247Sport news: Two Potential Duke Players Who Would Fit with the Sacramento Kings
Two elite talents from Duke University will be selected in the 2024 NBA draft.
About fifty days remain until the 2024 NBA draft, and the Sacramento Kings will be selected by lottery. The Kings are predicted to pick 13th overall, but there is a very tiny chance they will go inside the top four.
After the Kings attempted to avoid it all season, Sacramento’s season was ended when they were eliminated from the NBA’s play-in tournament. With just 10 games left in the schedule, guard Malik Monk sprained his MCL, which quickly turned the season around.
There was one bright spot, though, and that was keeping a lottery-protected pick that the Kings had originally handed to the Atlanta Hawks in 2022 when they acquired G Kevin Huerter. Huerter didn’t have the ideal season, but if Sacramento wants to contend for the postseason, he might have to play alongside some new players in 2019.
Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski, two intriguing talents who played at Duke University, would both fit well on the Kings’ roster.
McCain, 20, is a native of Sacramento, which will make him an instant fan favorite if general manager Monte McNair chooses to select him. The nimble guard shot an astonishing 41.4% from three-point range in his first year at college, averaging 14.3 points and 5 rebounds per game.
Kyle Filipowski, his teammate, was among the top big men in Division I college basketball. The New York native, 20, finished each game with an average of 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals. Robust on both ends of the court, Filipowksi might be the Kings’ pick to bolster a frontcourt that depended largely on star Domantas Sabonis the previous campaign.
It’s difficult to determine who may fit in better, but it might depend on the players the Kings aim to sign in free agency. Sacramento might select McCain in the draft if Monk decides to depart the team in order to strengthen their backcourt in 2024. Although it’s unknown where the Kings will end up, McCain might have a small advantage over Filipowski because of his ties to Sacramento.
The Kings have a.8% chance of moving up in the draft when they play in the NBA lottery, which airs on ABC on May 12.
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Report: Klay Thompson could be of interest to a potential Malik Monk suitor.
Fans of the Sacramento Kings will be holding their breath next month as their favorite runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year, Malik Monk, becomes a free agent.
Monk, who played with the Kings for two years at a salary of $19.4 million and recorded back-to-back career years, will be hoping to earn a hefty salary this summer, one that some have said may surpass Sacramento’s spending cap.
The Kings do not possess Monk’s complete Bird rights, which allow them to pay over the cap in order to keep players, therefore they are only able to give him up to $78 million over four years per the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. After three years with a team, a player receives full Bird rights; Monk’s two-year contract leaves him just short of that.
Monk is anticipated to draw interest from teams with cap room; the Orlando Magic are a team that has been heavily linked to the explosive guard.
While Klay Thompson, a guard for the Pacific Division, may get first pick in a free-agent contract, Monk is reportedly on Orlando’s radar this summer.
The Magic and veteran Golden State Warriors shooter have “mutual interest” as NBA free agency begins on June 30th, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Further details about Klay Thompson and the Magic’s shared interests
According to Charania, Orlando might have up to $60 million in cap space available this summer as they attempt to bolster a team that narrowly missed making it to the NBA Playoffs’ second round.
The Magic (47-35) made headlines in 2023–24 when they secured their first postseason trip since 2019–20. However, this summer, there are things that need to be addressed, and the three-point line should be at the top of the list.
Orlando was dead-last in three-point field goal attempts, 29th in made three-point field goals, and 24th in three-point field goal percentage (.352) at the end of the season.
Given that Thompson has a 41 percent career three-point field goal percentage across his 11 seasons as a Warrior, the Magic’s interest in him is understandable.
The Magic would gain a much-needed perimeter presence in Thompson, who would join a group that already features excellent big Franz Wagner, emerging star Paolo Banchero, and two-way guard Jalen Suggs. This presence might even exceed their need for an on-ball playmaker like Monk.
Only a few clubs with significant cap space, including the NBA’s poorest team, the Detroit Pistons, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Utah Jazz, and the San Antonio Spurs, would be left to try to wrest the guard out of the 916 if Orlando turns away from Monk and signs Thompson.
Would Monk decline the Kings’ $78 million offer in favor of taking a bigger salary from a losing team, such as Detroit or San Antonio? The guard made it clear that in his free-agent process, money won’t be the only consideration during his end-of-season press conference.
“I could be in a worse situation and go somewhere else with a lot more money.” So you never know,” April 22nd, Monk stated. “I believe everything will work out as it should.”
The 76ers, who will be busy building around franchise big man Joel Embiid, and Orlando, a young club with a ton of skill, are closer to contention and had been seen as the main contenders to entice Monk to leave Sacramento.
One has to wonder whether the Kings’ chances of getting Monk to a four-year contract and retaining the talented Kentucky tandem that includes De’Aaron Fox for years to come would improve if the Magic sign Thompson.
When is the next noteworthy Sacramento Kings offseason date?
The Sacramento Kings will be hoping for good fortune in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery for the first time in the past two years.
On Sunday, May 12, 2024, the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery will take place in Chicago. Sacramento’s chances of winning the #1 choice are 13th best.
The 14 teams who were not selected for the NBA playoffs can participate in the Draft Lottery. Following the regular season, the final odds were established, with tie breaks applied to clubs with identical regular season records.
Schedule during the NBA Offseason
May 12th, Sunday: NBA Draft Lottery
June 26, Wednesday, June 27, and Thursday, June 27, 2024 NBA Draft
The free agent negotiation window opens on Sunday, June 30 at 3 PM PST.
Free agents will be able to formally sign contracts on July 6th.
July 12–22: Summer League in Las Vegas
July 27–August 11 — Olympic Games of 2024
Training camps for the NBA start on Friday, September 27.
