Kings’ Vlade Divac faces roster decisions on Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica, more
.jpg "Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) goes up for a shot against Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard (39) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP)")
Kings coach Luke Walton said he will meet with general manager Vlade Divac this weekend in Sacramento to plot the way forward following the team’s 14th consecutive losing campaign.
The season ended with a 136-122 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at The Field House in the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando. Walton and Divac will have much to discuss as the team prepares for an abbreviated offseason.
The NBA Draft lottery will be held Thursday. The Kings and New Orleans Pelicans are tied for the 12th and 13th spots in the lottery rankings. A coin flip will break the tie before the lottery is held.
The Kings will then have eight weeks to prepare for the draft, which will be held Oct. 16. They have to make a big decision regarding Nemanja Bjelica by Oct. 17 and then free agency begins Oct. 18.
Bogdan Bogdanovic and Da’Quan Jeffries will be restricted free agents. Kent Bazemore, Harry Giles III, Alex Len, Corey Brewer and Yogi Ferrell will be unrestricted free agents.
The Kings have committed $84.8 million in guaranteed salary for the 2020-21 season. They will spend another $13.6 million if the team retains Bjelica and Jabari Parker exercises his player option. The salary cap was expected to rise to $115 million, but league sources believe it is likely to remain closer to $109 million due to revenue losses from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Kings will probably have to go over the cap to re-sign Bogdanovic, but they can do so without approaching the luxury tax line. That would entitle the Kings to the $9.26 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Here are the biggest personnel decisions facing the Kings as the offseason begins …
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Position: SG/SF
Age: 27
Status: Restricted free agent
Bogdanovic just completed the third year of the three-year, $27 million deal he signed with the Kings in 2017. He turned down a four-year, $51.4 million extension prior to the season, choosing to play out the final season and become a restricted free agent instead.
The Kings have managed their cap space to make sure they can match any reasonable offer for Bogdanovic. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard was expected to command upwards of $15 million per year at one point, but few teams will have significant money to spend and the salary cap could be reduced due to revenue losses from the pandemic. If Bogdanovic doesn’t like the multiyear options available to him, he could accept the Kings’ qualifying offer of $10.6 million for 2020-21 and become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Bogdanovic averaged a career-high 15.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season, shooting 43.9% from the field and 37% from 3-point range. He averaged 19.6 points in eight games in the NBA bubble and scored a career-high 35 points against the Pelicans on Aug. 6.
Earlier this week, Bogdanovic was asked about his time in Sacramento and the prospect of entering restricted free agency.
“So far I’m having really good time,” Bogdanovic said. “I wish we had more success as a team, more wins, and we were on our way to make the playoffs. I don’t know when free agency starts, but I think I have to wait for that. I’m really not thinking about it right now, but I think as soon as season is done.”
Da’Quan Jeffries
Position: SG/SF
Age: 22
Status: Restricted free agent
Jeffries, a two-way player who spent much of the season with the Kings’ G League affiliate in Stockton, opened eyes with his play in the bubble after logging only 19 minutes in Sacramento before the coronavirus shutdown.
Jeffries played 74 minutes during three scrimmages, converting 10 of 22 field-goal attempts and 4 of 10 from 3-point range. He played 122 more minutes during eight seeding games. He scored 12 points against the Orlando Magic and 13 against the Houston Rockets.
“He’s earned that time,” Walton said. “He has had a very productive camp. He’s done a really nice job of taking advantage of the opportunities given.”
Jeffries went undrafted out of Tulsa in 2019, but he appears to have potential as a 3-and-D wing in the NBA. He’s a 6-foot-5, 230-pound, rock-solid shooting guard with the length to play small forward and the strength to defend some power forwards in small-ball lineups. He is a switchable defender and an explosive leaper who could add wing depth behind Harrison Barnes if the Kings elect to bring him back.
Jabari Parker
Position: PF
Age: 25
Status: Player option ($6.5 million)
With little hope of earning more in a tight free-agent market, Parker is likely to exercise a $6.5 million player option to remain with the Kings next season.
Parker said Thursday he had not made a decision regarding his option, but he indicated he was leaning toward staying in Sacramento.
“I’m going to talk it over with my agent, but I don’t plan on moving again,” Parker said. “I’ve been packing my bags. I want to take care of my family and try to be in one place and take advantage of the opportunity. Right now I’m a King and that’s the direction I hope going forward.”
Parker was the No. 2 pick out of Duke in 2014. He averaged 20.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in his third season with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016-17, but he has been limited to 132 total games for five teams over the past three seasons.
The Kings acquired Parker in the February trade that sent Dewayne Dedmon back to the Atlanta Hawks. He appeared in only five games for Sacramento, averaging 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per contest.
Parker got a nice opportunity to show his coaches and the rest of the league what he can do in the last three bubble games. He scored 43 points on 19-of-25 shooting in those contests. He had 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds and six assists in Thursday’s win over the Lakers.
Nemanja Bjelica
Position: PF
Age: 32
Status: Final year (non-guaranteed)
Bjelica just finished the second year of the three-year, $20.5 million contract he signed with the Kings in 2018, but the final year is not guaranteed.
His $7.15 million salary for the 2020-21 season will become guaranteed if he is not waived by Oct. 17. This is one way the Kings can free up money for free agency, but Bjelica has been good for them.
Bjelica enjoyed the best two years of his career with the Kings after Divac talked him out of returning to Europe. He averaged career highs of 11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.8 steals this season. He also shot a career-best 42.1% from 3-point range.
Bjelica has also been durable for the Kings. He appeared in 77 games last season and 71 of the team’s 72 games this season. Bjelica has been one of Sacramento’s best players in terms of net rating and plus-minus figures. He logged 19% of his minutes at center this season, so it’s possible the Kings could utilize him as more of a stretch 5 if they want to get younger and more athletic at the power forward spot.
The Kings still have a logjam in the frontcourt no matter how you look at it. Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III and Parker can all play power forward.
Richaun Holmes, Bagley and even Parker can play center. The Kings also might want to keep Len around to see if he can recreate the incredible defensive presence he provided after coming to Sacramento in the Dedmon trade.
Kent Bazemore
Position: SG
Age: 31
Status: Unrestricted free agent
Bazemore came to the Kings in the January trade that sent Trevor Ariza to the Portland Trail Blazers. Bazemore made an immediate impact, demonstrating leadership in the locker room while quickly establishing a key role in Walton’s rotation.
Bazemore averaged 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 38.4% from 3-point range in 25 games for the Kings. This was the final year of the four-year, $70 million deal he signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2016, so he will be an unrestricted free agent.
The Kings love Bazemore’s positive presence and the positional versatility he gives them at the shooting guard and small forward spots. After seeing a dip in his 3-point shooting with the Hawks in 2018-19 and the Blazers earlier this season, Bazemore rediscovered his stroke in Sacramento, shooting 38.4% over 25 games.
Bazemore and his wife were celebrating their wedding anniversary when the Kings left for Orlando on July 8. He said he is looking forward to seeing his wife and their 14-month-old son before pondering the future.
“I’m going to … reunite with my family and go from there, man,” Bazemore said. “It’s one thing at a time for me, especially being away for the past eight weeks, nine weeks, however long it’s been. I’m just really excited to get back and hold my son and kiss my wife and love on her for a couple days and then we’ll see what happens, but right now, man, we all need a break.”
Harry Giles III
Position: C
Age: 22
Status: Unrestricted free agent
Giles has repeatedly expressed his desire to stay in Sacramento, but he will become an unrestricted free agent after the Kings declined his fourth-year option for $3.97 million in October.
The Kings can try to bring Giles back next season, but under the collective bargaining agreement they can offer no more than $3.97 million in the first year of a new deal with 8% annual raises. Other teams will be able to offer more money.
It’s unclear how much Giles will command on the open market given his injury history and the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Few teams will have significant cap space when free agency begins Oct. 18, but any team with a mid-level exception could easily outbid the Kings.
Giles had a couple of opportunities to demonstrate his skills during the NBA restart. He logged significant minutes in two of Sacramento’s eight games in the bubble.
Giles had 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds in 20 minutes in a 132-116 loss to the Orlando Magic on Aug. 2. After the game, he was asked about the idea of showcasing himself ahead of free agency.
“I’m just doing what I have to do,” Giles said. “Taking care of my business and putting forth my best effort and just seeing what the outcome is going to be.”
Alex Len
Position: C
Age: 27
Status: Unrestricted free agent
Len just finished the second year of the two-year, $8.5 million contract he signed with the Hawks in 2018. He only appeared in 15 games for the Kings after coming to Sacramento in the Dedmon trade, but he made his presence felt during a key stretch that vaulted the Kings back into playoff contention.
The 7-foot, 250-pound center provided a level of size, toughness and intensity the Kings lacked before he arrived. Len averaged 6.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots in nine games for the Kings before the shutdown. In those nine games, the Kings ranked second in the NBA behind the Milwaukee Bucks in defensive rebounding percentage (.768) and opponent’s second-chance points (8.9). They were 10th in defensive rating (109.3).
Walton has preached the importance of defense all season, but the Kings fell well short of his expectations. He said defense will continue to be the team’s top priority going into next season. If that’s the case, the Kings might want to bring Len back.
“Those nine games he played, he really brought an edge and a toughness to our paint,” Walton said. “With his size, he did a great job protecting the rim and all those things.”
One part of Len’s game Kings’ fans haven’t seen much of is his 3-point shooting. He knocked down two 3-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. Those were his first two long balls for the Kings, but he shot 36.3% on 2.6 3-point attempts per game for the Hawks in 2018-19.
Yogi Ferrell
Position: PG
Age: 27
Status: Unrestricted free agent
Ferrell just completed the second year of the 2-year, $6.15 million deal he signed with the Kings in 2018. He will always be remembered for the “YO-GI … FERR-ELL” call from public address announcer Scott Moak and the fans every time he made a 3-pointer at Golden 1 Center.
Ferrell had a reduced role in Sacramento this season. He appeared in 50 games, averaging 4.4 points and 1.4 assists in 10.6 minutes per game. His 3-point shooting dropped from 36.2% in 2018-19 to 30.4% this season.
The fourth-year point guard may be able to find a better opportunity somewhere else. In 2017-18, he averaged 10.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27.8 minutes per game for the Dallas Mavericks, shooting 37.3% from beyond the arc.
Corey Brewer
Position: SG/SF
Age: 34
Status: Unrestricted free agent
Brewer made a positive impression with the Kings at the end of the 2018-19 season and returned at the end of the 2019-20 season to fill out the 17-man roster for the NBA restart.
The 13-year NBA veteran appeared in five games in the bubble, logging just 6.6 minutes per contest. He had four points, four rebounds and three steals in 17 minutes against the Magic. This might be the last we see of Brewer, but Kings’ fans will always remember the friendly smile and his infectious enthusiasm.
