Sacramento Kings: Complete 2017 offseason grades

Josh Cornelissen

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

The Sacramento Kings were incredibly busy this offseason, overhauling more than half the roster. How should their summer be graded?

Teams talk about organizational change, turning a franchise’s direction toward the positive and raising the level of maturity and culture from top to bottom. Few teams are able to follow through on that discussion. The Sacramento Kings may have been the exception.

Beginning with the DeMarcus Cousins trade last February, Sacramento has been vocal and active in instituting widespread changes to their roster. Long a joke of a franchise, spending more time cleaning up off-court messes than winning basketball games, the team is intentionally adding players whose dossiers include “culture builder” in the strengths section.

That doesn’t mean it’s an immediate change, nor a linear one — the most notable news item for the Kings over the past month was the arrest of newly signed big man Zach Randolph. But the changes have been evident, and it’s clear to players, fans and rival teams that this team is serious. They don’t want to be the laughingstock of the league any more.

If the culture change began in February, it was accelerated on draft night. From draft night through the first few weeks of free agency, few teams overhauled their roster as much as the Kings, who now have a packed roster. Willie Cauley-Stein, drafted in 2015, is now the longest-tenured player on the team.

How should fans and other observers judge their offseason? Busy doesn’t mean successful, and new faces aren’t necessarily an improvement. While a team at the bottom has nowhere to go but up, the Kings haven’t been able to climb out of the morass in a decade. Will this season be any different? Here’s a look at Sacramento’s complete offseason grades.

Drafting De’Aaron Fox

The point guard position has been a specific area of turmoil for the Kings, as they have cycled through inconsistent options while letting the best options walk for little or nothing. Instead of Isaiah Thomas, the team has tried to cobble together a decent starter from the likes of Darren Collison, Ty Lawson and Rajon Rondo in recent years.

Now that time is past, as the Kings used the fifth overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft on Kentucky Wildcat De’Aaron Fox. The first words off the lips of those describing Fox aren’t about measurable stats, but rather the intangibles. Competitor. Driven. Culture. Teammate. Winner.

Trading No. 10 for No. 15 and 20

The Sacramento Kings received a significant amount of blowback from their trade of DeMarcus Cousins at the trade deadline last February, but they also received a first round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans. That pick ended up as the 10th overall pick, giving the Kings a pair of lottery picks heading into draft night.

They proceeded to pull off a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, flipping the 10th overall pick for picks No. 15 and 20. Portland took Gonzaga center Zach Collins, while the Kings took North Carolina wing Justin Jackson and Duke forward Harry Giles, respectively.

In a vacuum, did the Kings make the right play in terms of pure value, trading the 10th pick for two later choices? While there is no official objective source, Nick Restifo of FanSided.com put together a table based on expected value from each draft slot. That table would suggest that the Kings traded 4.11 wins in added value (the 10th pick) for 4.85 wins of added value (picks 15 + 20). So on paper at least, Sacramento won that swap.

In basketball the subjective cannot help but creep into these discussions, but here that comes out in favor of the Kings as well. Many teams are better served taking one great player than two good options, the reason being that roster spots are relatively limited compared to the other major sports and that teams have commitments to a lot of other players already. The Kings, however, have cleaned ship and had plenty of openings to add extra players.

Secondly, Sacramento has not set the world on fire with its draft selections in recent years. On the contrary, since taking Cousins the team has whiffed on lottery pick after lottery pick. Just last season they took a player in Georgios Papagiannis who would have been a surefire second round pick before the Kings took him 13th overall. Trusting their own draft grades would be foolish, and therefore giving themselves two cracks at the apple is the smart thing to do.

Both sides combine to make the move itself a success. Whatever one thinks of Collins, Jackson or Giles, Sacramento made the right move to trade down and add more picks, and therefore more young talent.

Grade: A

Photo by Jack Arent/NBAE via Getty Images

Drafting Justin Jackson

The North Carolina Tar Heels claimed their sixth national championship in April, led by three-year player Justin Jackson. A strong tournament run by Carolina — on the heels of a similar run the year before as runner-ups — contributed to the rising stock of Jackson leading into the NBA Draft.

It was expected that Jackson would declare for the draft, and he did, immediately leading to speculation on where he would land. Jackson’s greatest strength, shooting, was both increasingly valued in the league as a whole and desperately needed by teams choosing throughout the first round.

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With the length and foot speed to be a solid wing defender, Jackson projected — and still does — to be a solid 3-and-D wing. The Kings had a gaping hole on the wing, both for next season and for the future. They selected Jackson with the 15th pick in order to fill that hole.

The problem is that Jackson has serious red flags in both the “3” and the “D” portions of that projected role. While he was a knockdown shooter last season at North Carolina, the year before he shot just 29 percent from long range as a sophomore. Was the increase a sign of development, or more attributed to a one-season spike?

Defensively Jackson is rail-thin, checking in at just 193 pounds despite standing at 6’8”. Many NBA wings are much larger and stronger than that, especially combo forwards that are now littering the league. It may be years before Jackson has the requisite size and strength to capably guard 3s, let alone 4s.

Jackson is another high-character player, a veteran leader while in college and a kid who has kept his nose clean off the court. That alone has value for Sacramento. But with two lottery picks they had the opportunity to get two stars, and in taking Jackson they are capping the potential of the 15th pick with a player who at his best will just be a capable starter. There are worse things you can do with a pick — see Papagiannis, Georgios — but there was the potential for more here.

Grade: C

Drafting Harry Giles

If the Kings went for a “safe” pick at 15, they did a complete about-face at No. 20. After taking an elite talent at point guard and a wing option, the Kings went for a big man with their third first round pick, selecting Harry Giles out of Duke.

Giles was one of the premier talents in the high school class of 2016, and coming into his freshman year at Duke was ranked first in the entire class. Other players ranked just behind Giles such as Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, and Markelle Fultz entered their freshman seasons fully healthy; Giles came in still recovering from his second torn ACL in three seasons.

While the aforementioned freshman were joined by Malik Monk, Fox, Lonzo Ball and Jonathan Isaac in putting together an impressive showing for first-year players in college basketball last season, Giles struggled to return from his injury. He became nothing more than a role player on a Duke team bounced from the tournament in the Round of 32.

If Giles’ struggles last season were simply due to a slow recovery from knee surgery, then the Kings may have the steal of the draft on their roster. Giles’ combination of skill and athleticism made him the dominant force in high school basketball whenever he was healthy. The Harry Giles who ranked first in his class projects as a long-term starter at the 4 for the Kings.

But three knee surgeries is a lot for any player, even one as young as Giles. It’s possible the player who struggled to find consistent minutes in college is the new Giles, and his athleticism and explosion will never be the same. That doesn’t mean he can’t carve out a role in the league, but another knee injury could doom his career.

The risk of taking a player like Giles 10th in the draft would have been enormous. By splitting the 10th pick into two, the Kings not only got two chances at an impact player, they were able to take a realistic swing at adding a true star talent. Harry Giles is the biggest risk-reward prospect in this draft class, and the Kings were right to take the risk. The reward could be tremendous.

Grade: B+

Drafting Frank Mason III

The best way to completely overhaul the point guard position is to make a wholesale change. The Kings did exactly that this offseason, cleaning out their roster and adding three new point guards. If De’Aaron Fox is the future starting point guard, then Sacramento selected his long-term backup in Frank Mason III.

Last season Kansas did what it seemingly always does — winning the Big 12 before losing too early in the NCAA Tournament. While Josh Jackson was the team’s freshman phenom, their best player was Mason, who led the team in scoring and won the Wooden Award for best player in the country.

Bringing over Bogdan Bogdanovic

Last June the Sacramento Kings took the first major step in their youth movement, trading down from the eighth pick in the draft to acquire three assets. The Phoenix Suns sent them pick No. 13, pick No. 28, a future second round pick and the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The Serbian guard is just 25, and yet is already an old hand overseas. Bodanovic spent the last three seasons in the Turkish Basketball League, and was arguably their best player the last two seasons.

Last year he was one of the best players in all of Europe, leading Turkish club Fener to the EuroLeague title. Bogdanovic has also been a prominent member of the Serbian Olympic team, helping them to a silver medal finish in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

With exclusive rights to negotiate with Bogdanovic, the Kings signed him to a contract that will pay him $27 million over three seasons. As with most contracts this summer, the numbers look reasonable — perhaps even tiny — compared to the numbers of last season, but inflated by the terms of years past.

Overall it’s probably more than Sacramento needed to pay, but if they waited too long to bring him over they would have lost his rights. This compromise adds a talented backcourt player to a crowded group, but could solidify a long-term piece for the Kings at either the 2 or the 3.

Bogdanovic is a relative unknown rigt now, but his international pedigree at both the club and national levels suggests he can be a real contributor in the NBA. At $9 million per year, that’s a very fair price.

Grade: B-

Signing George Hill

This summer two immovable forces collided in the NBA world. The free agent class of point guards was stronger than any other position group. From a prior MVP in Stephen Curry to All-Stars Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague, there were a lot of players expecting to receive a lot of money.

George Hill belonged among that group based on talent and production, but also failed to fully reach that level due to to missed time recovering from injuries. Even so, Hill and the remainder of the list all expected massive pay days

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The skyrocketing cap of last year fell back to earth, with a much smaller increase setting the salary cap at just $99 million. There were fewer teams with cap space than last season, and the value of a dollar was much different. Players wouldn’t be able to expect the same level of payouts.

In addition, a strong rookie point guard class meant there were fewer teams that needed point guards. Philadelphia, Dallas and Los Angeles took themselves out of the running, limiting the potential suitors for these point guards wanting major paydays.

Curry got his payday, and Paul took himself off of the market. Holiday used his leverage over New Orleans to extract a major contract. Jeff Teague signed a valuable but surprisingly short deal to join the Timberwolves. Suddenly the money and the landing places were all but dried up.

Kyle Lowry re-signed with Toronto for a much smaller deal than would have been initially predicted, both in annual value and length. Hill was unable to do the same, as Utah moved on quickly and traded for Ricky Rubio in their quest to convince Gordon Hayward to stay.

That climate was such that George Hill found himself signing a three-year, $57 million contract, with just $1 million guaranteed in 2019-20. The Kings should be applauded for not giving away the farm for Hill when he was the last high-end option available. On the other hand, their money was some of the only money remaining, and with Fox and Mason in tow and no realistic playoff aspirations, they weren’t hard-pressed to add a point guard.

If Hill stays relatively healthy then he will be worth the money in a vacuum. But in signing him the Kings are hurting themselves on both ends, blocking Fox and Mason from playing time while improving their overall team enough to worsen their draft pick. The effectively two-year contract may seem to come without long-term damage, but the truth is that there is damage potential in multiple areas.

The Kings have made worse mistakes in the past, and this is a defensible move. Signing George Hill to be a veteran presence and guide the offense as Fox comes along makes sense, even if they could have spent significantly less to cast Raymond Felton or Ramon Sessions, or to bring back Ty Lawson.

George Hill is a talented player, and if he can stay healthy he also becomes a potential trade piece down the road. On the scale of Sacramento mistakes this is light enough to approach not being a mistake at all. It’s a start.

Grade: B-

Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images

Signing Zach Randolph

Not content simply to sign one veteran player to an expensive contract, a second deal was announced on the heels of the George Hill deal. The 36 year-old Zach Randolph was signed to a two-year, $24 million contract and reunited with former Memphis coach Dave Joerger. If Hill was there to mentor the young guards, then perhaps Randolph was there to do the same for Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and the other young bigs.

Randolph entered the league as something of a headache for the various organizations that employed his services, keeping the narrative on his off-court antics instead of on-court accomplishments. But a long stint in Memphis marked a rehabilitation of his image and reputation, as well as his career.

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Sacramento must have been hoping for a player who could model the path from troubled young player to model citizen — in other words, a player who walked the same road that the organization was now traveling.

The problem with the signing is threefold. The first two are the same reasons the George Hill deal was less than stellar; Randolph is an expensive veteran mentor when plenty of other players were available for much cheaper. In addition, his presence blocks playing time for the young players who represent Sacramento’s future.

The final problem is that Randolph has already proven not to be the squeaky clean veteran mentor the team was hoping for. Randolph was arrested in early August and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

This post is not a declaration of Randolph’s innocence or guilt, nor is it a declaration that he is unfit to serve as a mentor. But Sacramento was hoping for a player above all reproach, and they have spent years with the spotlight forced off the court again and again by other issues.

For $12 million a year, Randolph is costing the team significant money to either block the development of the young players or sit on the bench. When the games aren’t being played, he’s already shown that the Kings cannot rely on him to keep the focus on the team. That adds up to a wasted use of resources.

Grade: D

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Signing Vince Carter

After agreeing to terms with George Hill and Zach Randolph, the team decided it needed one more veteran contributor. Instead of clogging another position, however, this time they handed out just a one-year contract at their true position of need on the wing. A second former Grizzlies player was reunited with Dave Joerger as the team signed Vince Carter to a one-year, $8 million deal.

At 40 years of age, Carter is surprisingly hanging on in the league without being a benchwarmer. He appeared in 73 games last season, reinventing himself as a rugged team defender and outside shooter for Memphis. He knocked down almost 38 percent of his deep shots, and ranked third on the team in blocks.

Carter won’t be blocking players if he comes in for 15-20 minutes off of the bench every night, or even if he starts. The only young small forward on the team is Justin Jackson, who can easily settle into a rotation with Carter.

While the team still committed a significant sum to Carter, it’s a one-year deal for less annually than either Hill or Randolph received. He represents the true answer to the question of who to bring in as a veteran mentor, and should be a good part of Sacramento’s rebuild.

Grade: A-

Overall

The Sacramento Kings followed through on their major move at the deadline, exorcising the demons of the past and starting fresh with a completely new roster. Nine players on the 15-man roster were drafted in the last three years, eight of them in the first round. Even the veterans are new, with just Kosta Koufos (2015) and Garrett Temple (2016) signed before this summer.

It would seem that the Kings have completely embraced the youth movement, even if they stumbled in the execution with the contracts and choices for the veteran mentors. This team is loaded with young talent, and if just a few players “hit,” this team has a good chance to end its playoff drought in a few seasons.

The Kings of old would have handed out long contracts and even given up long-term assets to add short-term players. This Kings front office isn’t exactly savvy, but by comparison they are steering the ship in a much better direction. Even if their veteran signings flop, Sacramento can basically reset in two years.

They managed draft assets well, taking players that fit their culture-first ethos and would play hard on both ends of the court. There was no gross misunderstanding of draft value such as the Papagiannis selection last year, and they came away from the draft with four players to hang onto.

In total, the team now has multiple young players at nearly every position. De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III are long-term options at the point, while Buddy Hield, Malachi Richardson and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all excellent shooters at the 2. Justin Jackson is on the wing, Skal Labissiere and Harry Giles are at the 4, and Willie Cauley-Stein is at the 5.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Complete 2017 offseason grades

This team is moving out of the period of correcting for the mistakes of the past, and this season can begin to focus solely on the future. For the first time in years there are legitimate reasons to be excited about what is ahead for this team.

Final Grade: B

Josh Cornelissen

Josh is a Senior NBA Site Expert at FanSided, writing about the entire NBA. Covering basketball online since 2015, Josh is an avid fan of the NBA, WNBA, and college hoops, with a special love for NBA history. His grasp of the CBA allows him to go deep into the NBA's transactions and determine whether this trade or that signing is legal under the second tax apron. He lives near Atlanta, GA, with his wife and young sons, where he also serves as a pastor at his church, plays board games with friends, and re-ranks the Star Wars movies incessantly.