Sacramento Kings: Crowded frontcourt complicates 2019-20 outlook
By Alec Liebsch
2019-20 roster
Key additions: Cory Joseph (free agency), Trevor Ariza (free agency), Kyle Guy (undrafted free agent), Dewayne Dedmon (free agency), Richaun Holmes (free agency), Justin James (free agency), Tyler Lydon (free agency)
Key subtractions: Willie Cauley-Stein (free agency), Alec Burks (free agency), Frank Mason (free agency), Corey Brewer (free agency), Kosta Koufos (Europe), B.J. Johnson (waived)
Size is the name of the game with this season’s Sacramento Kings, as they now employ approximately 26 players whose best positions are the 4 or 5. That clunkiness could make the rotation difficult to manage, but overall the roster is markedly better than last season.
The catch, though, is at what cost it is better. Harrison Barnes was overpaid by Dallas three summers ago, and has once again gotten a big payday to the tune of a four-year, $85 million contract. Cory Joseph is a fine rotation guard, but a three-year, $37.2 million deal for that caliber player reeks of the 2016 offseason. Ditto for Dewayne Dedmon’s three-year, $40 million hit.
On the other hand, the only contract that goes past 2021 is Barnes’. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield (and hopefully Bogdan Bogdanovic) will likely join that mix with their upcoming extensions, but the Kings didn’t screw themselves.
That being said, more than half their payroll is going to Barnes and the trio of competent veterans. Dedmon’s deal feels especially egregious considering he’s a full-time 5; Marvin Bagley and Harry Giles deserve more tick than they will get at that spot.
As a result of this overload in the frontcourt, the backcourt is a bit thin. Behind Fox and Hield, only Bogdanovic, Joseph and Yogi Ferrell are documented ball handlers. Should Fox or Joseph miss time, is it truly feasible to rely on Point Bogdan?
If Barnes is going to take up that much of the cap you’d hope he’s a solution, but he has given minimal evidence of playmaking chops in the NBA.
This roster is cool and competent, but without some unexpected gains, its ceiling might be capped.