What the Kings Should Do in Free Agency

The Sacramento Kings made a trade on draft night that set them up for free agency beautifully. Going into the draft they were going to be over the salary cap. That meant they could only re-sign Harrison Barnes and sign players to a mid-level exception and bi-annual exception. These two deals would’ve been worth $12.4 million and $4.5 million respectively. Normally, this is what a team in their situation would be expected to do. The Kings have already shown that their roster is capable of success. But with their draft-night trade, they’ve set themselves up for a potentially deep playoff run.

During the 2023 NBA Draft, the Kings traded pick 24 along with Richaun Holmes to the Dallas Mavericks. In return, the Kings received a traded-player-exception (TPE). The TPE that they acquired from Dallas was worth about $17 million. Alongside the $12.9 million that Holmes’ contract was worth for this upcoming season, the Kings now have roughly $30 million to work with in free agency this year. The Kings also drafted Colby Jones, a two-way guard from Xavier, at 34. Many boards and projections had him going in the middle or late first round because of his high defensive IQ. Moving forward, the Kings are set to make a potential splash in free agency this year. But what move should they make?

Should They Swing for the Fences?

Players at the top of this year’s free agency pool include Khris Middleton and Kyle Kuzma. As enticing as players like this are, there’s no reason for the Kings to make this splash. None of them are superstar players that will tip the needle toward their first championship. Kyle Kuzma doesn’t have the defensive skills necessary to help the Kings. Khris Middleton, though significantly better on defense, isn’t a power forward. Even if the Kings re-sign Barnes, the Kings are still struggling at the 4. It would be better for their scheme to simply re-sign Barnes and pursue depth and defense.

If the Kings were going to sign a big name, it should be Jerami Grant. Grant should be the primary goal of free agency if the Kings want to sign a big name. He has the ability to defend all five positions on the court without being an offensive liability. At only 29 years old, he still has at least 3 years of solid contribution. The projected starting lineup would be a strong force in the West. De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Jerami Grant and Domantas Sabonis is an incredibly well-rounded lineup. This gives their bench the addition of Keegan Murray at the PF position.

Should They Play it Safe?

The Kings could also forgo signing any big names in pursuit of several smaller names to fill out their bench. They still need to pursue improvement with the rotation of their bigs. Their bench unit at the power forward and center spots is not nearly the quality it needs to be. It would be smart of them to re-sign their backup center Chimezie Metu. But other options exist. Jakob Poeltl may be willing to take a sixth-man role on the team for the right price. Drew Eubanks, Bismack Biyombo and Moritz Wagner are also available for affordable prices. All of which have their own upsides.

When it comes to free agency this year, the ball is in the King’s court.

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