Anthony Slater, The Athletic – Kings Pursuit Of Alex Caruso And Offseason Questions
but joining us now from the athletic Anthony Slater uh Anthony thanks so much for hopping on with us in uh in the middle of June we appreciate that immensely man thank you James Ham on assignment I hope that means like he’s scouting giraffe prospects in Europe right now um yeah down down in Cabo specifically yeah hard at work right now yeah you could probably find like a late second round or a stash Prospect down in Cabo maybe I I think so I think that’s 100% he actually texted me yesterday I told him I told him I was like dude go on vacation be be away go hang out and he’s like yeah yeah I got it and then I get a text from him yesterday he’s like you know I’m watching Ron Holland tape and I see this and that blah blah blah it’s like all right man as long as he’s doing that on the beach with like a margarita you know on his phone or something I mean I don’t mind you know some people relax that way yeah I don’t I I would imagine if he’s if he’s doing that that’s 100 per how he is uh how he’s taking that in I gotta say that’d be tough though some treade broke while he’s on vacation yeah it’d be a little tough well you know love James ham but if you’re picking a week that that that might happen this might be that week for sure for sure so let’s actually let’s actually talk about that you and Sam Amic uh wrote an article in the athletic that came out yesterday I have uh a couple things I want to get to from the article specifically but um the Alex Caruso trade possibility in there was was really interesting it was it was the 13th pick as the key piece in this swap for Alex Caruso was that something that where Zack LaVine was also involved in that or was is that just strictly Alex Caruso uh coming to the kings in that deal from my understanding that was more of a just a Caruso deal um I skeptical Zack LaVine gets moved at all this summer just because of what the contract is and what you know the Bulls are in searching for you know assets and stuff and like to be honest it’s just a completely negative value contract um so yes from my understanding it was just a Caruso thing there was Buzz that the Bulls were looking for picks in this draft and you know that is a it’s a lottery pick it’s late Lottery um I think they were close I think they were one of the more appealing offers on the table um obviously the Bulls pivoted to Josh giddy some people would think that’s a terrible move we’ll see you know like it’s a it’s a chance that works out really well I mean Josh giddy’s got a lot of really good counting numbers I I think it’s a fair argument to say like you’re not going to get better than Josh gidd at 13th in this particular draft but you’re at least going to get year one of a rookie deal compared to year four of Josh G rookie deal which is about to be extension eligibility with leverage on his side but to your overall point uh they were close on Caruso very close from my understanding but obviously it didn’t get done which is kind of in the story a little bit of the you know King’s transaction Windows the last few times what do you think the value of the 13th pick is like you think you can land him like a Kyle kman type or yeah you know I think it’s like dependent on who’s available and dependent on what front office you’re talking to and honestly it might might be come down to one of those like who’s there on the clock and you know if let theor you mentioned Kyle kusman it’s a it’s a it’s a good team to theorize with with the Wizards right because they’re all about the next decade not like next season so if you know ex Prospect who they love uh is there at 13 you know I don’t know name your your Ron Holland or somebody drops to 13 and they happen to just really like him then maybe suddenly there’s a lot more value to them in the 13th pick because of who they now know they can get at the 13th pick um obviously if you’re just going Year bye looking at the draft this is a lower level 13th pick than past years but I would say it’s more flat at 13 than it is at like one two three like if you’re the Hawks right now imagine the value of the first pick this year on the open market compared to the first pick last year if the Spurs decided to shop that around so uh it’s not necessarily Apples to Apples but I think it’s appealing enough I think you know you get closer to the draft you study some of these guys like there’s there’s potential rotation players out there um and some team will like somebody that falls to 13 Anthony Slater of the athletic of the athletic joining us now how intent are the kings on trading that 13th pick or are they ready to use it if if a deal like a Caruso type of trade doesn’t materialize yeah I mean look they’ve done their due diligence right they’ve had a bunch of guys in the facility I think they’re ready to make the pick I think Monty McNair has shown and that front office has shown they’re good at drafting um you know and I think it’s numbers models but also like I think at their core they’re kind of like a more scouting math front office than like you know big trade Big Move front office but also I think they have a cleare eyed understanding of of the Arc of where they are right now which is like 26 year olds help more than 20 year olds you know and fiveyear Pros eight-year Pros a Bruce Brown you know name your like mid-tier rotation player like he’s just going to help the Kings win a game in March a game in May a game whenever next year very likely more than McCain Zack Edy Ron Holland you know name even if you know maybe three years from now you’d much rather have one over the other so um I think there’s I mean we put it in the piece but like there’s more of an appetite if they can to swing for somebody that’ll just help you win more next season but you it’s also a pragmatic front office that I don’t think’s going to be desperate enough where they they make a trade that value for Value isn’t that great um and but they just feel like they have to do you think um like say they like do you think they’re com like I don’t know if comfortable is with white word but they think they’re all like happy if they do make the pick and like that’s what’s going on at the end of the draft that night Like There’s No Deal com yeah look I know like their front office guys have been having private workouts in there some of those prospects that might be there at 13 I think they’re more interested in others and you know like Mike Brown’s been in there for some workouts and like like they are they have to be prepped to make the pick um and you know like it’s not impossible to get a guy at 13 that that surprises and gets into a rotation you know Kyle I know you follow the Warriors well like you know they draft Brandon psky 19th last year I remember like this guy’s so far away I don’t even know what type of pick It’s Gonna Be by the second month of the season it’s like oh this like their fourth best players their best plus minus guy uh like you you need to do your due diligence enough to know like you know what if you do fall in love with a guy that you do think is a winning type player um particularly on the defensive end to me they’re they’re looking for like sharper defensive upgrades I mean Caruso obviously is a name I mentioned Bruce Brown I think Kyle kosma is a you know guys that can come in and you know they could score some for you um and they’re not going to be a complete net negative offensively but they got to help both ways because I think this team is trying to reform and already did kind of reform in the last couple months last year into more of a two-way team than than two seasons ago Anthony of the athletic joining us now uh check out his piece with Sam Amic uh posted in the athletic yesterday um how much of a the there was a nugget in there about dear and fox yeah he hasn’t signed his extension yet um because he wants to see how the roster shakes out he wants to win at the highest level but also wants to wait and see if he makes all NBA because then that can maximize his earning potential how what what’s a bigger Factor between those two things because I read that and I I kind of go panic meter a little bit like what he they need to win for him to stay how big of a concern is that I mean it just gives a level of control to Darren Fox within the situation you hand back over control when you just pledge for for five years I mean that’s just how the league works that’s how it works with stars I mean there certainly and and and it shouldn’t come off as us reporting like clock is ticking he’s looking you know elsewhere there’s none of that going on but it’s it’s in a ability to reassess as this stuff goes along and to to have more control over his future because he is entering his mid Prime and like you know primes can go quickly in this league you know look at John Wall right who’s like begging to get back in the league at this point uh so I just think he has made a calculated decision that obviously there’s financials involved because again yes if he makes all NBA there’s like an extra you know 5% of of the cap that he can suddenly absorb but also there is a desire from him to like see where this is going with the Kings you know and I think there’s a lot of I mean next season’s become pretty massive for them right as you know it felt like you had the honeymoon Mike Brown first year where like everything was great this past season I think is probably viewed more negatively than it really was it felt like a little bit of a stabilization year that just wrong time to win 46 games wrong time for Malik monk to get hurt bad night in New Orleans and suddenly the season feels a lot worse than it actually was but this kind of has to be the trampoline year I think we’re just we’re going to know a lot more after the moves they make and then how those moves work next season about where this thing is really going in the in the next three to five year window and I think dearon Fox part of it is financially but part of it he knows he can if he sits back watches the next season he’ll also know a lot more where this is going and he does want to win right he he wants to play in West finals and NBA Finals we’ll know if that’s realistic or not for the Kings probably by like middle of next season do you think they need to make like a significant move or I don’t if that’s like or do you think they can count on like maybe drafting the 13th pick and counting on Keegan Murray taking another step this year depends on what they’re trying to do right um I think maybe get the second round this year of the playoffs yeah I mean could they get to the second round with just internal development I mean it would need to be a big Keegan Murray leap which um I mean like talking maybe All-Star type leap and I don’t know that that’s necessarily coming uh but they might need that anyways even if they do make a signif a significant move but to me a significant move doesn’t have to be oh LaVine Brandon Ingram like again it can be like if Alex guso suddenly on this team like if that had happened like you know you plug him in as as your you know some nights your fourth third or fourth most important player some nights you’re sixth or seventh it feels like a more full rotation if it is a kozma like it just they just need more they felt thin at the end of last year right you know when you’re watching them in the playing games or down the stretch when they were losing those key games late especially once monk went out it was just like man it’s you know you’re starting to look at more really a six7 man rotation Mike Brown was down to playing eight guys by the time they got late in the season I just think they need another guy comfortably playing 25 to 30 minutes can score for you can defend for you can give you more lineup versatility along with bringing everybody back and I think if you sacrifice the 13th pick you’re okay with that Anthony Slater of the athletic joining us now hey I want to shift gears real real briefly is there any salvaging the Klay Thompson thing for the Warriors depends on who you talk to um a lot of people say no you know obviously I’ve put out there that like it’s going in a very bad Direction at this point now like I there’s still time left there’s still conversations to be had there’s still you know actual money and offers eventually to be put on the table not only by outside suits but eventually the Warriors will come to Klay Thompson with an offer which they have not at this point um so like I don’t think there’s been the final conversation of like it’s over it’s done like I’m leaving for sure but that’s the way it’s been trending and that’s the way it’s been trending for a while now and uh there are a lot of reasons for it uh and again if I had to predict it this moment and my prediction is informed by what many people around the situation are telling me is that he that he he’s probably leaving but that could change dang real quick you mentioned Malik monk um a little bit ago I think like King P obviously they’re all happy and stuff that they signed but um you think like why like what was what do you think the market was lack for him like I think was maybe a little surprising they signed so early yeah I think that monks Market was what a lot of these um free agents right now are facing which is the balloon payment shorter term deals uh that you know I think was kind of brought in Vogue last year by the Bruce Brown in Indianapolis the Fred Van Ved in Houston where the teams especially like Orlando Oklahoma City right now for example they know they have monster deals coming up for Jaylen Williams shed holr Paulo banero fron Vagner so they have a moment to like spend money but they don’t want to overspend where three four years from now they’re still playing crazy money because they’re going to have to shift that elsewhere so they’re more the offers that are more on the table are like two for 50 two for 60 but it’s two where let’s say for example you’re Malik Monk and you’re seeing that your Market is going to be an offer that is you know $ 25 million a year 26 million a year yeah but it’s two for 52 if you are Malik monk would you rather for example this is speculation but have a two for 52 elsewhere or stay in Sacramento where clearly he’s comfortable and prefers to be on a 4 for 78 where you’re getting less per year but you have you it’s 78 million still like you know you’re getting that and they put a player option on the fourth year which means after three years if you still are great if you do still feel your Market is is great you can get back out into free agency still in your 20s I think that’s the factors at play that led him to say you know 4 for 78 is more appealing than than than maybe people believed it to be is there any indication that he’s gonna have a different role next year no I mean from what we’re told like that that wasn’t part of the conversation now that’s not to say oh you’re guaranteed to come back for the six-man I think it’s generally like number one let’s see what the roster looks like next week two weeks from now then let’s see how training camp goes right you know you talk to coaches all throughout the offseason like they come August and September they’re only starting to form plans in their mind like well how you know how might these lineups look and then they get to camp and it’s like you know wow this group looks great wow that rookie looks awesome you know but I would I mean if I had to predict I think ke uh Keon Ellis probably is the starting two but you know what if Alex kuso was on this team maybe he’s the starting two um but the truth is like Malik monk knows he’s coming back to a high minutes roll he profiles more as a bench scorer who like electrifies the game in the middle of the first and third quarters I don’t think he necessarily loves that long term but he’s he’s reasonable and rational enough and clearly right he just signed back without any guarantees of what his role is so he understands like his place in the league Anthony Slater you can check him out in the athletic uh Anthony really appreciate your time man we’ll do it again soon all right fellas man
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