Kings swing for DeRozan: Will he thrive as scorer in Sacramento?

We’re running out of big names as the NBA offseason winds down, especially now that the Kings signed and traded for DeMar DeRozan from Chicago. Everyone is keeping an eye on the Lauri Markkanen rumors. We’ll see what, regardless, happens to that.

In the meantime, we are using the information we have at our disposal to evaluate what we have already seen. With that in mind, the winners and losers of the offseason are listed below. Comprehend this is a liquid rundown. Things can alter rapidly. Yet, this is the way it checks the second out.

Kings swing for DeRozan: Will he thrive as scorer in Sacramento?: Winner: Our Sam Quinn gave the Sacramento Kings a grade of D- for the sign-and-trade that brought them DeMar DeRozan from Chicago and sent them Harrison Barnes and a 2031 pick swap to the San Antonio Spurs (Sam is not the only one who is pessimistic). I will push back on that, nonetheless, however not really in light of the fact that I disagree with the scrutinizes.

It is true that DeRozan is about to turn 35, and the Kings paid him more than $25 million per year to stay with them until he was 37. That might get old badly. It is also true that DeRozan, an isolation scorer who stops the ball, doesn’t exactly fit Sacramento’s more motion-based offense, nor does he help a defense that is already weak.

Having said that, these are the Kings we’re talking about. They’ve missed the end of the season games 17 of the most recent 18 years. We can’t check out at each large name program expansion through the equivalent “Does this make them a competitor?” prism. After trading for Domantas Sabonis and leading the Warriors to seven playoff games in 2023, the Kings experienced a brief honeymoon period. However, that level of success has now become expected, and in the Western Conference, if you don’t get better, you get worse.

Harrison Barnes can’t compete with DeMar DeMar DeRozan. That simple can actually be the case.

Kings swing for DeRozan: Will he thrive as scorer in Sacramento?: Organizational momentum can be lost quickly. This past season, Sacramento did not advance past the Play-In Tournament, and ownership has made it abundantly clear that they anticipate winning right now. This isn’t always the best strategy. The Atlanta Falcons were once in that boat with eager possession and they began overstretching on childish moves and are currently fundamentally screwed.

However, the Lords, I would contend, have a preferred establishment set up over the Birds of prey did after their 2021 rush to the gathering finals. Nearly every league GM would choose De’Aaron Fox over Trae Young, and Sabonis is the second player of All-Star caliber that the Hawks never really found.

This DeRozan move more closely resembles the Timberwolves’ trade for Rudy Gobert. Keep in mind that that trade was scathingly mocked. Gobert was considered to be a terrible fit for a Timberwolves team that had been successful in a spaced-out system with no lane-clogging players obstructing Anthony Edwards’ driving lanes. Gobert was also on the wrong side of 30.

But Gobert made sure that the defense was good, and that baseline, or floor-raiser, was a level of reliability that means more to a team that has had a bad history than it does to a team like the Lakers, Warriors, or Celtics, which will only call winning a championship a success.

Without DeRozan, the Kings’ offense is already strong, and the Timberwolves’ defense is already strong. This simply further hardens it when Fox is on the seat or missing his typical 15-20 games. In tight possessions, DeRozan remains as solid as possible. Over the course of 82 games, that is very important, and the Kings have to put the regular season first. They can’t worry as much about making the playoffs because of how bad the defense will be. To maintain their positive outlook, they must advance to the playoffs, after which they must take their chances that they can score enough points and play decently enough on defense to make some noise.

The belief that DeRozan can and will adapt his game to suit the Kings underpins a significant portion of this optimism. Although he won’t be a spot-up 3-point shooter, the idea of him exchanging rhythm-dribbling isolations with Fox to create off the catch against shifting defenses is intriguing. The Kings should be able to put an elite five-man offensive unit on the floor for 48 minutes every night if DeRozan can anchor non-Fox lineups with Malik Monk as more of a featured scorer. That is quite lovely.

Additionally, Sacramento probably won’t be finished. In point of fact, I would say that it is probably not. Because the Kings’ wing rotation is pretty full and Huerter’s shooting and creating skills are known to be coveted by multiple teams, he seems like a likely trade candidate. Before reaching the first-apron hard cap that was triggered by the signing and trade for DeRozan, Sacramento is under the tax and can take on approximately $5 million more. For instance, in a trade with Brooklyn for Dorian Finney-Smith, Huerter could match the money.

As long as Sacramento keeps all of its own draft picks, it can trade them for salary in another deal. DeRozan is arguably an even better deal for the Kings than Gobert was for Minnesota, which was pretty damn good in hindsight, and the fact that it didn’t cost them any of those picks makes it possible for them to make a significant move.

Worst-case scenario: DeRozan isn’t a good fit, the Kings’ already-good offense doesn’t get better, the Kings’ defense gets worse, and Sacramento has to pay him for more years than it wants. Is DeRozan truly going to fall such a long ways off that Sacramento couldn’t pivot and exchange him not too far off? I’m skeptical. This is a better move than, for example, agreeing to a huge, long-term contract with Brandon Ingram, a player who is similar to DeRozan and was also thought to be an option.

In the end, I’m not going to call this a home run. However, I believe the swing is well worth it in relation to the Kings.

Loser: Los Angeles Lakers We keep hearing about this third star they want to bring in, but no star; The Lakers are going after important players. Klay Thompson said no, and he had every reason to end his career in Los Angeles, where his father won two championships and is still a Lakers radio commentator. This is the city where he was born.

When LeBron James said he would consider taking a pay cut of around $20 million on the first year of his most recent deal if it meant the Lakers could finally add that third big piece, he almost dared Rob Pelinka to get something done. However, that offer was thrown out the window when James signed a two-year deal that is now being reported to be worth $101 million, which is slightly less than the amount that was originally reported, which puts the Lakers just below the second apron So I suppose that is a success.

The Lakers are sitting here with their coach and LeBron’s child, two of their three biggest summer additions. Dalton Knecht, who was ranked No. 3, is the third. 17. Knecht could end up being one of the biggest steals in the draft because he was someone that many people thought would go in the top 10.

Kings swing for DeRozan: Will he thrive as scorer in Sacramento?: However, suffice it to say that Knecht is not altering the Lakers’ fortunes in any way. There is probably no longer anyone who is at this point. I can guarantee you we’ll continue to hear Trae Youthful reports, and perhaps they will get him ultimately. I don’t be guaranteed to feel that would try and be a success, however essentially with a player of that type we could return to the offseason assessment table. The Lakers have only improved or remained the same up until that point.

Winner: Philadelphia 76ers The Sixers are winners because they got George. He goes well with fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who got a $204 million contract. George’s addition makes the Sixers, behind the Celtics, one of the NBA’s top title contenders, and he will almost certainly be the best player to change teams in free agency.

A report as of late shown the 76ers’ advantage in George was cooling, however that never checked out. The fit is obvious here. The Sixers required an effect wing and had no issue giving George a fourth year on his agreement, something the Trimmers evidently wouldn’t do.