Sacramento Kings Offseason Review

Sacramento Kings Offseason Review

With NBA Summer League coming to a close, we are now in the dead portion of the offseason where most of the moves have been made. There aren’t many moves to talk about. There’s no basketball to watch. There may still be some moves here or there, but probably not the biggest moves unless something really comes out of nowhere and surprises us. And so, that pretty much means we know generally what the roster is going to be like for the Kings going into next season. Again, apart from maybe a small move around the edges here or there. And so, now is a perfect time to look at that roster and recap the Kings off season so far. recap Scott Perry’s first off season as the general manager of the Sacramento Kings. So, first off, let’s just look at the roster. The starting lineup is probably going to be Dennis Shruder, Zack Lavine, Demart Rosen, Keegan Murray, Demonos. Then off the bench, you have Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, Nick Clifford, Isaac Jones, Drew Eubanks, Devin Carter, Terrence Davis, Dario Sich, Maxim Renault, and Doug McDermott. And then on two-way contracts, you have Isaiah Stevens, and Dylan Cardwell. We still have an open two-way slot. That could be Isaiah Crawford’s to a spot possibly. Maybe it’s someone else. Uh, and then the rest of the roster is filled out. The standard contracts, we have 15 out of 15, but Terrence Davis’s deal is non-g guaranteed. So, you could totally see him possibly getting waved or, you know, maybe going into training camp with someone else and competing for that spot. So, that’s pretty much the roster. So, looking at the guys that Scott Perry brought in this off seasonason, who came in? It was Dennis Rder, Nick Clifford, Maxim Renault, Dylan Cardwell, Isaiah Stevens, Drew Eubanks, Dario Sch, and then he resigned Doug McDermott. He picked up Keon Ellis’s team option, which is definitely something I’ll get to. And then going out was Jonas Valenunis, Trey Lyles, Markeel Folultz, Jay Crowder. Those last three guys are guys that are still unsigned. I believe all of them are unsigned. So, I mean, it’s possible a guy like Trey Lyles could come back. But again, as of now, still a free agent. And then the big loss really was Jake Larabia. And so Scott Perry was coming into this offseason, his first offseason as the general manager of the Kings coming into a situation that’s not all that great. That he’s not coming into a situation with some super bright young core with star young players, but he’s also not coming into a situation that has been a playoff team, right? The Kings have been eliminated in the playin the past two seasons. He’s coming into a situation where the Kings just traded De’Arren Fox for Zack Lavine. and the contracts at the top of this team do not look good for some aging or older stars. The Kings do have some nice young players. Their young core has some players that I really like, but they don’t have that star level young player. They have some really nice complimentary pieces like a Keegan Murray, a Keon Ellis, maybe you know a rookie like Nick Clifford or a guy like Devin Carter. But I think when you’re a team that has missed the playoffs, especially in this Western Conference where like every team that’s missed the playoffs, almost every team has a young core that you’re expecting to get better and who’s expecting to really compete this upcoming season in the Western Conference. And so for the Kings to like not really have that young core, that’s not a good situation for Scott Perry to be coming into in his first season. And so that’s the mess that he’s supposed to really clean up. And so it wasn’t exactly the most exciting offseason and it was a little disappointing that he wasn’t able to make a big move. He wasn’t able to push this team in a certain direction, right? He wasn’t able to completely commit to a rebuild or maybe a tank, but he also wasn’t able to like trade for a star player and really make this team a team that’s going to be very competitive in a very tough Western Conference where, like I said, I mean, you have the teams that were already in the playoffs last season plus a bunch of teams that are expecting to make a jump. So, sure, it was unfortunate that Scott Perry wasn’t really able to make big moves, but it was always going to be kind of unlikely that he was going to be able to really pick a direction and make big moves this off seasonason because of the situation the Kings are in with the big contracts at the top for veteran players that other teams really don’t want. And so, you have the guys at the top that aren’t really worth building around. And I don’t think Scott Perry is looking to build around those guys. And so, you just kind of have to wait it out. The Kings are in a holding pattern, waiting for some of these deals to expire or become expiring so that they are easier to move. And so that made this offseason a very average offseason. I would say it was probably like a C++ off season. Super average. Maybe the draft bumps it up a little bit. The draft was really good for Scott Perry. I think he navigated it really well coming into it. Again, the situation that he was given by the previous front office and by the organization in general was not good coming into a draft without a first round pick. But I think he was able to navigate it really well by trading into the draft and getting a guy in Nique Clifford. Also getting Maxi Renault in the second round, getting some really good value on those guys and not having to give up too much. Just a protected Spurs first round pick. So maybe that bumps it up to like a B minus or something, but overall an average off season. And so it is kind of hard to judge what Scott Perry has done so far just because of the situation that he’s coming into. So, the real test for Scott Perry is going to be either at the trade deadline this season or maybe next off season to see if he can offload some of the veteran contracts before they expire to see if he can get any sort of value for any of them and then see how he kind of rebuilds into the next era of Kings basketball. But if we’re just looking at this off seasonason, the biggest move that the Kings made and that Scott Perry made this off season was bringing in Dennis Shruder. And for some reason, it was a very controversial move. And I don’t think it should have been as controversial as it it seems to have been among the Kings fan base and also uh outside of the Kings fan base. I saw the Dennis Shruder signing as one of the worst moves of the offseason. Like on a list of the worst moves of the offseason. When I saw that I was just like come on, what are we doing? Like you don’t have to like the Dennis Shruder signing. You absolutely do not have to like it. But one of the worst like what are we talking about? But I feel like that’s not a proportional reaction to what the Dennis Shruder signing really is. But I think it’s all about how you view the Dennis Shruder signing kind of through the mind of Scott Perry. You have to understand what Scott Perry’s vision is. Because if you look at the Dennis Shruder signing, especially as someone outside Sacramento who is just viewing it as the Kings always do something stupid. The Kings are always a middling team. And they have these, you know, top three guys in Demard Rose and Zach Lavine and Deon Sabonis who weren’t able to make the playoffs last season who are on these big contracts who are getting a little older. And your response to that was to sign a 32-year-old Dennis Shruder. So, I understand why people are looking at that and going, “What? You’re you think Dennis Shruder is going to solve everything?” I get it. He’s not going to solve everything or maybe anything. But this is why I think it’s important to try to really understand what Scott Perry is trying to do with this Dennis Shruder signing. Scott Perry has done quite a bit of media. And while he hasn’t, you know, come out and said this is the direction we’re going or this is the direction we’re going cuz he’s a GM and he’s going to be, you know, a little cagier than that, there are a few things that he said that have made me confident in what he’s doing. And one of the biggest most important things that he said for me was that this upcoming season is not really about wins and losses and it’s more about how we play and the identity that we play with. And the reason that I really like that is because while saying that it’s not about wins and losses makes me feel like he really is just trying to wait out the contracts at the top of this roster and that he’s not trying to build around a Demard Roen because you think you’re sacrificing a season if you’re trying to build around an aging Demard Rosen or a Zack Lavine. No. Right? You can’t waste a season if you’re building around older guys like that. That tells me that this Dennis Shruder signing really was just a signing about the identity. And he talked about identity a ton. And some of that is just GM speak, right? You have to say something. And being a defense team first, you know, good personality team is a great thing to preach as a general manager. What does it really mean in practice? Well, you kind of have to show that with your signings. And so you’re signing a guy like Dennis Ruter is who is going to fit into that identity and he’s going to bring some personality that I think this team has needed. I think Dennis Ruter is the type of guy who’s not going to be pushed around. He’s going to tell it like it is. He’s not afraid to get into some confrontations and get into it with guys, which is honestly something that I feel like the Kings have kind of needed a personality like that. Also, Shooter’s going to come in and play some defense. He’s going to play make well, going to get others involved. That’s something that I think the Kings needed in a point guard, which they didn’t really have coming into this uh upcoming season or coming into this off season. And so, you aren’t bringing in Dennis Shruder to try to push yourself into the playoffs this upcoming season. I mean, if it happens, it happens. Great. But we’ve heard all offseason rumors about the Kings shopping everyone, right? Everyone’s available for trade uh at the top of the roster, obviously, like Sabonis and Lavine and D Rozan. And I’m sure they’ll try to trade D Rozan at the trade deadline. And the only guys that we’ve heard that the Kings are really reluctant to trade are Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis. So the two younger guys, the two guys that fit the identity that um Scott Perry has talked about, uh the defense, the two-way guys. And so I do feel like we’re seeing this front office value the right type of players and value Keegan Murray and Keon. And now you might say, well, how do they value them if they didn’t get Keon else locked up long term? And that’s completely fair. And that’s the one criticism that I have of this Dennis Shruder move is you gave Dennis Shruder money that could have been used to lock up Keon Ellis long term. Absolutely. And if I were general manager and I just had a choice, sign Dennis Shruder or lock up Keon Ellis long term, I would pick locking Keon Ellis up long term. And that would be my bigger priority. But the thing is, I’m not general. I’m not the general manager. I’m not Scott Perry. I don’t have the relationships that Scott Perry has. And so you hope that the front office has a relationship with the players like Keon Ellis and with the agents. And one thing to keep in mind is that Dennis Shruder and Keon Ellis share an agent. Keegan Murray also shares that same agent. And so hopefully it’s more of the politics of the NBA, right? Scott Perry signs Dennis Ruder, gives him his money, and then we’ll get the Keon Ellis extension worked out in this upcoming season. And hopefully they also get a Keegan Murray extension worked out. And so hopefully it’s just one of those things where the kings have an understanding and they will retain Keon Ellis. And so I don’t think there’s any point in being upset about not retaining Keon Ellis because it hasn’t happened yet. And I believe that they will retain Keon Ellis because I do think this front office is valuing the right types of players. Of course, they haven’t proved it yet and so we have to wait until they actually do it. But from the outside looking in and from everything we’re hearing, it does feel like this front office is going to lock those guys up long term. And we’ve heard quotes from an executive inside the Kings front office that they do really value both Keegan and Keon and want to get them locked up long term. And so that’s why I’m okay with this Dennis Shruder signing and I’m not too worried about those extensions. I think they’ll get done. Another thing that we’ve heard from Scott Perry is how he wants to play Keegan at the three. He wants to play Keegan at the three so that you know you bring in a bigger four and the Kings can play bigger lineups. We’ve also heard from the Kings front office that they understand that Keegan Murray was not put in places to succeed offensively the past two seasons. He was put around a lot of scores and his job was mainly on defense and to be a catch-oot shooter. And so I feel like this front office does understand that hopefully you’re going to put Keegan Murray in better spots going forward. And I think they are going to value his growth going forward. And so it’s just nice to hear some of these things that they do understand the value of a guy like Keegan Murray and want to see him progress. And so all of this to say that I believe that Scott Perry is a smart man and I believe that Scott Perry wants to push this team to on a younger pathway and he wants to make this roster make more sense, but he just wasn’t able to do it in one off season. And so the Dennis Shruder signing isn’t him, you know, trying to push this team towards contention right now, but instead it’s trying to make the roster make sense because at the end of the day, the Dennis Shruder signing is probably a move that in the long run is going to be relatively inconsequential. Maybe slightly positive, maybe slightly negative. I mean, obviously, if you don’t end up extending Keon Ellis long term, then sure, it’s going to be a negative and then you’ve made a mistake and and but then you probably have bigger problems on your hands if you aren’t able to get Keon Ellis locked up long term. And so, that’s why I said that the reactions, some of the reactions to this move seem a little bit disproportionate to what it is because again, long term, I think this is going to be a relatively inconsequential move. And for this season, Dennis Shruder fits a need and every team needs a point guard and that’s what he’s going to do being a vet point guard for this team. I think sometimes people lose sight of the short term. When people get really into the NBA, they tend to really get into the team building aspect because I’ve done this very much so and you lose sight of the short term and you’re just looking at things in terms of the salary cap and multi-year contract tables and you’re just looking at the ages and projecting and trying to make these like five-year plans where it’s like, okay, on the fifth year this team is going to win a championship and in between you just have to do this, this, and this. And you lose sight of the short term a little bit. At the end of the day, this is an NBA team and you want to have some semblance of balance for an NBA team. No matter where you are, whether you’re tanking in the middle competing for a championship, you want to have some semblance of balance and you want to put out a product that people are going to be able to watch and it, you know, is watchable in a season where you’re transitioning. The Kings are not going to be competing for a championship and maybe not even competing for a playoff spot. They’re also not going to be completely tanky, at least at the start of the season, because they do have some talent and some stars on this roster, even if they’re not the top end stars. And so, you bring in Dennis Rutder to just be a point guard for a team that didn’t have a point guard. And I think that’s valuable in many different ways. First of all, just as a fan, I think Dennis Shruder is going to be a fun player because he’s going to get after it. Defensively, I think he’s a personality that people can get behind. And again, I think sometimes people lose sight of the short term. in a transition season, you just want to have a team that fans can come and root for because that’s I mean that’s the team that I fell in love with as a kid growing up. I I wasn’t watching great Kings teams but also not the worst Kings teams. Every season they were getting what 27 28 wins. They were in a very similar position to where the Kings are now. It’s like the only young guy that was really good was Demarcus Cousins and the rest was just kind of a middling team. But I still had fun watching those teams. And so I think sometimes we lose sight of that a little bit, especially in a season where again not high expectations. You just kind of want to come in and at the end of the day it’s still an NBA team that needs a point guard. But then the other thing is Dennis Shruder I think is going to help again maintain balance for this basketball team and that’s going to help everyone whether it’s the veterans trying to make them look better and be more comfortable and then they’re going to just be more valuable to other teams when you’re trying to trade them right a demon Sabonis who has a point guard to be able to play with is going to be more valuable than a demon Sabonis that’s kind of out there on his own like we saw at the end of last season where Sabonis was not good at the end of last season because he didn’t have anyone that could set him up other than Malik Monk. And a guy like Zack Lavine is going to be better with a guy that can set him up. A guy like D Rozan is going to be better with a guy that can set him up. So, you’re going to make those guys more valuable for when you do probably want to trade them coming up pretty shortly. And then you also have a point guard for the young guys. I mean, I think a great example is a guy like Maxim Renault. Do you want to just throw Maxim Renault out onto an NBA floor when you know he’s a rookie and maybe he’s not completely ready and you do that without a point guard? You do it without someone that can set him up. I feel like that’s just setting him up for failure. So, I think Dennis Shrud can be a guy that’s going to come in, handle the the ball handling and the playmaking and help out guys like Maxim Renault and Nick Clifford and Isaac Jones and young guys like that and Keegan Murray. And then when the Kings do likely pivot into a younger team and a rebuilding team, then Dennis Shruder can be your vet point guard that helps those young guys along or he could be a trade chip possibly and his contract isn’t crazy. So, I mean, we’ve seen him get traded many times. Obviously, he’s a player that teams want and I think he was the best point guard on the market. So, I think Dennis Shrruder is going to help this team in many ways. I think it would be a different situation if the Kings had some a young upand cominging point guard that we thought was the future. We really don’t. You know, Devin Carter, Keon Ellis, more of offball players. Nate Clifford maybe can play the point guard position, but you know, I don’t think he needs to and maybe is better off playing more on the wing. And so it’d be a different situation if the if Dennis Shruder was maybe taking away minutes from a young up and upand cominging point guard, but that’s just not the case. And so I think when you look at the young guys on this team, I think Dennis Shruder uh is only going to benefit them. I think Dennis Shrutder on a game-to-ame basis is just going to make this team more watchable next season. And I think some people instead of taking a step back almost need to take a step forward into the present and for this upcoming season. And I feel like if you take a step back and try to view this team in the long term, like you’re just not going to be happy. So take a step forward into the present and try to watch this team on a game-to-ame basis and just appreciate the players that we do have. And I think Dennis Shruder again is going to be a fun player for this fan base to watch. So again, I want to reiterate like you don’t have to like this Dennis Shruder signing for whatever reason you have, but I just hope that you can appreciate that Dennis Shruder is going to come in and I think there are lineups that the Kings uh can put out there that are going to be really fun if you look at a lineup with like Dennis Rutder, Keon Ellis, Keegan Murray, Nick Clifford, and Demon Sabonis or, you know, maybe add in like a Zack Lavine or a Maxi Mau or an Isaac Jones into some of those slots and I think this Kings team could have some very fun lineups to put out there this upcoming season. And again, I said fun, not necessarily great and competing for a playoff spot, but just fun and hopefully getting a look at the younger guys for the future. I wish the Kings could have kept Jake Laravia as part of that young core moving forward because Jake Laravia, I mean, uh, if you have watched me at all, you know, I’m a massive Jake Laavia fan after the Kings traded for him at the trade deadline last season. I loved Jake Laavia because he was a two-way wing which the Kings just needed so desperately and he was a fun player that could shoot the three ball and when he got the ball in his hands and was trying to make things happen it was a little chaotic but it was very fun to watch and the way he got after it defensively was super fun. Uh so it’s it is really disappointing that the Kings weren’t able to keep Jake Larabia and it sucks even more that he went to the Lakers. I think he could have been a really solid role player going forward, but it was nice that the Kings were kind of able to replace him a little bit with Nick Clifford in the draft right away. It’s not a onetoone replacement because Jake Larabia is a little bigger, can play more 34. Nick Clifford is more of a 23 and can even play the one. So, they’re different players, but you know, a little bit of a replacement on the wings there with Nick Clifford being a 66 long wing. And I think Nate Clifford kind of fits the mold of what Scott Perry wants. And I think Jake Laravia did too, which is why it kind of sucks that we weren’t able to keep him because of just the contract situation and the Kings being limited in what they could offer him. But you replace him with Nick Clifford, a guy who’s just super versatile. And it was interesting getting a look into Scott Perry’s drafting philosophy coming in drafting older players. And of course, when you have later picks in the draft, you’re probably going to be drafting older players, but still the 24th pick being 23 years old is definitely a little older than is normal. But Nate Clifford looked great in summer league. And I think he fits the identity of being a two-way player and a super versatile player who can handle the ball, so he can kind of play a backup point guard role while also being a 3 and D wing. I think he’s going to be a great addition to this team. And then you look at Maxim Renault as well, who’s maybe a little bit more of a wild card as a 7-1 big that can shoot the three ball and has a little bit of, you know, passing and ball handling skills. He’s someone who absolutely needs to get stronger for the NBA game, but a super interesting player. And so I think the Kings coming into a draft where they only had a second round pick and they come out with two guys that I think are worth investing in in the future and who looked really good in summer league. So, I I think Scott Perry did a great job of not being able or or not having to give up too much for that first round pick, only giving up a protected Spurs pick. I think Scott Perry handled the draft very well. And the Kings have a bunch of guys that are going to be very good winning basketball players that maybe aren’t the star players. And Ne Clifford kind of fits that category as well. I think Maxim Renault is a little bit more of the wild card type of player where he’s super talented and I I don’t exactly know where his floor or ceiling is. But with a guy like Nate Clifford, Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, Devin Carter, guys who I think fit roles really well but aren’t that the starle players and I think that’s okay for a king’s young core because there’s no blueprint for building a team. And so what I mean by that is like everyone wants to do what OKC did where you just kind of you trade everyone away and you get Shay Gildidge Alexander and then you just drafted the perfect team and and then you develop them year after year after year and then you win a championship and it’s like that’s just not realistic. Uh everyone has a different path. I mean you look at Indiana and the path that they had and I feel like it’s almost more realistic where they never completely tore it down. And so my point is when you’re looking at the young core of the Kings, no, right now if you just leave this young core as is, it doesn’t look good compared to the other teams in the Western Conference or other teams that missed the playoffs because the other teams have star players. But I think things can turn around really quickly, especially if the Kings were able to land a top pick in the 2026 draft, which a lot of the teams in the West have passed the Kings up, so I think they could be further down in the standings than many people even uh realize. And so if you just get lucky once like the Spurs did and well the Spurs got lucky twice but obviously getting Leyama and then getting Dylan Harper uh or the Mavericks getting lucky once and getting Cooper Flag it can completely turn around how people look at your young core because the Mavericks had like nothing with their young core other than Derek Lively but then they get Cooper Flag and all of a sudden they’re in a great spot going forward. you know, the the Hawks were another team that were a playing team and then win the lottery and get a first uh overall pick and they’re looking really good for the future. And so I think the Kings don’t even need like the top pick in the 26 stacked draft class. Like imagine if you get a top four pick and then you already have all of these great complimentary pieces to then surround the star. And so of course getting that star player is the tough part, but you know if you get lucky or if you are not good next season and get a top pick and can find that star player to build around, I think the Kings through this draft and also just the other guys that they’ve had on their team are building a really nice um set of role players and complimentary players for that star player or star players when they are able to land them. I think at the start of the season, you may not see Nick Clifford and Maxine Renault get a ton of minutes. And that’s okay for rookies, especially Maxi Renault. Maybe Nick Clifford finds his way into the lineup because again, he’s like an older NBA ready wing, which is kind of what the Kings need, but I think overall you’re going to see them get more and more minutes as the season goes on. like especially after a trade deadline where hopefully you’re able to maybe trade a guy like Demard Rosen or other vets and just be able to open up minutes for those guys and not just those guys also other young guys like Devin Carter or Isaac Jones and so I think it’s okay to be a little patient at the start of the season if we see the veterans playing a little bit more you know I think that’s okay and we’ll just wait for the season to progress and the young guys to become more and more ready and then they’ll get more minutes as the season goes on and I think think is a good situation for Nick Clifford and Maxim Renault to come into and I think some people were kind of questioning why did Maxim Renault want to come to Sacramento because by all accounts he forced his way to Sacramento which happens with a lot of second round picks it’s a glorified free agency for these players and I think it’s a good situation because I mean you look at the Kings uh trading Jonas Valenunis and bringing Drew Eubanks and Dario Sich and I think those guys are a lot easier to beat out than a Yonis Valenunis that’s going to open minutes again as the season goes on. I think he can win those minutes against the veterans and hopefully, you know, maybe the start of the season you play those veterans a little bit more and then as the season goes on it uh it more goes to the younger guys. And you look at Nick Clifford coming in, the Kings maybe need some backup ball handling. That’s already maybe something he can do. And then also you look at a guy like Demard Rosen who’s not in the future plans. You look at Zack Lavine who doesn’t seem to be in the future plans for this team either. and all of a sudden a spot is really opening up for Nick Clifford as well. And you know those guys don’t need to come in and immediately be given spots. As long as there is a, you know, kind of shortterm outlook for them to get spots within a season or two, then I think it’s a good spot for them to come into. I think that’s why it’s a good spot for them to be. So, I think Scott Perry did a very good job in this draft and I think the Kings are in a spot where no, it maybe doesn’t look like they have the greatest young core right now, but things can turn around very quickly and we’ve seen that with multiple teams. And so then kind of the moves around the edges, you traded Valenunis to the Nuggets for Darius Arch and then added Drew Eubanks as your big men moves. There isn’t too much to talk about there because you’re kind of trading Valenunis to open up Cap to be able to sign Dennis Shruder and then you’re also kind of creating room for a Maxim Renault or an Isaac Jones to get more minutes as younger guys because again it’s going to be easier for those guys to beat out a Dario Sar Drew Eubanks than a Yonas Valenunis. So I you know I liked Yonas Valenudis and it’s not like it’s some great move but you know it’s it’s a whatever move. And then you didn’t bring back Trey Ls at least not yet. Uh, and that’s a guy who has contributed for quite a long time on this team. And so, you know, I’m sad to see him go because he was a guy who wasn’t afraid to mix it up and get into fights with, you know, Brook Lopez. He was a fun guy to watch, I think. But obviously, it makes sense for him to maybe not stick around again cuz you’re you have these spots for younger guys. Same with Markeel Folultz and Jay Crowder not being signed. You bring back Doug McDermott, which is kind of just again cool. I mean, he’s going to come in and chew and play garbage time. just a roster spot to fill there. And then you brought in Isaiah Stevens and Dylan Cardwell on two-way contracts. They’re going to play in the G-League. They’re going to play in Stockton. And you see if you have anything with those guys there. And so those are all the moves that the Kings made. There are still some moves that could be made in the future of this offseason, like a Keegan Murray extension. I would love if the Kings were able to lock up Keegan Murray long-term, maybe on a like a 20 million a year type of extension. And I think that would be a very good deal. and he’s one of the players that the Kings should be looking to lock up long term because he’s just one of those valuable archetypes in the league as a big wing who can shoot the ball, has some offensive game to him, and we’ll see if he has any more room to grow as an offensive player, but just an amazing defender. So, no matter what, even if he doesn’t grow any more from here on out, which I think he will grow more, he would still be worth that kind of contract. So, hopefully they can get him locked up. You also possibly could make, you know, another signing like a Ben Simmons or a Russell Westbrook, which I don’t want the Kings to do, but they’ve been rumored with both. And Ben Simmons, while I don’t want the Kings to sign him, he does kind of make sense for this roster if you were trying to just do everything you could to win and bring in a player that can contribute to winning because you need a guy who can play defense at his type of size at the four or the five and handle the ball, do a little bit of playmaking, kind of play as a mini Sabonis in a way. And I’ve always been a Ben Simmons supporter, especially, you know, when he was an all-star, but even after the injuries, I’ve been an advocate for him. But I don’t think he should be a guy that’s coming in and taking away minutes from the younger players on this team. So that’s why I don’t want the Kings to go after him. Same with Russell Westbrook where it’s like you’ve got your guy in Dennis Shruder. I don’t think you need a backup there because you have Malik Monk. Even if you’re trying to trade Malik Monk, you still have guys who are able to do it by committee like Anique Clifford, Devin Carter, Keon Ellis. And I just don’t want a guy like Russell Westbrook to come in and take minutes from those young guys. You got your vet starting point guard. You don’t need a backup there because you can do it by committee. And then there are tons of room rumors around like Jonathan Kaminga still, but nothing’s really happening there with the Kings. The Kings have their offer on the table of Devin Carter, Dario Sin, and a protected first round pick. The Warriors want Keegan Murray or Keon Ellis and don’t want Malik Monk. So that situation, I feel like Kaminga is just going to end up back on the Warriors unless the Warriors finally figure out what they want to do and maybe accept that type of deal from the Kings. From the Kings point of view, that deal even is maybe a little bit much for Kaminga, a player who, you know, doesn’t want to be in Golden State and who the Warriors don’t want and he’s the type of guy who wants to be a number one guy, but isn’t good enough to be a number one guy. So, do you want to give up a young player in Devin Carter plus even if it is protected a first round pick? I’m not so sure, but you know, it wouldn’t be the end of the world type of deal, but that’s something that I guess could still happen. And then looking off further into the future, you’re looking hopefully at a Keon Ellis extension during the season. That’s something that I hope the Kings are able to get done. But one thing actually going back to the Kaminga deal is that the Kings, you know, are willing to part with Devin Carter. And I feel like that just speaks to Scott Perry’s mindset as a new GM coming in where he’s not attached to anyone. Of course, he wants to keep around the the players that he deems as important and hopefully again that is Keegan Murray and Kean Ellison. I think those are the two guys that he does deem important along with the rookies that he drafted. But when you look at Devin Carter, a guy who was drafted last year, you know, he was not drafted by Scott Perry. And so Scott Perry doesn’t have that attachment to him. And I think that’s a good thing overall just in terms of the overall roster that Scott Perry is not attached to anyone. So hopefully he does what needs to be done for this roster. So not exactly the most exciting offseason of all time. A lot of moves that you kind of look at and go whatever. You know Jonas Valenuna trade whatever Doug McDermott resigned, Drew Eubanks resigned, whatever. And you know, that’s just the reality of the situation that the Kings are in or they’re in a season where they’re probably going to be ha having to transition into the next era. And so the important thing is that Scott Perry didn’t handicap himself in any way. Didn’t really give up any future assets. Again, if he’s not able to get the Keon uh deal long term, then maybe my view of this changes. But he didn’t have to give up any future draft capital except in the Nick Clifford deal which was to of course acquire a young player which is completely fine and Scott Perry didn’t get himself into any horrible contracts that are four, five years or even you know 3 years. I think the Dennis Shruder uh signing was a pretty solid value. And so the important thing is that Scott Perry didn’t make the situation worse and didn’t put himself in worse situation contractually or assetwise. And then hopefully in the near future we can kind of pivot into our young guys and into that next era of Kings basketball because it is kind of wild how fast things crumbled. I feel like you don’t see things crumble that quickly. Like even the Phoenix Suns I feel like it took a little bit more time but you look at a team who at the start of last season was looking at being competitive being, you know, trying to get a playoff spot and building for the future and then all of a sudden you’re kind of in a position where you have to tear it down a bit, you know, the very next off season. So that sucks. But, uh, I’m excited for the next era of Kings basketball. And I’m just kind of waiting for that to happen because in my life, it’s kind of been the Demarcus Cousins era, then the Dear Fox era. And so, I’m waiting like who who is going to be that player for the next era of Kings basketball? And it is a little nerve-wracking until we for sure know the direction of the Kings because what if what I think is happening isn’t actually happening. What if Scott Perry either isn’t very smart, which I don’t think is true, or what if Vivec, you know, more likely VC is getting involved a little more and still wants to keep some of the veterans on this team and all that. You know, that would obviously not be a good move. And so, it’s a little nerve-wracking until we really do see the Kings make a move to offload some of these veterans, but I think it’s coming. And so, hopefully it comes sooner rather than later. But if we’re not looking at things in a long-term sense, which I think is important for this upcoming season to not go crazy, you know, make sure we’re looking at it in the short term and just trying to enjoy Kings basketball and a team that I think can be fun to watch and, you know, watching some of the young players as well while also enjoying some of the star players. Like I always enjoy watching Demard Rosen play. Even if I don’t think he makes sense on this Kings team and I think he does need to go, I’m still going to enjoy watching him play if he’s on this team at the start of next season. So, I think in the short term, we should just enjoy who is on this team because I think most of us fell in love with the game in the first place by just watching basketball on a game-to-ame basis and and having fun watching those players. And maybe that gets lost sometimes as we get, you know, super into it and super into our teams and want our teams to build for a championship. But I think it’s important not to lose sight of that. But the next thing to look forward to is the trade deadline. And hopefully Scott Perry is able to make some moves there. Hopefully the Kings are able to get a top pick in the 2026 draft and hopefully things turn around pretty quickly. I mean, you look at the Western Conference, a lot of teams have have passed us by. I do think and you know, maybe that’s a blessing to get a top pick. And so, the trade deadline will be the real test for Scott Perry. And again, maybe that goes into the next off season. An average offseason where things were just getting set up for the the next era of Kings basketball. Cus, maybe a B minus. We just have to be patient. But with that being said, that is it for this episode of the Roll Report. I will be back making more general NBA content revolving around the young cores around the league, which should be fun. I usually do very Kingsp specific stuff and so u it’s getting to the dead portion of the offseason like I said and so I’m trying out some more general NBA stuff and so I think that’ll be fun. So keep your eyes out for that and I will see you guys in the next one. Peace.

Welcome to The Royal Report

In this episode of The Royal Report I discuss how Scott Perry navigated his first offseason as the Kings’ GM, Dennis Schroder being the Kings big offseason signing, and drafting Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud.

0:00 A Look At The Current Roster And Situation
5:08 Dennis Schroder and Scott Perry’s Mindset
18:04 Losing LaRavia
18:44 The Draft
25:22 Moves Around The Edges
26:35 Moves Still To Come
30:04 Final Thoughts

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