Forgot how to score inside the arc. Wouldn't be awful as a stopgap for the vet minimum
  15. Carlos Boozer - Better than most people believe. Another stopgap vet but I don't know if he's suited for a George Karl team
  16. Ryan Hollins - Meh. Not terrible as an emergency C
  17. Chuck Hayes - NO MORE TWIN DUPLEXES
  18. Charlie Villanueva - Signed a minimum deal with Dallas
  19. Matt Bonner - Also doesn't do much else but shoot 3's. But he's done it on championship teams
  20. Ekpe Udoh - I really liked him coming out of college. But he's redundant with this roster. Might not even beat out Moreland for PT
  21. Jeff Withey - Another guy I like if Vlade/Karl want an emergency 3rd C for the minimum.
  22. Joel Anthony - A guy I liked before Cuz became a good defender and before Koufos, WCS and Moreland

Available Wings
  1. Dorell Wright - A guy I've wanted for a while. Really solid shooter that got lost in Portland
  2. K.J. McDaniels - Really like him as a bench defender but Rockets say they'll match all offers
  3. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute - James Ham put him on blast as not wanting to play but he looked good in a Kings uni to me. I think we need a wing defender
  4. James Jones - For the minimum I think he'd be a great signing. Career 40% 3Pt shooter. Championship experience.
  5. Gerald Green - Athletic but not really good at anything. Poor rebounder, low Bball IQ
  6. Jeff Taylor - Liked him as a 3&D wing coming out but offcourt stuff tells me to pass. Plus he's restricted
  7. Richard Jefferson - Not much left and almost certain to resign in Dallas. Still, would be a nice vet presence
  8. Chase Budinger - Decent shooter and energy guy but terrible defender. Meh
  9. Rasual Butler - Is he going to play another season? 20 mpg in WAS last year was too much but a decent emergency option
  10. Gigi Datome - One dimensional shooter who hasn't shown he can shoot consistently
  11. Landry Fields - Welcome to the land of meh. Not excited by Fields or anybody below him on this list
  12. Wesley Johnson - Doesn't really do anything well but Cuz could razz him incessantly about the draft.
  13. Alonzo Gee - Meh. I think Wesley Johnson is a better option and that's saying something.
  14. Hedo Turkoglu - Would be a nostalgia signing only at this point.

Guys on our Summer League Team
  • DeAndre Liggins - Could be a very good wing defender and not much else. Offcourt allegations trouble me.
  • Sim Bhullar - I'm not sure he'll ever be an NBA quality big, but you can't teach height
  • Corey Hawkins - Could be a poor man's Eddie House in time - will likely need seasoning.
  • David Wear - Not bad in SL/training camp but if he didn't crack last year's roster why would he this year?
  • Julyan Stone - Karl coached him before so there's that.
I like your breakdown list....id go for Josh Smith(if possible) but also include,
KJ , Scola , D Wright , Hansbrough & Turkoglu(3rd wind from a Karl system)