Jusuf Nurkic: 3 potential landing spots in 2018 free agency
By Ty Delbridge
3. Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings might be one of the least predictable teams in all of the NBA. When it comes to trades, the draft or free agency, nobody ever knows what to expect from the Kings. If they happen to like Jusuf Nurkic, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Kings offer a relatively large contract. The Kings have the fourth-most practical cap space in the NBA, according to Spotrac.
They have Willie Cauley-Stein, Harry Giles and Kosta Koufos as their centers. Cauley-Stein is a promising player, but Nurkic is arguably better than him and would be an improvement. Plus, both guys are built completely different and play differently.
The Kings just drafted power forward Marvin Bagley III second overall. While Bagley takes his time to grow his body and game, Nurkic could handle the true center responsibilities. He could fight for rebounds, set screens, protect the rim and defend larger centers while Bagley is developing.
The two of them could turn into a monster frontcourt for Sacramento. Nurkic gives the Kings a post scorer and someone with the ability to make plays down low. The Kings don’t have a primary scoring option at the moment, and Nurkic could be that guy for them.
Sacramento is one of the youngest teams in the league and needs to find guys they can build around along with Bagley and De’Aaron Fox. Nurkic has the potential to become a top center in the league and might thrive playing on a team like the Kings with no expectations at the moment. They are not a team free agents usually go to, but this summer they may be one of the only teams with money and could use it to find up-and-coming guys with potential like Nurkic.