The 2018-19 NBA season is only a nearing the halfway point, but it is never too early for the Sacramento Kings to plan for the future.
The Sacramento Kings have shown a lot of promise this season, as they are off to one of their best starts since the days of Chris Webber and Mike Bibby. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield are having breakout seasons and both look like future stars. Their supporting cast of Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and rookie Marvin Bagley III is not disappointing either.
This roster could very well miss the playoffs again in a loaded Western Conference. Luka Doncic is making the Dallas Mavericks into a legitimate threat to play into the postseason and other teams that came up short last season like the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets look primed to make noise come April.
The most exciting part of this Kings team, however, is its age. Bagley is 19, Fox is 21, Cauley-Stein clocks in at 25, and Bogdanovic and Hield are the oldest of the young core at 26. Their youth will give them the chance to keep the core together and play competitive basketball for the next decade.
While the future is certainly bright, the Kings are in need of a star player. The young core in Sacramento is on its way up, but bringing in talent never hurts. The Kings could benefit from adding more forwards and depth, so here are five 2019 free agents they should consider signing.
Willie Cauley Stein: Center (RFA) — Sacramento Kings
Had his rookie deal ended last year, the Kings wouldn’t have to sign him as badly as they do now. In the midst of his breakout season, Willie Cauley-Stein is scoring 13.9 points and grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game. His defense and athleticism give him the ability to get stops on one end and makes him a lob threat on the other.
With his young age, along with the improvement he’s shown this season, it is reasonable to expect other teams might throw him a big offer this summer, in the hopes he accepts and the Kings will have to decide how much they’re willing to spend on him.
If another team gives Cauley-Stein a max contract offer, the Kings likely wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) match. WCS has been great, but for max money, they could bring in a definitive improvement. Last summer, the Kings offered Zach LaVine a four-year, $78 million contract and forced the Bulls to match the offer in order to keep him. Look for another team to do something similar.
Another team could offer WCS something in the range of a four-year, $72 million contract. If he receives an offer for that amount or lower, the Kings should match, but if his price rises too high, they might be better suited in looking at alternative options.
In the end, I do see Cauley-Stein re-signing with the Kings, as he is likely their top priority come July 1.
Tobias Harris: Power Forward/Small Forward (UFA) — Los Angeles Clippers
Tobias Harris has shown steady improvement in each of his eight professional seasons and is currently in the middle a career year that has people wondering if he will be a first time All-Star. He is off to one of the best starts in the stacked Western Conference, far exceeding the expectations of many.
Despite being on four teams in his short career, Harris has shown considerable improvement season after season. He is averaging a career-high 21.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
So why wouldn’t the Clippers make retaining Harris their top priority? He is one of the best forwards in the league and is in contention for a spot on the Western Conference All-Star team, so it would only make sense for them to focus on bringing him back.
Well, it is more complicated than it initially seems. The Clippers are rumored to be planning on pursuing both Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard in free agency this summer. Both Leonard and Durant are better players than Harris, and if the Clippers legitimately believe they have a chance to bring in both of them, Harris would have to be the odd man out.
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They would definitely like to keep him, as they offered Harris an $80 million extension in July 2018 that he declined. If Harris isn’t in L.A.’s future plans, they will either have to trade him off this season or let him walk for nothing in free agency.
The Kings’ young backcourt is very talented. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield make up one of the league’s best young backcourts. Bogdan Bogdanovic has returned from injury, and while he has been great, he is better suited as the team’s sixth man. This leaves a vacancy at the starting small forward position.
Harris’ play style and abilities would mesh perfectly with the Kings. His ability to spread the floor from 3 would create ample space for Fox to drive into the paint and attack the rim. Also, he would be able to relieve Fox and Hield of their scoring duties, as putting the ball in the basket is his specialty.
Since Harris has already declined an $80 million extension, it can be expected that he will be looking for a larger pay day. At this point, Harris is not worth a max contract, and if the Kings are looking to shell out that kind of money, they should look into bigger names.
Sacramento should consider offering Harris a four-year, $90 million contract if the team decides to go in that direction. If Harris is looking for more money, the Kings should focus elsewhere, but if he were to accept, they would have a fringe All-Star to pair with their young core to get the team back to regular playoff contention.
Marcus Morris: Power Forward (UFA) — Boston Celtics
Marcus Morris has gone from the lesser of the Morris twins (behind his brother Markieff Morris) to the superior of the two as a key role player for the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have many players that thrive with the ball in their hands. Morris gives the team a break from that, as he has games where he plays a minor role with few ball touches, and then other games where he locks down the best player on the opposing team or takes on the scoring burden.
In Game 1 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, Morris held LeBron James to only 15 points and played a big role in taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games. Morris has really started to shine this season, as he has stepped up when the struggling Celtics needed him most. Morris has posted seven games of 20 points or more and has hit many clutch shots while shooting a career-high 43.1 percent from 3-point range on 5.1 attempts per game.
Morris’ newfound 3-point shot, paired with his defensive abilities, could make him a key role player for any team to pick him up. Nemanja Bjelica didn’t seem like a big offseason acquisition at the time of his signing, but his rebounding and elite 3-point shooting have helped the Kings get off to their hopeful start and led him to a career season. If the Kings signed Morris, they could unearth another hidden gem. Marcus Morris is the kind of player that would fit in on any roster, and the Kings need to take their shot to acquire him.
Come July 1, the Kings should offer Morris a two-year, $18 million contract, as $9 million annually should be enough to lure Morris from Boston while managing to not overpay him. His two-year deal would be a good trial run for the team. He surely would not be part of their future plans, and his contract would be set to expire just as the young players’ contracts are expiring, making room to give Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic and Bagley hefty deals.
Khris Middleton: Small Forward/Shooting Guard (UFA) — Milwaukee Bucks
Khris Middleton has had a very inspiring rise from obscurity as a second round draft pick. The Detroit Pistons spent their 39th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft on him and sent him to Milwaukee along with Brandon Knight in exchange for Brandon Jennings after one season on the team.
There were little to no expectations for Middleton and I’m sure that if he had ended up being a serviceable bench player, Milwaukee would’ve been perfectly content. Much to everyone’s surprise, Middleton has become a top-10 player at his position and a highly coveted asset for one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. Middleton is on a very team-friendly contract right now and will surely receive generous offers this summer.
Over the past few seasons, Middleton has proven to be a top-tier wing man for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will definitely be looking to keep his talents on a long-term deal. There will presumably will be many teams throwing offers at Middleton, and the Kings should be one of them.
His elite 3-point shooting would be an advancement of Sacramento’s “floor-spacers surrounding De’Aaron Fox” formula. Middleton would also be able to defend opposing teams’ best guards, letting Fox and Buddy Hield take a breather on the defensive end. He has great size for a swingman, which can help him shoot over shorter opponents, as well as grabbing a cool 5.9 rebounds per game.
Middleton probably isn’t worth a max contract, but he does deserve a large paycheck, which the Bucks will probably offer him. If they balk, however, Sacramento should offer him a three-year, $80 million deal. If Middleton wants more money, the Kings should forget it and move on. If they were to spend too much on someone, they ought to target one of the top players instead.
Nikola Mirotic: Power Forward (UFA) — New Orleans Pelicans
Due to a nagging ankle injury, Nikola Mirotic has slowed down recently after his burning hot start to the season when he opened the year with two consecutive 30-point games. Nonetheless, he has been a fantastic second option for Anthony Davis, a role previously filled by DeMarcus Cousins. Mirotic is still having a career season scoring the ball, as he contributes 17.4 points per outing.
Acquiring Mirotic would open many opportunities for the Kings. His play style is essentially that of an upgraded Nemanja Bjelica, who is also in the midst of a career season as well. Mirotic could take over the starting small forward or power forward role, moving either Iman Shumpert or Bjelica to the bench.
If management or head coach Dave Joerger don’t want to alter the starting lineup, Mirotic could be the team’s sixth man. Either way, Mirotic would be yet another shooter for the Kings.
Mirotic will definitely receive several offers, as his play style fits the modern NBA perfectly and stretch-bigs are incredibly valuable. The Kings should offer him a three-year, $60 million contract. Of all the 2019 free agents, Mirotic could be the best fit for Sacramento. His play style would mesh very well with the players already on the roster and his ability to heat up from downtown could help the Kings make a playoff push.