Are The Sacramento Kings Making A Huge Mistake?

Are The Sacramento Kings Making A Huge Mistake?

the first thing I wanted to start with because we haven’t had a chance to talk about on this podcast since it happened demard de Rosen is a Sacramento King not something I even would have thought about predicted predicting at the beginning of the off season what do you make of his I want to start there what do you make of his overall fit on Sacramento it’s interesting I think you know it’s an upgrade for them in the sense of like hey we needed another Creator and you know the rzan has become more than just a scorer he’s done a great job as a playmaker we know what happens when he gets to the Elbow I think it’s a smart move for them it’s definite upgrade like I don’t want to just poo poo this this is a good upgrade for the Kings they’ve they got a veteran presence I mean they got probably one of the best locker room guys in the NBA I haven’t seen anybody say a bad thing about Demar de Roan in terms of being a good teammate and being a good guy in general and I think you know also former Trojan so fight on uh the I it’s just what we do it’s what we produce you know good people um the ultimate don’t don’t what’s Matt Leonard doing these days you want to stand by that or don’t don’t don’t research anything and his name is Matt ler not L Leonard but that’s a whole again different story um but I think he’s a good fit in terms of just what he can bring offensively and bring a little more versatility to their offense I have questions for this team defensively I have questions for this team even even on the offensive end I think this is a team that doesn’t shoot the three ball enough and I think bringing in a guy like DeMar rosen does not increase the amount of three balls you’re shooting but kind of lowers it um I was disappointed in their offseason last year I felt like they I have a problem with Team staying still in the NBA now because I think in the NBA you just can’t stay still you have to got rid of kcp you think they needed to change it up I get it no yeah yeah okay we’ll get to them in a minute did you miss that you did not you you and you and you and your dumb stuff you do try to pin me one way or another um the I think it’s just more of you know it’ll be it’s an upgrade like they needed to make a change they needed to kind of improve they did veteran presence all that fun stuff you know having Malik monk continue to come off the bench I thought he had a great season for them you know I know everybody’s like oh Demar has improved defensively and things like that I really worry about this team defensively I think this puts them in the range of a possible playoff team but I think more likely a playing team I read it as I still don’t know where I land up on the fit I think the 2030 pick swap is with me to be honest I don’t know I just felt like I wouldn’t have given that up um but I am more that went to San Antonio right yeah they’re just collecting them and then Thunder collecting I mean San Antonio has to have the market cornered on like any pick commitments post 2028 at this point like because they’ve got some swaps they have that Minnesota pick I don’t know I feel like Oklahoma still has more picks I feel like they have picks that they’re not supposed to have like in 20 2050 I feel like they have somebody’s unprotected pick like it’s it’s there’s going to be a draft where half of the first rounders are just going to Utah and OKC it’s I don’t know what draft it’s gonna be but it’s gonna end up happening I I’m intrigued by it I was wondering if did you take it as I read it as two things aside from everything that you said because you’re talking about the defenses I did read it as a hashtag defense this point like our offense kind of pulled back last year a large part of that was they dealt with injuries herder had a had a Down Season um and then the the sabonis without Fox minutes were not great which was kind of a departure from the year before but I kind of just read as like well we’re just GNA really soup up our offense because that’s what had us you know like that’s how we got here to where people expected us to make the playoffs but I also kind of took it as a vote of confidence in two players Keegan Murray for what he did defensively last year maybe even a vote of confidence in Keon Ellis defensively but I also took it as kind of a V of confidence in dearon Fox at both ends of the floor I thought he wasn’t as stiff defensively last year I don’t know if you disagree with that and then just he’s become a good enough shooter or off ball player to where I I’m immediately concern my biggest concern is like but what do the spacing in the offense look like during sabonis Fox um and d uh sabonis D Ro and fox minutes and it’s like well maybe just Fox is versatile enough at both ends to where I’m reading too much into that and so have you given any consideration to maybe that element of it it’s a bit hard like when you look at those three because you’re not taking the ball out of Fox’s hands right and listen he’s improved as a shooter kudos to him good job as uh off the dribble shooting threes and things like that if I’m a team I’m still like daring him to just go under still gonna try to just go under screens a couple of times maybe I’ll mix it up and go over a few times but I’m not gonna be it’s not to the point where I’m so afraid of that three-point shot because I’m more afraid of him getting to the rim with that lightning quick speed that I’m kind of more willing to kind of concede that three but then it’s harder because it’s like all right so D rozan you’re going to space cool that’s a blessing for the defense that’s one more guy in the paint because they whatever kick out threes D rozan is gonna take have to take some of those have to make some of those but again as a defense you’re just going to be like we’re gonna live with that you know and I think that’s more of a thing and it’s going to be more of an issue come playoff time than regular season I think is is kind of the deal but spacing will be a premium for them like they’re going to have a hard time figuring stuff out I love Keegan Murray I think he’s got a chance to be really really good I’d like to see them give him a little more opportunities at the elbow and and and be a little more of a a playmaker from there and develop that and flex that muscle not it’s not but that’s what I want Dan um the uh you know but like him having to step out and shoot more threes come off pin Downs which he does really well like they’re gonna have to do a lot more of that stuff it just gets interesting and I think the D rozan piece is going to take some work from Mike Brown in terms of how to kind of put together a fluid offense with that because there’s not going to be spacing is going to be a very difficult thing for them to come across I which is also why I was happy I know he’s coming off shoulder surgery didn’t have the best year and maybe they’ll still move him in a subsequent deal but you brought monk back and the fact it was Kevin hder was not used as one of the matching salaries I thought that that was beneficial to them because they needed that floor space and this a team they shot threes really well last year I think they were third in percentage but they were like 16th or 17th in the frequency with which they shot from three like you said the rosen’s not going to take them we know sabonis isn’t going to take a ton so I thought it was important they kept Herer herder so I remain very optimistic about the offense but I am with you with the defensive questions I just the way I’m reading this is that I don’t know that they actually care like maybe they really do believe in Fox and Ellis and and Murray but when you do look at this team though is there like an archetype of player or a specific player or just something that’s I know you mentioned shooting but like if you had your DRS if they could add one thing or one type of player that would maybe tie this all together in a more firm fashion does any again archetype sort of spring to mind are the Knicks going to trade Mel Bridges to them I mean like that’s probably kind of the guy I think that would have been a nice little kind of like a a three and D type guy for them is probably more what they need than anything else and it’s nice if they can do Ru off the dribble I think one thing we learned from the Boston Celtics is just having so many guys that can you know handle the ball and and attack is is is really important we see it with OKC and what they’re trying to build I think that’s kind of more of the same of what you’re hoping you’re going to get and you’re going to hope that Keon Ellis is gonna develop some of that you know and and and show some of those things I think they’re it’s gonna come down to just defense and they can sit there and punt on defense all they want but I’m just gonna tell you man like you’re not gonna win a lot in the NBA if you’re just not gonna give up if you’re if you’re not going to get stops and and and you know what their goal probably shouldn’t be a championship because they’re not a championship level team right now but their goal should be playoffs but like they need to C they need to pull wins so maybe the attitude is right and hey like screw it let’s just go with offense and be a flame out in the first round but like it’s hard for me when teams just kind of Punt on defense because I just don’t think that’s a a way in which you can feel comfortable that you’re fully going to survive in that it the long run I just feel like it’s gonna hurt you would would like a there’ have to be other frame would someone like if you had to give up Kevin herder but got Dorian FY Smith back did something like that movie or are you more worried about the then three-point volume you’re conceding going from Kevin herder to Dorian fny Smith well look how bad he shot it from three I’m not worried about his three-point volume at that point I know he might have a better year this the this time around but like you know Dorian finy Smith can knock a couple down like I’m not too worried about that like that’s actually a nice name and and a good comp the guy actually who I I think we should really keep an eye on for being on the move at some point is Cam Johnson from Brooklyn I think that could be a guy that could also help them maybe a little too similar to Harrison Barnes who they just traded but I think that’s a guy that can kind of be better defensively for sure oh yeah and I but I think you know and maybe not as good offensively but can definitely stretch the floor I feel like that’s a guy I would try to keep an eye on if I was if I was Sacramento I’d probably kick the tires and see what the asking price is what about someone like do you think ausma could still help this team or is he not improved enough defensively Denny AIA would have been Dynamite for them they were kozma can help any team I’ll be honest with you like the the the race to get kozma should be pretty high um if you’re Washington you know all the moves they’re making should be guys that they can turn into picks you know and in and going forward for them but kozma would be a pretty can help any team I think defensively and offensively it’s whether he wants to accept that role like we saw the fact that he had a chance to be traded to Dallas last year and didn’t want to be that guy and and so I think the question as long as he wants to be as long as he’s willing to accept that role and and and maybe sacrifice some shots and play a little more defense I think he’d be great in in that role I think that’s the role he’s perfect for in the NBA and I think that’s something that the Kings again another name that I would be like I wouldn’t think would be a bad name for the Kings I have like I would like to see them at least make a smaller Type move where it’s can we just get Tory Craig from the Bulls or J shant Tate from The Rock ET because their rotation so crowded just someone who figures to be not necessarily an upgrade not going to be an upgrade over ERS Murray but like can we get another defensive minded body on the perimeter in here I would feel a lot better because I don’t again I don’t hate the D rozan team but it wasn’t like when I saw it and the terms and looking at the fit it doesn’t necessarily feel like a home run either even though it’s a very clear Talent upgrade yeah I mean it was like a single you know hey we upgraded our talent we’ve improved our chances going into the season next year it’s one of those things that’s promising but it wasn’t like I was running through the street going like oh my God you know like what are how are the other teams going to respond to it you know like I think that’s kind of the the way I looked at it it was it was a good move for Sacramento no no question about it to me maybe they did give up a little bit too much with that 2030 unprotected uh pick swap but you know that’s kind of the price to play nowadays and I think those are the situations they’re in and I think that’s going to be uh ultimately we’ll just see kind of how it plays out for them I don’t I just don’t think their ceilings higher than like a five seed [Music]

Dan is joined by Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) to discuss the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade to the Sacramento Kings, his fit alongside Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox and how much better he ultimately makes the team. Check out the full episode here: https://youtu.be/SyBbX_Vj6Mo

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