Playing Keep or Cut with Each of the Sacramento Kings' Free Agents
The Sacramento Kings' offseason has been in full swing for a while.
The franchise needs to rework its roster through the draft, free agency or trades if it wants to be a contender in 2015-16. But before it can start that process, it must decide what to do with each of their seven free agents.
Do they want to cut bait completely or retain them if the terms are to their liking?
That's what we'll do in this slideshow—make a verdict on whether Sacramento should keep or cut each of its free agents. Under consideration is how much a player will likely cost, since the Kings only have $15 million in cap space to work with and will need to allocate their resources properly. We'll also look at how a player fits within Sacramento's system and whether there are other viable options on the roster at the position.
Omri Casspi
1 of 7
After spending the previous three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets, respectively, Omri Casspi returned to Sacramento—his first NBA home.
It was a good homecoming for the 26-year-old, as Casspi had his best season yet.
The forward set career highs in points per 36 minutes (15.1), field-goal percentage (48.9), three-point percentage (.402), offensive rating (11), player efficiency rating (14.4) and win shares (2.7).
He's also a good fit in head coach George Karl's system. Casspi's got the athleticism and ball-handling ability for small forward, but his 6'9", 225-pound frame makes him big enough to play the 4, a position where he logged 32 percent of his minutes last season. And with his three-point stroke, he can effectively spread the floor and give center DeMarcus Cousins room to work if paired with the big man.
Casspi also told Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee that he'd like to return to Sacramento in 2015-16:
"I want to come back here so badly. I love the community and I feel like the team is finally moving in the right direction. George Karl’s system is great, and I’m not just saying that because I play for him, but because I really do believe this is the right way to play basketball. Spacing the floor. Moving, making extra passes, sharing the ball. Getting our hands on balls, deflections, then getting out and running.
"
The Kings should also want to bring him back, assuming they can come to terms on a deal that doesn't break the bank. The team signed Casspi to a one-year, $1.06 million deal for 2014-15. On a similar average annual value, or something slightly more, he's a good player to have.
Verdict: Keep
Reggie Evans
2 of 7
The skills Reggie Evans brings to the table, while valuable in some systems, aren't ideal for what Karl wants to do.
Evans is an excellent rebounder. He's led the NBA in total rebound percentage on a couple of different occasions, including as recently as 2012-13. That season Evans averaged 16.3 rebounds per 36 minutes. He hasn't dropped off much since then, posting 14.1 per 36 in 2014-15.
But Evans doesn't provide much at all on offense. He has a limited skill set and does almost all of his work exclusively near the hoop, either on putback attempts or passes from teammates. And despite having an average field-goal distance of 3.6 feet (which actually tied a career high), Evans only made 42.3 percent of his attempts.
Evans puts forth good effort on defense—and in everything he does, really—but he's not much of a shot-blocker, never averaging more than 0.5 blocks per 36 minutes. So, basically he's a rebounder who gets by on a tireless motor.
The Kings can't afford to use a roster spot for a power forward who's limited on offense, doesn't block shots and is too small (6'8", 245 lbs) to be a consistent backup at center. Plus, at 35 years old, there's not much upside of Evans considerably improving upon his skills.
Verdict: Cut
Ryan Hollins
3 of 7
So much of Ryan Hollins' free-agent situation depends on the context.
By having DeMarcus Cousins on the roster, the Kings don't need a ton of production from their backup center. Cousins led or was at the top of the leaderboard for centers in lots of per-game averages. He was first in points (24.1) and free-throw attempts (9.2), second in steals (1.53), third in rebounds (12.7) and assists (3.6) and seventh in blocks (1.75). He also tied for second in double-doubles (47) despite missing 23 games.
The Kings also have Jason Thompson, who can play center. In fact, 36 percent of Thompson's career minutes have come at the 5, including an estimated 49 percent last season.
But it's not like Sacramento paid Hollins much. He only made $1.31 million, which was the veteran minimum for a player of Hollins' eight years of service time. Bringing him back on a similar one-year deal wouldn't be a bad investment.
On the other hand, the Kings would be better-served going with a younger option at backup center. At 30 years old, Hollins isn't likely to improve much. Having Cousins and Thompson on the roster makes having an established reserve at the 5 more of a luxury than a necessity.
They would be better off getting someone like Ekpe Udoh—who's more youthful (28) and can block shots (2.0 per 36 minutes)—to sign for the veteran minimum.
Verdict: Cut
Andre Miller
4 of 7
Of all of their free agents, Andre Miller might be the one most worth bringing back. As a backup point guard, the Kings couldn't do much better.
Miller is still an effective floor general, averaging 4.7 assists per game despite playing only 20.7 minutes. Even with his age (39) and the wear on his tires after 16 years in the NBA, the point guard still appeared in 81 games.
Because of Miller's familiarity with Karl from their time in Denver and last season in Sacramento—the two have spent parts of six seasons together—he can command the offense in spurts, which is all the Kings will expect of him as a backup to Darren Collison. Not to mention, the Kings have Ray McCallum under contract as well, which makes taxing Miller even less of a concern.
Of course, a lot of this will depend on the contract. Miller told Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears that he'd be interested in re-signing with Sacramento. But the Kings need to get him on something like the veteran minimum. For a player of Miller's service time, it would cost them $1.49 million, which would be well worth the investment.
Verdict: Keep
Eric Moreland
5 of 7
Eric Moreland is a difficult player to gauge, mainly because we didn't get to see much from the 23-year-old.
Moreland only appeared in three games and played a total of two minutes before he was lost for the season with a shoulder injury on Jan. 1. That doesn't provide much of a sample size to go on.
Of course, he showed flashes in the summer league, especially with his ability to block shots and rebound. He also played in seven games for the Reno Bighorns in the NBA Developmental League, averaging 13.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks in 28.7 minutes.
A lot of the decision will come down to whether the Kings can find a better player to fill out the 15th spot on their roster, which is likely the position Moreland will occupy if he makes the team. Considering they don't have a second-round pick to use on another developmental piece, he might be a good option for that role.
Not to mention, he'd only cost the team $845,000, so there's not much risk in keeping Moreland around.
Verdict: Keep
David Stockton
6 of 7
David Stockton is in a similar boat as Moreland. He doesn't have much of a sample size to go on, playing 33 minutes over three games at the end of the season. Assuming he makes the team, he's also likely to occupy the 15th spot on the roster and familiarize himself with the scenic drive on I-80 between Sacramento and Reno.
The difference is, assuming the Kings re-sign Andre Miller, they'll already have three point guards under contract. In terms of younger players with upside, Ray McCallum is a better option than Stockton since we've seen him perform over a larger sample size.
Also like Moreland, Stockton's non-guaranteed contract would only cost the Kings $845,000, so there wouldn't be much risk in keeping him. But there are only a finite number of roster spots, and Sacramento would probably be better-served using them on a position other than point guard.
Verdict: Cut
Derrick Williams
7 of 7
This much is clear: If it's about tendering Derrick Williams the $8.7 million qualifying offer to retain him, there's not a snowball's chance in hell he's back in Sacramento. Nothing the 24-year-old has done in his four NBA seasons indicates he's worth that kind of dough.
Sure, Williams has incredible athleticism, as he showed in numerous dunks throughout the season. He also displayed the ability to score off the bench, averaging 10.8 points in 22.8 minutes after George Karl took over, and he even hit 34.4 percent of his three-pointers during that stretch.
But Williams doesn't do much else. Despite having the physical tools, he's not a good defender. His 6'8", 241-pound frame should make him a capable rebounder, yet he only averaged 5.0 boards per 36 minutes.
Maybe if he were willing to take the veteran minimum, which would cost $1.01 million, the Kings could bring him back. But it's probably time for both sides to move on.
Verdict: Cut
Unless noted otherwise, all stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com. All contract info comes from Hoops Hype.
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