Is there a “handshake agreement” between Keon Ellis & the Kings? 🤔

Is there a “handshake agreement” between Keon Ellis & the Kings? 🤔

All right, I’ll rhyme something with Moose. Okay, let’s get back to this handshake agreement and maybe it’s more of a an understanding. So, we’ve talked a lot about Jonathan Kaminga and Jason Anderson came out yesterday and said that or maybe that was two days ago and said the Sacramento Kings are keeping Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis off of the table. All right. In discussions regarding Jonathan Kaminga. So, similar to Demar De Rozan and what’s being promised to Jonathan Kaminga there, if you are setting Keon Ellis off limits, you’d have to think, you’d have to think that the Kings are very, very confident that they will not be losing him in free agency. You’d have to think that. Now, it’s always possible that you read a situation if Keon ends up being a starter this season and balls out and the Kings get priced out. It’s always possible. But the Kings I guess best based on market based on the relationship that they have with Keon. If you are making him untouchable in Kaminga conversations who does have a bit of a ceiling whether you think that it fits or not he does have a bit of a ceiling. He was a top seven pick a couple years back. I would like to believe that the Sacramento Kings have some type of understanding with Keon that hopefully he doesn’t even get to free agency really that they wouldn’t even get to free agency and mess around. Now Keon is is look handshake agreements. We’ve all seen those kind of fall through. If it ain’t if it ain’t pen and paper, anything can happen. But it would be, hey, we are going to be at what we feel is the top of the market and we’re going to try to lock you up before you get to free agency. And it’s a basically going to be a deal that would be the best deal that Keon’s agent assumes he’d be able to get because if not, why wouldn’t you just go to free agency? So, I’m not saying there’d be a bit of an overpay, but we are going to ensure that you get the the top of the limit as far as what would be out there for you just in case somebody actually beats that. Now, Keon could say, “Hey, that’s cool. I I I’m I appreciate that. I don’t know that we are going to sign early, but thank you. I I I’m probably going to see how it plays out. Or there might be more to it where Keon said, “Sure, I’m I’m if you if you bring the right numbers, I won’t go I won’t hit free agency. We’ll just extend right here.” So, something has to be said or something must have been said to Keon for them to say, “Yeah, we’re not including him.” And because it’s not about to me, it’s not about Keon being better than Kaminga. It’s not about that because I think he is better than Kaminga, but I think that Kaminga might put you in a better position three, four years from now. Maybe not, but maybe he does. It’s more so about we believe we want to acquire Kaminga and still have a young player like Keon Ellis, which means they must feel that they’re going to keep the young player Keon Ellis. If they thought that there was a chance that they could lose Keon Ellis, unless this might be their first big miss, and we’ll see at the end of this upcoming season. If they do lose him, then I don’t know why he would have been said to be off limits. Maybe they want to keep him for a different deal, but we’re we’re about to start August tomorrow, so I don’t know. It’s hard for me to see them saying no to Kaminga but including Keon Ellis in something during the season unless it’s some type of sweetener in a Rozan deal. I I don’t know. I don’t see that happening though. It wouldn’t make sense unless the team that’s trading for him also feels confident they’re willing to offer him more than anything in free agency, right? Cuz why would a team acquire a a guy who only makes 2.3 million, so you’d have to attach another salary to it? Yeah. Or would hit, you know, is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, right? Unless it’s like a, hey, the Kings are 12th and they’re just trying to to get anything they can. Even if it’s just a couple seconds, they’re just trying to get anything they can to tear this thing down. I I to your point, I don’t see it unless it’s like combined with another piece. I And the only one that I think a team would want with an expiring deal is Sabonis. Well, and the other thing I would I would say if if Keon is just having a crazy season, it’s it’s kind of the Mason Miller thing on a much smaller scale. If Keon’s having a crazy season, but the Kings just can’t put it together, that would be, I don’t know, enter the first name that comes in my head. I don’t know, the the Pistons or somebody that are in a a pseudo all-in situation, and they say, “We’ll give you a protected first for Keon because he doesn’t make a lot of money.” And assuming Keon’s going to sign with us and he’s going to be part of our young defensive back court, right? But the chances of that happening are are pretty slim. So the idea of Keon being put off limits for Jonathan Kaminga, I don’t think it says as much about Jonathan Kaminga as it says they’re planning on extending Keon Ellis. And to that point, how sure are they that it’s going to happen? There has to be some type of understanding, I guess. Although, you know, you’ve kind of outlined the point as well, but like I feel like their chances to sign Keon also decrease if they give Jonathan Kaminga 20 to $25 million per year. I only say that because, you know, you might get younger, but you’re not exactly getting cheaper. Yeah. I I didn’t I was trying not to say cheaper, but you know, you’re you’re less expensive. You’re paying market rate to get younger. It’s not like you’re the uh the Spurs who are paying WBY $12 million when he should be making 70. It’s like you’re paying Kaminga 20 to 25. You’re paying Keegan probably 25. You’re paying Keon Ellis probably 15 to 20. So you’re getting presumably market rate because all these people are signing contracts basically within eight months, right? there’s a world where they could have Kaminga, Keegan, and Keon all sign new contracts. So, to that point, how much of an understanding could there be? But all I know is I’d like to believe there is some type of understanding if you are deciding to hold on to a uh to a Keon Ellis. less about Jonath less about Keon being better than Jonathan Kaminga in the 2025 2026 season and more about do you think you’ll be able to hang on to Keon after this off season and keep him in a Sacramento Kings jersey for the foreseeable future. Uh, as far as other teams that might be interested in Keon and Kaminga and others, we have a list of all of the teams in quote unquote good cap situations for the 2026 heading into the 2026 2027 season. We’ll tell you who it is and should you be worried. Down south. Second sports.

The Sacramento Kings are reluctant to move Keon Ellis in trade talks for Jonathan Kumina, although he will become a free agent at the end of the year. Allen Stiles contemplates if the two sides have a handshake agreement in place for a long-term pact, or if a move could be on the horizon.

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