The 2019 NBA Offseason could prove to be an impactful one for the Sacramento Kings. Coming off a season of surpassed expectations, Sacramento has a chance to take the next step. To do so, the Sacramento Kings should have a few specific free agents they should target.
Sacramento Kings: Free Agents to Target This Offseason
The Sacramento Kings were among the pleasant surprises of last season. Without their 2019 first round draft pick and boasting a young core, many were not high on the prospects of the Kings’ season. In what looked to be a blueprint for a down year resulted in a leap for this franchise.
The Kings improved their record from 27 wins to 39 wins and was in playoff contention towards the end of the season. De’Aaron Fox took a second-year leap alongside the sharpshooting of Buddy Hield. Sacramento leveraged their youth to literally tire out their opponents, being amongst the leaders in pace. With developing players like Marvin Bagley, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Harry Giles returning, the Kings finally have a positive culture to build upon.
The culture change has gifted the Kings the opportunity to add the right talent via free agency. Finally, Sacramento has the potential of being a sought-out destination for free agents. If Vlade Divac and Luke Walton play this summer right, the Kings could end their postseason drought next year.
Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes chose to opt out of his contract with the Sacramento Kings, and the belief is that both parties are mutually interested in a long-term deal. While he is not so much of a free agent that Sacramento is “chasing” per se, he should be a top priority. In the 28 games he played with the Kings, Barnes averaged 14.3 points per game on 45 percent shooting.
Odds are he will not get the max-type of money compared to the other big name free agents of this summer. But if he does want the long-term deal, he’ll likely get it from Sacramento and the Kings should have no issue offering this. Harrison Barnes fills a hole they desperately need to fill. At 27 years old he fits in perfectly with the timeline of this rebuild.
Khris Middleton
In the alternate scenario where Harrison Barnes decides his interests lie outside of Sacramento, the Kings could make a play after the Milwaukee Bucks‘ Khris Middleton. Middleton is another long wing-player that fills the hole at the small forward spot. Middleton is also coming off his first All-Star season. Chances are Middleton is commanding top dollar, but that is the reason why Sacramento is in play.
Theoretically, if Sacramento allows Barnes to test the market and they bring back only the seven players on guaranteed contracts, the Kings could have near 62 million dollars in cap space. Sacramento could then make the move of offering a majority of that space in the form of a max contract to Middleton. It would be up to Divac and Walton to decide if Middleton’s value is worth the money. Middleton averaged 18.3 points per game and shot 44 percent overall for the Bucks. His reliability behind the arc and ability to defend on the other end could be a welcome addition for a growing Sacramento squad.
Nikola Vucevic
If Sacramento decides to let Willie Cauley-Stein walk then among their priorities could be to address the center spot. Marvin Bagley or Harry Giles ideally could play the five, but they are much suited at the power forward position. To help fill the void Sacramento could target another first time All-Star in Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic.
Vucevic averaged a double-double last season with 20.8 points per game and 12 rebounds per game. If Sacramento instead chooses to let Barnes and Cauley-Stein walk then Vucevic should be the next free agent to target. He would be an experienced veteran that could do well in helping develop alongside the younger core already established.
Al Horford
A few weeks ago it would have been odd to fathom Al Horford in a Kings jersey but now there is a possibility. According to reports, Horford is looking, and may already have, a four-year deal that will make him leave the Boston Celtics. Similar to the scenario above, if Sacramento chooses to focus on another big free agent signing, Horford could make sense.
At 33 years old he may be older than this team may prefer, but a veteran presence is exactly what this young team would welcome. It was just two seasons ago that Horford was an All-Star. Even at his age, Horford still averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Celtics. While the Kings excel in the transition game, their half-court offense needs improvement. With the cap space available, Sacramento and Horford could make a pairing in the summer.
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