The Sacramento Kings made a pair of free agent moves yesterday.
Short answer: Nope.
Was De’Aaron Fox the right pick at number 5? Yes. Yet looking at the depth charts and team around the Kings they seem to look worse and worse by the day.
This week, the Kings signed both Zach Randolph and George Hill were signed to multi-year deals with the club that seems to never really find its identity. The departure of DeMarcus Cousins looked like a step towards youth, but their indecisiveness as an organization keeps fans scratching their heads.
Signing Zach Randolph is a highly questionable decision. Signing a forward that relies on inside post play and a strength game that will turn 36 in two weeks just doesn’t make sense for a squad in transition. Signing that forward for $12 million a year for two years is just crazy.
Randolph has been on a decline as his minutes have dipped in consecutive years, but his per-minute stats have grown slightly. Putting Randolph on the bench seems like their best choice, as the 260 lb Power Forward has been slowing down as an athlete. He now relies almost independently on power moves in the paint and makes the Kings frontcourt even more crowded. A front court with (at least) five players vouching for PF and C minutes, and no distinct leaders.
George Hill was also signed, but for 3 years for a total of $57 million. This move makes a little more sense but seemed like a stretch for an incredibly average floor general. DeAaron Fox is young and inexperienced and will need time to grow, so signing Hill to lead the rookie may have been a smart move, but they overpaid for the veteran.
The most positive point of this entire offseason is the fact that with these large contracts given to aging semi-stars, they can’t offer a max-contract to Otto Porter who frankly does not deserve the payday. Knowing the Kings management, that deal was likely already in the making until they realize they could get a point guard to possibly push them somewhat closer to making a playoff game.
For years, the Kings brass has toyed with the idea of relevance for intermittent periods just to make a move that leaves fans and onlookers completely baffled. The trade of DeMarcus Cousins was a clear example of the utter confusion and lack of direction within the team’s management.
The Kings are simply a team without a direction, never playing poor enough to get a blockbuster rookie and never good enough to even make even an eighth seed.
If there was ever a time that Vivek Ranadive’s wish of Buddy Hield becoming Steph Curry to come true, that time is now. No longer are the Philadelphia 76ers the laughing stock of the NBA, and the Brooklyn Nets may have made their best move in a half a decade (see. D’Angelo Russell trade).
Another few more seasons of irrelevance and the Kings may permanently become the Sacramento Queens.
