Sacramento Kings Find Free-Agent Steal with Ramon Sessions Signing
The Sacramento Kings opted to work out a sign-and-trade that sent former point guard Isaiah Thomas to the Phoenix Suns rather than pay him the four-year, $27 million contract he ultimately commanded.
And while the addition of Darren Collison goes a ways toward offsetting that loss, the organization remained in need of backcourt depth—particularly after agreeing to trade 15-year veteran Jason Terry to the Houston Rockets.
With the 2014-15 season suddenly around the corner, Sacramento has taken action.
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that, "Free-agent guard Ramon Sessions has reached agreement on a two-year, $4.2 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, league sources told Yahoo Sports."
The deal—which, as Wojnarowski notes, uses the biannual exception—is a low-risk venture for the franchise.
Sessions remains a capable rotation player and has proven throughout his seven-year career that he can start in a pinch. The 28-year-old averaged 12.3 points and 4.1 assists after splitting time between the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) and Milwaukee Bucks.
After playing his first 55 games (and the 2012-13 season) in Charlotte, Sessions' playing time swelled to 32.5 minutes per contest in 28 games with Milwaukee, yielding a corresponding spike in production and efficiency.
Given the right opportunities, the Nevada product has certainly had his moments.
The Kings reportedly view Sessions as a combo-guard.
USA Today's Sam Amick notes that he, "will be used at both the point guard and shooting guard positions," a testament both to Sessions' versatility and the extent to which Sacramento may view him as an integral part of the rotation.
NBCSports.com's Brett Pollakoff went so far as to suggest that, "It could easily be argued that Sessions is the best point guard on the roster, and deserving of a spot in the team's starting lineup."
Though Collison—who's scheduled to make $16 million over the next three seasons—figures to have a better shot at that starting job, the point remains that Sessions probably won't have to beg for playing time. The last two summers' lottery picks—Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas—should see plenty of minutes at shooting guard, but Sessions' experience makes him an attractive option at both backcourt positions.
Reserve point guard Ray McCallum—taken with the 36th overall pick in 2013—is entering just his second season.
As The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones notes, "The Kings were looking for a veteran ball-handler to go with Collison, because McCallum is still a young player, and the only other option to run the offense might have been rookie Stauskas."
So there's a very real need for someone of Sessions' pedigree.
To be sure, Sessions won't radically alter Sacramento's fate. This is still a team coming off of a 28-win season. It's still a team that gave up 103.4 points per contest last season, ranking 23rd in defensive efficiency according to Hollinger's NBA Team Statistics.
The 6'3" Sessions affords head coach Mike Malone some valuable size (and skill) at the point guard spot, but he certainly won't reverse the club's fortunes single-handedly.
If we're being honest, there's a reason he was still available this late in the offseason despite being in the prime of his career. While the Houston Rockets were reportedly interested in acquiring him from Milwaukee via sign-and-trade, the market for Sessions' services has been anything but robust.
He's not a top-shelf defender, and his inability to stick with a franchise for any extended period of time has to make you wonder.
A career that's spanned five different teams and a variety of roles on and off the bench has yet to translate into a long-term home. That once seemed bound to change when Sessions was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012.
After 23 regular-season games and mixed postseason results, however, the two sides parted ways when Sessions opted to pursue a more stable situation elsewhere.
"It was one of those situations I looked at like, 'If I do come back what if they trade me?'" Sessions told Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears after signing with Charlotte. "There were talks about getting Deron [Williams]. They always wanted the bigger-named guy. What if I get traded to a team and it's my contract year?"
Ultimately, Charlotte wasn't the answer, and Sessions was traded in February along with Jeff Adrien to Milwaukee in exchange for Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour.
Sessions has come a long way. He was drafted with the 56th overall pick in 2007 and spent time in the NBA Development League with the Tulsa 66ers during the 2007-08 season.
Just remaining in the league is an accomplishment in its own right. Nothing has come easily for Sessions.
But as early as 2008, he dropped 24 assists in a game with the Bucks. In 2009, he scored a career-high 44 points in an overtime loss against the Detroit Pistons. Later that season, he posted his first triple-double (which included 16 assists) against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Those are signs of undeniable talent, and finding the right team fit may very well pave the way for similar results.
Is Sacramento that fit?
Possibly.
Malone has cultivated some much-needed stability and toughness, perhaps laying a foundation for the kind of defensive transformation that might finally elevate this team into the playoff picture for the first time since 2006.
Center DeMarcus Cousins has matured before our eyes and will be coming off of a successful tour with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup in Spain. Kings teammate Rudy Gay joined him in Spain and will look to build upon last season's solid debut during his first full season in Sacramento.
And promising youth abounds. Beyond McLemore, Stauskas and McCallum, 23-year-old forward Derrick Williams is still looking to vindicate his selection as the No. 2 overall pick in 2011 (by the Minnesota Timberwolves).
Again, if we're being honest, things could go either way for the Kings.
This could be the season they turn the corner, perhaps doing their best impersonation of last season's surprising Phoenix Suns. But it could also be just another step in what's become a protracted rebuilding process.
Either way, Sessions should have every opportunity to prove he belongs.
While he may not be an overnight sensation in Sacramento, there's little doubt he's the kind of bargain that could make a front office look good.
And as an affordable last-minute addition, he certainly won't make this front office look bad.
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