2015 NBA Free Agents Who Would Fit George Karl's Vision for the Sacramento Kings
This will be a big offseason for the Sacramento Kings.
It's the team's last year in Sleep Train Arena before moving to the brand-new downtown Entertainment and Sports Center. While the new building will be exciting, it also means the Kings have only one year to transform their team into a contender before the big move.
It'll also be big because of new head coach George Karl. Unlike his predecessors Michael Malone and Tyrone Corbin, Karl likes to implement a run-and-gun offensive system. Since the coach joined the team midseason, the roster hasn't been geared toward that approach.
That figures to change this offseason.
Unlike in recent years, the Kings have cap space to work with. According to HoopsHype, Sacramento has only eight players under contract in 2015-16, totaling $52.3 million. With the salary cap projected to be roughly $68 million, the team should have plenty of flexibility to work with.
With that being the case, here are some free agents who are affordable and would fit well within Karl's system.
Andre Miller
Miller is currently a member of the Kings, but he's also an unrestricted free agent after the season.
As someone who has spent three full seasons and 40 games of a fourth playing under Karl, he's familiar with what the coach expects from his offense. That's one of Miller's selling points with the Kings, as Karl told reporters the point guard is like a coach on the court:
"He’s kind of my security blanket with this team because I know him and he knows me. And when we get in that zone of what the hell’s going on out there, he’s the guy I go to as much as anybody.
Andre’s the type of guy, I just give him the second unit, and say I’m gonna put Jason (Thompson) out there with you, I think (Thompson is) gonna run for you and (Miller) figures it out. He’s (almost) 39 years old, but he’s a winner and I think when he’s 41 he’ll still be a winner. He knows how to win games, he knows how to lead a team, and it’s a pleasure to have him with me.
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It seems pretty obvious that Karl would like Miller to come back. But does Miller want to come back?
That makes this a no-brainer. Miller is still effective, averaging 5.7 assists in 23.4 minutes. The Kings offense is also much better when he's on the court, posting a 105.9 offensive rating, as opposed to 99.3 when he sits.
Of course, it could cause a conflict for the Kings that they haven't had to deal with since Miller arrived. With Darren Collison hurt, Miller has been sharing the point guard duties with Ray McCallum. But what happens next season when McCallum, Miller and Collison would be on the team?
McCallum has shown enough promise to where it'd be nice to keep him around as a backup. But if the Kings are looking to compete, Miller may be the better short-term option.
Gerald Green
As a member of the Phoenix Suns, Gerald Green is accustomed to playing in an offense that pushes the pace. The Suns are the second-fastest offense in the NBA, averaging 99.13 possessions per 48 minutes. Last season, Phoenix was nearly as fast, posting 98.16 possessions.
Incidentally, Green's been playing some of his best ball during that time frame.
Part of Green's success has been his ability to stretch the floor and shoot three-pointers. Over the last two seasons, 50.8 percent of his field-goal attempts have been from three-point range. He's also knocked down 37.8 percent of those opportunities.
Although Green shoots a lot from outside, he isn't a one-trick pony. He also possesses the athleticism to run the floor and the leaping ability to finish.
Plus, the 29-year-old has been effective coming off the bench. That's important because his two primary positions, shooting guard and small forward, are manned by Rudy Gay and Ben McLemore.
Jonas Jerebko
With DeMarcus Cousins at center, the Kings don't need another big man who does most of his work in the paint. Cousins has enough post moves around the rim and rebounds well enough to keep the key on lockdown.
What the Kings need is a stretch 4. Jerebko could be their man.
At 6'10" and 231 pounds, Jerebko has more than enough length to play power forward. In fact, it's where he's logged 84 percent of his minutes throughout his career.
But unlike a traditional power forward, Jerebko does most of his work on offense away from the hoop. The 28-year-old has increased his range each season to the point where 40.2 percent of his shots are from downtown, while his average field-goal attempt is 14.8 feet from the basket.
He's also effective on those shots, netting 41.1 percent of them over the past two years.
Adding him would kill two birds with one stone. It would give Cousins the room to work in the paint. But it would also strengthen a weakness for the Kings, who are making only 33.1 percent of their three-pointers.
Goran Dragic
Dragic is probably the most unrealistic of these options. As an unrestricted free agent, he figures to be a sought-after commodity.
It would likely take a near-max offer to ink him. And seeing how Dragic will be 29 years old next season and the Kings have Darren Collison locked in for two more years, it'll be interesting to see whether they want to make such an investment.
If they do, there aren't many players who fit better than Dragic.
Like Green, Dragic can be effective in a run-and-gun offense. He ran the one in Phoenix for two-plus years before getting shipped off to the Miami Heat at the deadline.
Perhaps Dragic's best skill, and the reason he'd be a good fit in Sacramento, is his ability to attack the rim. Despite the fact that Dragic is a perimeter player, 40.9 percent of his field-goal attempts this season have come within three feet of the hoop. He's also knocking down a robust 70.2 percent of them.
A staple of Karl's offense is dribble penetration, which is why he brought in assistant coach Vance Walberg.
Walberg came up with the offense while working as a high school coach at Clovis West in Fresno, California. He wanted a system to utilize his best players, who were usually guards, so he developed the concept to fit his team. It's caught on at other places since, with Kentucky coach John Calipari using it. Now it's coming to the Kings.
Having a player like Dragic to implement that system would fit like a glove. Not only could he break down the defense with his dribbling, but he also has the ability to find open teammates. When paired with someone who can stretch the floor, that could be a deadly combination.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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