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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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Sacramento Kings
Mar 5, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Arron Afflalo (4) against the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Acquiring Afflalo

The Kings walked away from the draft with four young rookies and traded away one of their older shooting guards in the process. That makes the decision to sign Arron Afflalo to a two-year, $25 million contract all the more perplexing.

To be fair, Afflalo makes some sense on this team if they want to be competitive next season, and it’s not terrible value under the skyrocketing salary cap either. But with Cousins’ future increasingly in doubt, it feels like Afflalo was the kind of player the Kings should’ve signed last season, when they were trying to put something together.

Last year in New York, Afflalo averaged 12.8 points per game and shot 38.3 percent from three-point range, but he regularly frustrated Knicks fans with his shot selection. It’s clear that at this point in his career, when he’ll turn 31 in October, he’s no longer a difference-maker.

There’s a reason Kendrick Lamar used to be jealous of Arron Afflalo.

Paying that kind of player $12.5 million a year seems like a typical Kings decision, although we shouldn’t ignore that only $1.5 million is guaranteed in the second year of his contract.

Afflalo gives the Kings a steadier hand at shooting guard compared to James Anderson, and he’ll be useful in a pinch if they foolishly decide to give up on McLemore. But should that really be the goal for a team that should be trying to rebuild through its youth?

Grade: C-

Next: Adding An Anthony

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