2017 NBA free agency grades: Sacramento Kings to add Zach Randolph
In the second of two signings they made on Tuesday, the Sacramento Kings have agreed to a two-year, $24 million deal with Zach Randolph.
One free agent signing wasn’t enough for the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
First reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Kings have reportedly agreed to terms on a two-year, $24 million deal with veteran big man Zach Randolph. As David Aldridge of NBA.com noted shortly after Wojnarowski’s report, both years in Randolph’s deal will be fully guaranteed.
The addition of Randolph reunites him with his former coach Dave Joerger and brings a close to his time with the Memphis Grizzlies after eight memorable seasons.
Randolph had reportedly emerged as a target for the Kings on the opening day of free agency, but Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee followed up days later saying that Randolph coming to Sacramento felt more unlikely, with the Cleveland Cavaliers rising as serious contenders to land the 36-year-old.
While still the bruising presence that he’s long been known to be, it’s undoubtedly obvious that Randolph has entered the final stages of his career.
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Although he had flirted with a sixth man-type role at times under Dave Joerger, Randolph fully embraced his role coming off the bench for the Grizzlies last season by only logging five starts in 73 appearances.
Not only did he do that, but he produced at an incredible rate as well, as he scored 20.7 points and grabbed 12.7 rebounds per 36 minutes.
With the Grizzlies seemingly taking on a different approach in regards to their long-term future, what they lose in Randolph becomes the Kings’ gain.
Now by joining Sacramento, Randolph immediately becomes the team’s most experienced player on the roster.
Like in the case of Hill, Randolph’s veteran expertise and leadership is ultimately the biggest appeal of his signing.
Having promising first and second year players in Harry Giles and Skal Labissiere, Randolph is the ideal big man to show them the ropes as they acclimate to playing with toughness and learn to do what’s necessary in order to play down low by the basket.
Whether he’ll take on a similar reserve role with the Kings is not yet known, but that will prove to be the biggest question for Joerger and his staff as they try to find the balance of letting the young kids run wild, mistakes and all, vs. relying on the tried and true Randolph.
George Hill and Randolph entering the fold effectively ended the Kings’ pursuit of Otto Porter Jr., who they had reportedly offered a max contract over the weekend (Porter ultimately ended up reaching agreement on a max offer sheet with the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night).
Make no mistake, bringing in a player of Randolph’s stature immediately adds a level of prestige for the Kings as they continue to refresh the culture inside their locker room and their reputation around the league.
Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far
So far, so good in regards to the moves the Kings have made this offseason and with one key position left to address in free agency, they aren’t far from executing the exact type of offseason that was needed from them to finally start moving forward.
Grade: B+