2019 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Dewayne Dedmon: 3 years, $41 million (Sacramento Kings)
Free agent center Dewayne Dedmon has agreed to a three-year, $41M deal with the Sacramento Kings, agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2019
Al Horford was the dream scenario, but when it became clear that wasn’t going to fall into place, the Sacramento Kings quickly pivoted to a surprising three-year, $41 million deal for Dewayne Dedmon.
The addition of Dedmon himself is terrific. He’ll be a great fit on a young Kings roster that needs a center, and he’s underrated defender and floor-spacer who averaged 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in just 25.1 minutes per game last year. His pick-and-pop ability and 38.2 percent shooting from 3 last year will be a boon to an offense run by De’Aaron Fox.
However, the price tag is a bit hefty, even in a market where the Kings were always going to have to overpay to attract talent. No one was expecting a deal quite this large for Dedmon, so while the basketball addition itself is sound, the deal has to be docked a few points because of the contract.
Grade: C+