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Sacramento Kings: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 16, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) looks on during the second quarter of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) looks on during the second quarter of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Georgios Papagiannis walks to the stage after being selected as the number thirteen overall pick to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Draft-Day Trade

Entering the draft, the Kings only owned the No. 8 pick and the No. 59 pick. Thanks to their trade with the Hornets and a draft-day trade with the Phoenix Suns, they were able to turn Belinelli and that eighth overall selection into two additional first-rounders.

By shipping the eighth overall pick to the Suns, the Kings acquired two of Phoenix’s first-rounders (No. 13 and No. 28). They also received the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic, a promising young player who put off joining the Suns for the 2016-17 season, and a 2020 second round pick.

Since there are so many components to this trade, it’s a hard one to grade. Overall this move was a net positive for the Kings, but their execution with those extra picks left something to be desired.

At No. 15, Sacramento made their annual head-scratcher selection of the draft, taking Greece’s Georgios Papagiannis — a player most teams probably didn’t expect to be in play until at least the 20s. That’s not to say he’s a bad prospect, but this was a stunning way for the Kings to use the first of their four draft picks.

A 7’2″ goliath, Papagiannis is an old school big: strong, plodding and in control of a complete back-to-the-basket game, but largely unathletic. He struggled in Summer League, averaging 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, shooting 35.7 percent from the field and failing to record a single block in four games.

Despite having good hands, this was a puzzling pick this high in the draft, especially for a team that already has DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein at the center spot.

With the 28th overall pick, the Kings got much better value, taking Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere. Though he’s a bit of a project, some experts thought he’d be taken somewhere in the teens. For a team that’s still somehow mired in a rebuild, having a long-term prospect with a high ceiling never hurts.

In Las Vegas, Labissiere averaged 11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game on 45.8 percent shooting. He also made three of his four three-pointers and that late in the first round, the Kings put at least one of their picks acquired from the Suns to good use.

As for Bogdanovic, he’s already one of the best players on the Serbian national team and as one of Fenerbahce Ulker’s bright young stars, he helped the team finish second in the Euroleague championship and handily win the Turkish League championship, hovering around the 40 percent mark from three-point range along the way.

However, as much as Double Bogdan might help the Kings with his shooting touch, and as great value as Sacramento got with Labissiere, that Papagiannis pick was just downright odd.

Passing on the most athletic big in the draft — Chriss — and all his immense upside at the 4-spot to take a lumbering big man like Papagiannis could come back to haunt the Kings, depending on how Labissiere pans out, when Bogdanovic finally comes over and how Chriss develops in Phoenix.

Grade: B-

Next: Sacramento's Final Draft Pick

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