Will The Sacramento Kings Need Another Shooting Guard?

Will The Sacramento Kings Need Another Shooting Guard?

Keon Ellis, which sure zack Zack Lavine can bring the ball up the floor. So big time question marks in house options at shooting guard. You’ve got Malik Monk, Zack Lavine, Demard Rosen, Keon Ellis, Devin Carter as that as that non ball handling guard. I think they have a lot of players at that spot. Yeah, they do. And they have a couple of players who can act as primary as secondary ball handlers and even primary ball handlers with a second unit. Right. So, right. That’s where Malik should fit. Yeah. And I also don’t like Zack Lavine throughout his career has proven that he can pass. Like he just doesn’t it’s not always his thing. He’s not looking to pass necessarily. Yeah. Yeah. And I I think he’s actually a very competent passer. He even had I think he had a 10 assist game after he got traded to the Kings. Um you know, he’s a guy that for his career is you know, averages four assists per game. Sure. Um, so I’m okay with him being like a secondary playmaker, but when I look at the shooting guard position, I I said this to you earlier, I think you could trade Zack Lavine and not acquire another shooting guard and still be okay. Yeah, I I agree with you. And I also want to talk about trading Zack Lavine here for a second because I think we’ve been operating like that’s just an untradeable deal. And we it’s it’s a it’s just man, what a what a just huge contract. But given the amount of games he played last year and given the efficiency that he scored with last year. Yeah. I think I don’t know that teams are knocking down the door to get Zack Lavine necessarily, but there was a market for him at the last trade deadline. And I think given given how he played in Sacramento, if man, if there’s a team that’s just needs some scoring, needs some shot creation, needs some shooting, and Zack Lavine is there and available. I don’t think it’s this impossible, man, you’ve got to attach four first just to get out from underneath it type of deal. And the Kings may not want to. They may they may see Zack Lavine as a piece of their future. But I was just thinking about that. Uh I think I was actually listening to you on DO and KC and I just was like, man, I don’t know that the Lavine contract is as untradeable as as it felt like a couple of years ago. Well, I don’t think it’s as untradable if there’s a way for you to get into the if you go big game hunting. Yeah. Right. So if if you get into like the LaMelo or or Trey or um again John Morant sweep stakes. Well, yeah, the Giannis. No, I’m not I’m not going to say but if you were to go like chase one of those players, first of all, I don’t think any of those players work with Zack in the back court, but like financially their contracts would match up pretty close and it would be an easier just like, hey, let’s make a let’s make a trade. Mhm. Um, and that’s where I I look like if Keon Ellis is your starting shooting guard for the next 5 years, I don’t think you’re a bad team, like I don’t think he makes you a bad team. I think he can average 10 to 12 points a game as like an offball 3 and D like excellent defender playing 30 plus minutes a night. I think the Kings are better when Keon Ellis plays 30 to 35 minutes a night. Like I do. Um, so if Zack Lavine were to either move to this small forward spot or no longer be there, I think you’re okay at the position, especially when you’ve got Malik Monk who is going to play 26 to 28 minutes a game off the bench and when you’ve got Devin Carter that, you know, can at least play 15 minutes a night and maybe more in some situations. So, um, I think it’s a really strange situation to be in, but I also know that the NBA doesn’t value shooting guards like they do other positions, right? So, you know, we’re talking about Cam John Cam uh Thomas earlier. Cam Thomas isn’t going to get he might get paid by by Brooklyn, but I don’t think so. He’s a restricted free agent. I don’t think there’s going to be a ton of teams trying to max out Cam Thomas. No. And that’s a that’s the thing. you look at him and you’re like, “Hey, he should be able to make more money than than this.” But like shooting guards are that that’s why you don’t trade a point guard for a shooting guard, especially when you already have a whole roster full of shooting guards. And this is where we were looking at trade options. This might actually be advantageous for the Kings. If if they are looking to get off Demar Rosen’s deal, if they are looking to get off of Zack Lavine’s deal, there’s not a ton of guys that fill the roles that those guys fill just in the trade market. He’s not in the in players that I that I perceive to be potentially available. Like one guy that jumps out is like Contavius Caldwell Pope. That doing anything for anyone? No. Two guard play some defense. I know he didn’t have a great year in Orlando, but that’s like that’s the type of I threw Derrick White on there like cuz he he can play that role, but there’s not a lot of as you go down the list of teams. There’s either like dime a dozen type of guys or there’s guys that you know what, they’re probably just not letting go of him. Andrew Nehard, the Pacers are probably not trading Andrew Nehard. Yeah. I don’t think they have to. No. Yeah. So, if if you don’t have to, you’re not going to, right? You know, you can see the I would love to have him. Yeah. But probably not available. No, I mean, you can see the emergence of a guy like Nith and say, okay, like I kind of like the idea of a Hallebertton Nith backcourt. Maybe that creates a spot where you could get uh you could get him hard, but like at the same time, I I don’t think so. Like that team is is built to like they’re affordable pieces. like they they’ve done a good job a lot like OKC of locking up some of their players long term to like reasonable contracts. We talked about spent 11 million a year for like the next three years. That’s really nice. So yeah, I want to look at Nhard’s contract real quick. Yeah. Oh my god. Uh let’s see. Threeear 58 million extension with the Pacers. So he’s 181 195 20.9 and he’s a free agent at age 29. Okay, man. That’s interesting. That’s almost identical to the George Hill contract that Scott Perry signed. It was I think it was three or 57 million deal 19 a year. Just found this guy in the second round. Jeez Louise, man. Well, I mean he found he’s a Gonzaga guy. I mean like everybody knew who he was. you just like but they’re they do a good job in not only finding guys but then developing guys and giving guys opportunities. I mean again Nmith got an opportunity like Rick Carile’s done an excellent job there of of developing talent and like look we keep talking about Tyrese Hallebertton like it was a foregone conclusion that he was going to be this player in Sacramento if you wouldn’t have traded him. Sure. There’s nothing that says that that would happen. Yeah. There there’s just not. In his second season he’s still averaging 14 points a game when they traded him. Mhm. Like that’s like I hate to be on like brutally honest, but like instability in an organization uh allows young players to slip through the cracks. Yeah. And they miss out crucial years of development. Yeah. They It allows them to not reach their potential. When you keep switching coaches and every single coach that you have has a different idea of who you are as a player, that’s not it’s not a good way to grow up in the NBA. It’s a good way to to get yourself bumped out of the NBA and lose your spot to one of the 30 first round picks that are coming in each year. Yep. It’s really tough, man. All right, I’m going to throw some free agent names at you. Yep. Some of these are going to be more uninteresting than others. Okay. Ty Jerome talked about him yesterday. Yeah. I mean, like if if you were to lose I’m out. Malik Monk. Okay. But, you know, if you were to trade Malik Monk, then Ty Jerome, I’d be like, “Okay, I I’ll at least listen.” Okay, Bruce Brown. I love Bruce Brown. He’s got injury issues. He’s not like he’s not a great shooter and stuff like that, but yeah, I would still probably take I mean, I would take a little undersized, but can defend up. Yeah, he he can defend the one, two, three. Mhm. Nil Alexander Walker. I don’t know that Minnesota’s going to let him go, but man, you talk about a shooting guard that can defend his ass off one through three, can knock down a corner three. He’s the perfect avatar for the player that I’m like, man, the Kings need like two more of those guys. Yeah. And he’s an unrestricted free agent. Yeah. Kind of in the same vein as uh as Keon Ellis, right? Yeah. like different style but like sort of in the same type. A little bigger. Yeah. And like would I like to have him on the the Kings? Sure. I I’d also point out like Minnesota’s like well over they’re financially they’re going to be in some some trouble this year especially with Julius Randall having free agent. Yeah. He has a he has a player option at 31 million and then Nas Reed has an option a player option at 15 million. So, I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see Nikuel Alexander Walker gone, especially when you consider that they they traded all kinds of assets last year for Rob Dillingham. Yeah. And so, maybe they think he can step in and kind of fill that void. And they’ve got Dante Devenzo for more minutes. Um, yeah, it’s going to be tough. It’s a good point. Uh, Tim Hardaway Jr. do anything for you? Nope. Yeah. No, I’m out. Carris Levert do anything for you? No. Nah, a big Caris Levert guy, but no. Matis Styel has an 11.6 million player option. He’s going to pick that up because that’s a what? What do you think? Probably four times what he’d get on the open market. Yeah, that’s 11.6 million for Matis Dables. Crazy. Now, see, that’s a deal where if you’re going to take on if you you could get uh Kamar Kamar, you could say, “Hey, we’ll take we’ll take Dables last year.” Yeah. And like free you guys up that salary. Give you the Kevin Harter trade exception or whatever and maybe run into a good defender. I’m getting knocked down a three maybe. Maybe. Yeah, but like injury wos and everything. Hasn’t worked for anybody else. But maybe it’ll work for us. But having depth, you know, hiding on your bench that actually plays elite defense. Yes. Would be really nice to have because the just haven’t been able to find any. If he’s your 13th guy and you’re getting cooked by, I don’t know, Donovan Mitchell. Yeah. He’s like, “Yeah. Hey, Matise, go do go try and defend. Do something.” Yeah. Go do something there. If you’re gonna throw, if you’re gonna give me Markel Folz minutes, you can give me Matis Style minutes. Yes. Uh, air coffee. [Music] Yeah. I mean, yes. Like air coffee. I’m taking Amir Coffee, especially if you if you were to lose a guy like Jake Larabia. Yeah. So, I mean, I think he’s same. Yeah. Like same same quality of player. We got to step aside on the radio side and pay some bills. I got three more players I want to run through with you and we will probably do that with one of Dura Casey whichever one is in for the handoff. That’s coming up next right here on ESPN 1320. We’re the inside sponsored by Jiffy Lube. It’s Sacramento Sports leader.

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