Sean Cunningham says Russell Westbrook is ‘still a possibility’ for the Kings

Sean Cunningham says Russell Westbrook is ‘still a possibility’ for the Kings

you we we got lots to cover here. We’re going to get into some summer league, some Kings news. I’ll at least uh start because I know you were out at the series this weekend in West Sacramento between the A’s and the Giants. And I was saying earlier, Sean, I mean, as far as Sacramento baseball, that I thought it was a success. Now, if you’re a Giants fan, you win two of three. I’m not even talking per per team, per se, but the images, the way it looked. I’ve been at a ton of games. You’ve been at a ton of games. It just looked like I mean, it’s about as good as we can get under the circumstances here in Sacramento. Yeah, completely agree. I mean, you look around, it was festive. I mean, there was just a there was a and and it it went beyond the ballpark. I mean, one of the things I love doing, I get there pretty early. Um, you know, that’s the dumb part about covering baseball is, you know, your manager speaking like four hours before the game and, you know, open a clubhouse. It’s just it’s just an all day thing that’s unnecessary. But, uh, it’s just such a cool vibe. Like, if you’re driving across the Tower Bridge, um, you see all the people who are walking over, it reminds you of like, oh, you got big league baseball in town. like they’re not doing that for the Rivercats. They’re doing it and yeah, you see a lot of like, you know, visiting jerseys technic typically even if the Giants aren’t in town, but yeah, that was very much a Giants crowd. Um and and rightfully so. I mean, they made this appointment uh an appointment destination to be at to be able to support their team. And uh both teams kind of scuffling, you know, well certainly the A’s and the Giants all of a sudden just drop off the face of the earth for these past two weeks, two, three weeks after flirting with first place. But um they both teams really needed it, especially, you know, with the all-star announcements kind of hovering around and it was just such a cool environment, especially on uh I was there I was there all three days. I left early on, uh Saturday, but the Fourth of July one I thought was the best. I saw the fireworks. I I dipped out of there. But um being able to come into come in on Saturday, see the Kings rookies kind of get their welcome and throw out some first pitches that were pretty pretty wild to say the least. Um, yeah, I dipped to go to a to a concert that night. I was awful early. But then being there last night, too, it was probably the it was the lowest of the attended games. And you think about it, like you were there for the Yankee series and two of the three of the of of those games were the highest attended. The Mother’s Day was the highest attended in Sutter Health Park for A’s game this season and the Friday and Saturday ended up being the biggest draw. Um but Friday had topped it and then Saturday topped Friday’s game and uh just electric and then what Logan Webb was able to do in his hometown. Yeah. And then the next day get an all-star nod. Just really really kind of special stuff and it was kind of cool seeing Logan talk about finding out becoming an all-star while uh playing Granite Big Country Golf Club for the first time with his dad and his brother and getting to share that moment. It was so cool. Yeah, I saw that you talked to him and I I think about him this year. I mean I think he’s having another awesome year. He’s just I mean he really consistently is not getting the run support. how’s he feeling about their their situation because I mean to me he’s he’s he is the giant. He is kind of the face of that team and um you know they’re winning but probably should be winning a little bit more if their offense was better. How’s he feeling about his situation? Uh pretty good. I mean look I think he keeps in mind he’s able to kind of separate the two. Like look, Justin Verlander has been so bad since coming to the Giants, but he talks about what an influence he is, not only to himself, but really to the pitching staff and like it’s something that really can’t be explained. Like we always kind of talk about like, you know, we’re trying to build a Kings roster or whatever and oh, go get this guy, go get that way, and it’s you you can never really have that that true analytic. There’s an analytic for everything, but there doesn’t there’s not one for chemistry yet. and what he talks so glowingly about what Verlander has brought brought to him and just the influence that he’s had and certainly the path that that Robbie Ray has has had coming back from Tommy John and working his way back to being an all-star and and this year Logan being able to share his all-star uh appearance with two other pitchers. I mean Randy Rodriguez is incredible and and you know what he’s doing out of the bullpin is and to so to be able to just share that with Robbie Ray Randy Rodriguez the influence Verlander’s had I mean he’s completely at peace like he recognizes that you know yeah they’ve have some scuffles and sometimes he doesn’t get the run support but as Robbie Ray said yesterday it’s like no everyone expects him to go out there and pitch nine innings I mean he’s been that dominant and I think there’s a little bit of a lingering memory from last year you know he get Logan Webb gets his first All-Star nod and he didn’t it didn’t go well. Um and so he you know he says if he gets to pitch this year he gets a shot at redemption and it’s in a in a ballpark that he’s got a lot more familiarity with in Atlanta where another place that he has a lot more support and friends and in the area and he’ll family will certainly be there. So um I I think a lot of that matters and uh but it’s what’s funny is talking to him it’s like you got all these accolades. You just pitched a gem on Saturday. you get a muchneeded win after you got shelled on on July 4th and here you are an all-star and all he wants to ever talk about is the Kings. He’s the biggest Kings fan and every time he sees me it’s like, “Hey, are we getting Kaminga?” Right? Like it’s always something like that dates back to high school. I mean, when he was a football player for the Rockland Thunder, I didn’t even know him as a baseball player at that time. He was a, you know, backup quarterback. And I remember going to a practice and just he’s there on the sideline. Um, I I I wasn’t paying him any attention and I’m setting up my camera to talk to the head coach, Greg Benzel at the time, and another one of the other guys, and he just kind of he’s sitting on the ground, and I think he was hurt. I don’t remember what the injury is, and he just kind of looks up with me with that squinted face, and he goes, “Hey, the Kings going to be any good this year?” I start laughing and I was like, “No, probably not.” And they weren’t. And he, you know, and he understood, but he just he loves he’s just a diehard Kings fan. Well, let’s go there. I know you were at the press conference uh the other day. saw you out there to introduce the new Kings. That was their draft choices and Nick Clifford and Maxim Reno. Just curious your thoughts on the picks on how you think they may uh be able to help this squad this year. Yeah, I mean it’s funny because like you always wonder where the Kings are and how a draft pick can certainly help them. And I’d always argue that they won’t like like you know they they a young player takes time to develop and even if you’re getting a a player that’s longer in the tooth like these guys are they’re going to take time to devel develop and it you know how can they help a good team and then you look at a team like the Thunder who have young pieces all over the place and their development has happened rather quickly. Um not to say that it’ll have the same effect but when talking to these guys they’re very impressive. I mean, I think personalitywise, um, their their their charm, their wit, their, um, certainly their smarts. I mean, Maxim Reno is just brilliant. He’s very, very smart. Um, and it leaps off the page. Um, you know, I think people hear that and they go, “Okay, great. What do they do on the basketball floor?” But getting to know some of these guys like with with Nick Clifford for example like personality like I wouldn’t say he’s in the Tyrese cat Tyresese Hallebertton category quite yet because he was a Hall of Famer in the media game and being just a human being right out of the gate but he’s kind of dipping a toe in there. Like you can see instantly just how infectious his personality is. Um how warm and and inviting he is. I mean this guy makes time for everybody. Um and you’re kind of like you’re thinking to yourself as a media member, great. don’t don’t change like keep that keep that same energy but that’s not just with the energy with the with the media you see it with the fans stops for everybody it gives everybody time um so it’s really cool it’ll be fun to see how that kind of develops along the way but from a from a pure basketball standpoint like I I I had never I didn’t know anything about Nick Clifford really I mean doing a little bit of homework before the draft seeing his name didn’t really think much that that would be a a possibility um I know among names that they had liked going in there. I, you know, that name I had heard uh a little bit, but it wasn’t something that I ever thought was going to be a realistic possibility. And um there there it is. I mean, they land him and learning a lot about him and people around him as coaches, people who have just, you know, talk about what he is. It’s like they talk so much glowingly about the adversity he’s faced and and some of the things he’s had to overcome and how, you know, it didn’t go so well at Colorado, but he was, you know, loyal and wanted to stay close to home and then he was ready to go to Loyola Chicago. was ready to go to Stanford and then, you know, one of the teams that initially drafted him and the coach that, excuse me, recruited him and then the team that goes to Colorado State with having that loyalty and um wanting to be able to shine and kind of overcome some adversity and having opportunity in the age of NIL having, you know, being there for, you know, being a senior is just so rare. So, I I I kind of like the the what what’s happening. you see what he when he plays and just the leaps that he’s taken being a point guard when he was younger to all of a sudden being more of a wing player. Um loving the fact that he looks at himself as being able to be a multi-positional type player, being able to guard that way and then everyone raving about his playmaking ability. I mean Jason, you hear that and then it’s not even mentioning just the the rebounding how elite that has been for him. So uh I think a lot of that will translate well. Real is just a guy I mean being seven foot and you can stretch the floor that way. Awesome. I mean, yeah, you get that rim protection and uh you can kind of see it. I mean, the people are raving about him. So, I I think there’s something to be excited about. Um, but you know, certainly the Kings have a lot of offseason left. Oh, yeah. And we’re going to get into some more of that as we’re talking with Sean Cunningham from KC Channel 3 Sports Reporter there. Sean, about uh a couple days the Kings will be heading to Vegas. Um, so Marino is going there, Nick Clifford, but it’s also Isaac Jones, Mason Jones, Devin Carter, um, Cardwell, some guys that are going to be, you know, opportunities to, you know, get more eyeballs on them to see what they could do. What are some of your expectations or what would you like to see from from that group, uh, coming up here in a few days? Yeah, I think, um, before going down there, it’s the thing that I’m kind of hyperfocused on aside from the two rookies, is honestly, uh, Devin Carter. if if he doesn’t get moved, uh, I want to see he didn’t get this opportunity last year because of injury. And of course, he had some flashes during the regular season. And I think, you know, if you go to social media, they’re not kind to Devin Carter. Um, but I I I still think that he has a lot to offer. I think there’s a lot still a lot of mystery that surrounds his game. Um, and you know, just an absolute competitor. And so I want to see how that translates to haphazard basketball like the like summer league where everyone’s just trying to make a name for themselves, trying to catch attention, both uh ends up being good and bad. But um in a in a team environment where there’s going to be a lot of kind of I don’t want to say household names, but familiar names to Kings fans. You rattled off a few there, but even last year’s rookie two-way Isaiah um Crawford I think has a big opportunity here because I think a lot of what he does has flown under the radar. He hasn’t really had opportunity yet. He’s he’s so young still. And um I I I think his game I don’t mean his age so much. I really mean his game just needs a a maturing a seasoning if you will. And had a chance really recently um they’re in the break right now, but the oldest Sacramento summer league, they call it the Sack ProAm. It’s a sack pro developmental league. It happens out in Elkrove off of Big Horn. You get on Big Horn, you keep driving like you’re heading to G. You’ll you’ll find it. There’s a place called uh Fortune High School, something like that. And uh you know, Isaiah Jones and Isaiah Crawford have have shown up to prepare for summer league out there. Um once summer league is over, um teams will begin playing again. I’m not sure that you’ll see some Kings players out there, but we’ve even seen Keon Ellis show up uh to to compete in that in that summer league uh out there. So uh it dates back to the 80s. You used to have guys like Lal Thompson, Mitch Richmond, um you know, just a ton of old kings that would used to play in this thing. So, uh, you never know who’s going to pop up, but it’s fun to see a lot of G-Leaguers and overseas players, and these guys show up and they they’ve played well. It’s a confidence builder. Um, they try to work on some things and one of the things you see is Isaac trying to shoot the three more, Isaiah working on a lot of ball handling um, stuff. So, trying to hone in their games and and work on their craft and I think there’s a lot of there’s a lot of storylines heading into Vegas and I’m looking forward to that. How about what the Kings have done so far through free agency andor the slash trade? So, they’ve added what Sarich via the trade. Uh, Eubanks is just an additional kind of big body that they could have. And then Shruder is the biggest piece as far as the free agent point guard signing. Um, not a huge splash there by any means, some out of necessity, but what do what do you think about what they did is Scott Perry’s moves there? Uh, yeah, interesting. I mean, they found their point guard. Um I I you know I think Kings fans are going through this roller coaster right now on will they or won’t they trade Malik Monk and are they in on Jonathan Kaminga and I don’t really have anything to add on any of those. I mean certainly anything is possible at this point but with Kaminga you know the last I had heard on that is that there was no they were nowhere close. Um so uh I think that’s kind of beared fruit as we get into Monday. Um, you’ve got the moratorium lifting. People are signing contracts. You know, have seven team trade in the NBA. We hadn’t seen that before. I think some of those things tend to hold up a lot of the activity that tend to trickle down. And I think Sacramento is in on a lot of things uh right now. I still think that, you know, Russell Westbrook is something that could be a possibility. Um, obviously has a tie to Scott Perry from when he was in Seattle under um Sam Prey at the time. Um, not I don’t know if I agree with a lot of them. I kind of see what they’re trying to do. Um, but certainly there’s a lot of concerns with all these teams about cap flexibility, remaining under the luxury tax, aprons, all that stuff. And it it those things can be really difficult for fans to kind of hear about. Um, cuz I think right away you’re thinking you’re about your team is them being cheap. And I assure you that’s not the case because everybody is trying to do the same things. And what I’d always argue is it’s one thing to be a luxury tax team when you’re a top four team in the in the Western Conference and you’re competing for something. It’s another thing to be in that when you’re a mediocre or even a bad team. So, uh, a lot of uh decision-m has to go in go into all these things. And I think you’re going to see more and more uh until the maybe the until I think 2011 when the collective bargaining or excuse me 2031 when the collective bargaining uh deal can be renegotiated. But I think you’re going to see a lot of these types of seasons where there’s just so much movement, uh, so much activity and teams really trying to get make trades that really just get free them up money to where that they can operate going forward. I think the Kings have done an interesting job. I I wouldn’t rave about the offseason they have, but I’d also, you know, remind people it’s July 7th. Um there’s so much offseason left and you know I I think they’re in a really unique position to where you know they’ve chosen not to hit a complete reset button. They want to remain competitive. I I think that’s admirable to a degree. Um but I think just one move here or there can obviously get them back in the conversation. The landscape in the NBA changes very very quickly. Uh and I’d say right now it’s it’s looking like a discombobulated team. At least they found their point guard. But there, you can see what the vision with Scott Perry’s trying to do. He wants to add two-way players, competitive players, um guys that you look on other teams, and you go, “Oh, yeah, why doesn’t why don’t the Kings have somebody like that?” Um and and so it could there could be some tough decisions along the way, but you know, I think it I I see the vision and I think uh they’re on the right track. you you mentioned you didn’t have anything really new on on Kaminga and I I’ve heard some of the same stuff that there’s it’s I don’t want to say not as far along just maybe it’s it’s kind of nowhere at the moment but uh if we look at Kaminga versus Westbrook different players but if if those are options for the Kings what’s the better Obviously Kaminga would come at a price of some other players um Westbrook could be just an addition but what do you think would be better for the Kings of those two choices honestly ly that’s a tough one to that’s a tough one that’s a tough question for me to answer because I think just on its surface I mean one’s on its way out and the other one’s got a blossoming future and Kaminga has so much talent that um easily in my opinion gets here and he’s probably the second most talented if not the most talented player on the team um that’s not to say he’s the best player I don’t want people to hear hear that differently than what’s intended but I mean he’s got such a high ceiling the the thing to me is in talking to people close to Kaminga and obviously around the Warriors and other teams forever. It’s like Kaminga has a a vision in mind. I mean, if he comes to Sacramento five years under his belt, he’s still younger than all the rookies that they drafted. He’s still younger than Devin Carter. Like, he’s he this guy is ready for his moment. He’s he’s in control to a degree. I mean, restricted free agency is just awful for anybody. Uh even the teams, I would argue. I mean, it’s just it even if you have a team that wants to sign you, which is rare these days because no one has the money to do it um and commit to you, all of a sudden your team can decide whether or not they want to keep you or match or whatever. And at this point, it almost makes more sense for him to go back to the Warriors. But I think from Kaminga standpoint and from what I’ve been told, this guy is absolutely looking for something that can be built around him where he’s featured prominently within that offense and with on that team. And that is that’s what he wants. And I think coming to Sacramento as they’re currently built doesn’t really that doesn’t really jive here. I mean, you’ve got obviously some big-time scorers who need the ball quite often and even if Kaminga represents your future for the time being, that’s how they’re set up. So, um, Westbrook might make more sense in the short term. But I think for them to be for them to be successful, I honestly feel that Kaminga is is a move that they’d almost have to do in comparison to Russ who’s kind of on his way out and just kind of maybe looking to get somebody into the playoffs and maybe see what happens in a seven game series. The one thing with Russ though, I mean, he played so well with Denver last year. He really played really well with someone like Nicole Joic. Damon Sabonis is a similar type of presence uh on the floor and and that could bode well for them if they get him. But I just personally I don’t think the Kings need Russell Westbrook. Um and so if you’re able to get in on a talent like Kaminga and represent something where you’re rebuilding into a a different uh different era looking on something beyond 2027 because if you look at their books like everything’s they hit 2027 everything falls off a cliff. That wouldn’t happen if you have somebody like Kaminga. that wouldn’t happen if you’re extending Keon Ellis or extending uh Keegan Murray later this summer. So, he kind of represents something fresh and new going forward. And I and I think if they do that in the comparison of him or him or Russ, I’d go Kamingo. All right, last one for you, Sean. Again, great spending time with Sean Cunningham from KC Channel 3. Um, all right. It feels like between Keon, Malik, I guess Carter, uh, Lavine, D Rozan, like I guess Keegan even, you know, they got to move at least one to two of those. And I’m not saying that’s super easy to do. It feels like it’s a little bit quiet right now. I mean, don’t you see that we’re there’s going to be some trades here at least with the Kings. Don’t you feel? Yeah, I I’ve always felt that that trades for even for this off seasonason, even before they get into the season, I think is going to be where they do most of their damage, most of their rebuilding. Um, you know, I think, you know, especially when you’re holding on to some of these trade exceptions, these literal um coupons that you can go and move for players. I mean, it’s it’s it’s uh those are such those are those are really worth a lot of worth their weight and gold for a lot of these teams that are struggling to uh get under these aprons and luxury tax and and things like that without having to bring anything back. So, uh I think you’ll start to see the offloading begin uh shortly in terms of some of these big contracts that teams want to get off of and that could benefit Sacramento. But yeah, I’ve always felt the trade market is where the Sacramento Kings will be uh at their most potent and where they can capitalize the most. Um but also realizing that they have uh decisions to be made and they’re not you’re not going to move make a move just to make a move. And I think also the feeling around the league is much like maybe with how it was in the previous regime is sometimes people tend to think Sacramento Kings have to operate out of a sense of desperation. um you get a new GM in there and um knowing that they he works for an owner like VCron and DV patience sometimes isn’t in the vocabulary or enter it doesn’t enter the chat. So I think much like if you’re playing fantasy sports people will try to take advantage of that guy in the room take adv of that guy in the league and uh see what they can do and I think there’s a lot of weeding out. So I think you’ve been through the weeding out process you’ve had it pulled a trigger on a few moves. They’ve been probably mostly lackluster to a lot of Kings fans, but uh I’m not saying there’s a blockbuster on the horizon, but I think they’ve positioned this themselves well to be able to pull a trigger on a major move when it presents itself or when they find one. Uh but in the meantime, I think the trade market is just where their bread will be buttered, whether it’s this offseason, next offseason, uh and even leading up to the deadline. All right, that’s Sean Cunningham from KC. We always appreciate your work. I know we’ll see each other in Vegas and maybe that’s where we can hang out and get some of that uh street food, I guess. Oh, do we trust Vegas street food? That one a little bit different, sir. Okay. So, I I I thought I would throw that out there. I know. We’ll find plenty good places to go. I know that we shall. Did you see F1 yet? I did not. As someone who often uh taps into myself to recommend movies, I would recommend that to you. Okay. So, another person that validates that. Did you see it in the IMAX? Uh, no. But I did one of those XD showings, which in my mind is is maybe just as good. But I mean, if anyone hears this, they’re going to go, “Oh, I’ve heard it before. Young upandcomer mentored or teams up with a has been or never was old guy.” Like, yes, it’s a sports cliche, but the stuff they do inside that car, and I’m not an F1 guy or a NASCAR guy, which is kind of crazy because I spent my past couple weeks interviewing a bunch of NASCAR people because Sonoma is right around the corner this week. Um, yeah, it was that was that was fun, man. It was a lot of fun. I think you’d love it. Well, better than I said it earlier. I saw Jurassic Park, whatever the new one is. It’s okay. It’s Yeah, man. Yeah. I’m not recommending it. It’s fine. I wouldn’t say don’t go, but it’s eh. Scarlett Johansson, though. Yeah. Exact. Well, there we go. That was a hit. Yeah. All right, Sean. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. And we’ll see you uh see you in Vegas. Yes, you will. See you, buddy. All right. Thank you. That is Sean Cunningham. We appreciate him uh getting us some insight on the Kings and where they might be going here. Kaminga still could be a thing. Westbrook could still be a thing. Um,

KCRA 3’s Sean Cunningham joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share his insights on where things stand with the Sacramento Kings in free agency, give his take on whether Sacramento makes sense for Russell Westbrook or Jonathan Kuminga, and much more.

Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up and subscribe!
#nba #sacramentokings #nbafreeagency #nbasummerleague #russellwestbrook #jonathankuminga

Subscribe at: https://www.youtube.com/c/Sports1140KHTK/?sub_confirmation=1
Find Sactown Sports 1140 online: https://t.co/K0vdSg5o1w
Listen live to Sactown Sports 1140: https://player.listenlive.co/55401
Like Sactown Sports 1140 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SactownSports
Like Sactown Sports 1140 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sactown1140
Follow Sactown Sports 1140 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sactown1140
App download Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bonneville.khtk&hl=en_US&gl=US
App download iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sports-1140-khtk/id1314735220