ESPN report: Kings Free Agent and trade season as the NBA summer draws near.

The Sacramento Kings are at a bit of a crossroads as they get closer to free agency and trade season as the NBA summer draws near.

What steps can general manager Monte McNair of the Kings do to advance this team?

The hosts of Stiles & Watkins, Allen Stiles and Chris Watkins, dissected players that might be on Sacramento’s wish list for offseason free agents this week.

Let’s examine the following player on Chris’s list of free agents now: Jones Derrick Jr.

This offseason, the Sacramento Kings have choices to strengthen their roster. The three ways to do so are the draft, trades, and free agency, as general manager Monte McNair frequently mentions. We’ll concentrate on the latter part for the time being. Using the whole non-taxpayers Mid-Level Exception (estimated at 4 years/$55.3 million) plus the Bi-Annual Exception (estimated at 2 years/$9.6 million), this leaves a significant amount of discretion.

They have Malik Monk, Kessler Edwards, JaVale McGee, Alex Len, Jordan Ford, and Jalen Slawson on their roster of pending free agents from the previous campaign. Given Monk’s unpredictable nature, the Kings need to consider a wide range of possible free agent abilities. Although there doesn’t seem to be a need for guards right now, things could change rapidly depending on what the runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year decides to accomplish.

More wing and forward depth would be advantageous in either case. Throughout the regular season, Sacramento head coach Mike Brown frequently emphasized the length and stature of the opposition, emphasizing how little his squad is on each occasion.

At six feet five, Derrick Jones Jr. isn’t particularly tall, but his seven-foot wingspan may be problematic for a variety of positions. He is searching for a new NBA home after abruptly declining his $3.3 million player option with Chicago for 2023–2024. Eventually, he signs a one-year, about $2 million deal with Dallas.

His defensive adaptability paid off as he spent time guarding both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in their first-round victory against the Los Angeles Clippers. Sacramento has occasionally struggled to handle wing-sized creators; in previous years, the team looked to players like KZ Okpala and Maurice Harkless for guidance. Their weaknesses were on offense, where Jones Jr. started to play more reliably.

In 76 games with the Mavericks, he started all but ten of them and averaged 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 48.3 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three on 3.1 attempts a game, and 71.3 percent from the free-throw line.

For the first time in his career, Jones Jr. is shooting more than three threes in a game, which helps his offensive potential. It is easy to see how he would mesh with Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento’s equal-opportunity, free-flowing offense. Even if he occasionally makes poor decisions, his cutting and finishing would be rewarded with a passing huge.

As a defender, Harrison Barnes has declined in recent years. Although Keegan Murray is nearing the end of his career, he still has moments of learning. Kessler Edwards poses rude inquiries. Both Keon Ellis and Davion Mitchell are strong defenders, but none are as big or long as Jones Jr.

It’s simple to picture Fox, Monk, Sabonis, and Jones Jr. having an incredible fast break and winning a Dunk Contest trophy.

From Sacramento’s standpoint, obtaining Jones Jr. probably wouldn’t necessitate the entire MLE, and his adaptability might improve their depth in the future. Dallas might make a compelling case to retain him around if they advance far in the postseason.

But they have to decide if the opportunity cost of other possibilities is too high, or if they should use that asset on him. In this installment of Sactown Sports, we’ll talk about more of the Kings’ current free-agent roster.

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.