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Sacramento Kings: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 13, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) knocks the ball out of the hands of Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) knocks the ball out of the hands of Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sacramento Kings
April 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) looks on during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena. The Pelicans defeated the Kings 101-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Overall

The Sacramento Kings made quite a few moves this summer, but even if they’re a better team in 2015-16, I’m not sure they’re better off for it unless they somehow shock the world and make the playoffs. Being in the Western Conference, that seems highly unlikely.

What the Kings did this summer will have consequences for years to come. They essentially traded important pieces of their potential future away to clear up cap space…all so they could sign Rajon Rondo, Marco Belinelli and Kosta Koufos.

Forgive me if I’m not particularly over the moon about that kind of tradeoff, even if Sacramento’s new roster is tailor-made for an NBA version of Hard Knocks.

The drama between cornerstone DeMarcus Cousins and head coach George Karl does little to reassure anyone that this franchise knows what it’s doing. A few weeks ago, Karl was reportedly trying to convince the front office to ship him away and Cousins publicly labeled him as a snake in the grass. Now they’re somehow supposed to try and bury the hatchet to make this work?

Even better, we’re expected to believe that adding a personality like Rajon Rondo to the mix will alleviate the tension?

Then you consider what Sacramento missed out on. Monta Ellis turned down more money to avoid playing in Sac-town. Wesley Matthews reportedly did the same, opting for the Dallas Mavericks rather than accepting the Kings’ four-year, $64 million offer. Hell, even Andrea Bargnani turned down a contract from the Kings to play elsewhere.

Even with Sacramento vastly outbidding the market, they couldn’t get a quality move done, and it speaks volumes about the state of the organization and the league-wide perception that accompanies it. With the center position crowded, Rondo getting overpaid and hardly any of Sacramento’s decisions making any sort of sense, this offseason was a failure for the Kings.

Grade: D

Next: Golden State Warriors: Grading The Offseason

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