Category: Sacramento Kings

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Forward Luc Mbah a Moute has signed a free agent contract and will once again be a member of the Sacramento Kings. Mbah a Moute was with the Kings in 2013-14 and was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the trade that brought Derrick Williams to Sacramento.

The 6-foot-8 Mbah a Moute averaged a career high 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 67 appearances for the 76ers in 2014-15. He shot .395 from the field, .307 from 3-point range and .589 from the free throw line.

Mbah a Moute is really known for his defense. Bill Herenda of KFBK Radio reported on Twitter that some within the Kings organization see Mbah a Moute as one of the top five defenders in the NBA. For a team that has lacked a defensive identity, the addition of Mbah a Moute and Willie Cauley-Stein goes a long way in helping establish a new attitude about defense for the team.

Mbah a Moute has been in “the association” since being selection in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He has played for the Bucks, Kings, Timberwolves and Sixers in his seven year in the league.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have added small forward Caron Butler to their roster according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. The Kings have not yet confirmed the signing, but there is no reason to question the unnamed source who leaked the information of the transaction.

Butler is a 6-foot-7, 228 pound, forward who has been in “the association” for 13 years. He was drafted in the first round out of UConn in 2002 by the Miami Heat. Butler has played with eight different teams over those 13 seasons.

Butler played for the Detroit Pistons last season. He appeared in 78 games (21 starts). Butler averaged 5.9 points in 20.8 minutes of playing time. He shot .407 from the field and .379 from beyond the 3-point arc. Butler averaged 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in those 78 games.

The 35 year old Butler will provide some much needed veteran presence in Kings locker room that features players mostly in their 20’s. Butler – who has been to the playoffs seven times in his career – will be able to impart what it takes to be a playoff contender to his younger colleagues.

You can look for Butler to come off the bench with the second unit when Omri Casppi needs to come out of game situations. He will probably play 15 – 18 minutes per game.

International Players Identified

The Kings released the names of the two international players whose draft rights they procured in the five player trade with Philadelphia. They are Arturas Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic.

Gudaitis is a 6-foot-10, 254 pound center who plays for BC Lietuvos Rytas of the Lithuanian Basketball League. In his 20 Euroleague games last season, Gudaitis averaged 6.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He played an average of 15-plus minutes per game.

Scouts like his muscular size but say he needs to use how to use his size to its fullest potential. The Sixers drafted Gudaitis in the second round (47th overall).

Mitrovic is a 6-foot-9, 225 pound forward who plays for Crvena Zvezda Belgrade of the Basketball League of Serbia. He averages 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 24.7 minutes of playing time. Mitrovic appeared in 24 games (20 starts) last season.

Mitrovic helped his team – Crvena Zvezda – win the Adriatic League championship and the Serbian League championship as well as the Radivoj Korac’ Cup.

Philadelphia drafted Mitrovic in the second round (60th overall).

by Charlie O. Mallonee

UPDATE: This transaction has been confirmed by the Sacramento Kings via press release at 1:39 PM

The Sacramento Kings have traded point guard Ray McCallum to the San Antonio Spurs according to multiple reports that are quoting unnamed league sources. The Kings will receive a future second-round draft pick for McCallum.

McCallum became expendable when the Kings signed Rajon Rondo to a one-year contract. Rondo and Darren Collison will handle the point guard duties for the Kings in 2015-16.

The Spurs need McCallum as a replacement for Cory Joseph who left for the Toronto Raptors.

McCallum – the son of a college head coach – was known for his high “basketball IQ”. He was called upon to be the starting point guard twice in his career with the Kings. McCallum started 10 games his rookie season when Isaiah Thomas went down with injuries. He started 30 games in 2014-15 for Darren Collison who was side-lined with a season ending core muscle injury.

Sacramento selected McCallum in the second-round (36th) of the 2013 NBA Draft. He average 6.9 points and 2.7 assists per game over his two seasons with the Kings.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Fan favorite Omri Casspi will remain with the Sacramento Kings for the next two seasons. The deal was finalized on Sunday but will not be official until July 9th. The signing was first reported by ESPN.

Casspi – who is in his second tour of duty with the Kings – averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.1 minutes per game is 2014-15. He shot 48.9 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from behind the 3-point line.

Casspi seemed to flourish under George Karl’s free-wheeling “dribble-drive” system as he averaged almost 20 points per game in the final 30 games of the season. The “three or in the key” philosophy appears to be tailor-made to utilize Casspi’s shooting skills and ability to drive to the basket.

Casspi – who is known as a swingman – can play small forward or shooting guard. His presence will give George Karl some flexibility – especially with his second unit.

Casspi made his own cryptic announcement on Twitter, “I’m all in. #SacramentoProud.”

Casspi has played with Sacramento, Cleveland and Houston during his six years in “the association”. He was originally drafted by the Kings.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings stayed busy on the 4th of July as they reportedly signed 7-foot center Kosta Koufos to be the backup for DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings cannot officially make the announcement until July 9th when the moratorium on signing free agents ends.

The deal was made public by ESPN from information gathered from an anonymous source (it really is worse than the Watergate scandal. No one can go on record but everyone knows what is happening through unknown sources).

Koufos has spent the last two seasons in Memphis backing up Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. He has played for four different teams over his seven years in the league.

Koufos spent parts of three seasons in Denver playing for George Karl, so he knows the “dribble-drive system” and what it is like to play under Karl.

Koufos’ contract is reportedly a four year, $33 million deal. The fourth year is said to be a player option.

Koufos – who played his college ball at Ohio State – averaged 16.6 minutes per game in 81 games for Memphis last season. He averaged 5.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game.

The Kings may be looking for a backup forward right now. Sacramento lost Derrick Williams to the Knicks. Reports had the Kings wanting to hold on to Williams.

They currently have center Ryan Hollins and forward Eric Moreland on the team. Hollis may be expendable with the addition of Koufos. Moreland was injured and missed almost the entire season in 2014-15.

The Kings could really use an experienced forward to backup Rudy Gay and Willie Cauley-Stein. Another wing player who can shoot the “3-ball” would also be of help to the team.

The Kings are said to be interested in bringing back forward Omri Casspi who played well under all three coaches last season. He is an unrestricted free agent. Casspi played for just a little over $1 million last season.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Multiple sources are reporting that point guard Rajon Rondo will be a member of the Sacramento Kings for the 2015-16 season. The deal is reportedly a one-year contract worth $9.5-million.

The Kings had made no secret of their pursuit of the talented Rondo. In fact, many insiders believe that the Kings were the only serious suitor for Rondo as the free agent signing window opened in the NBA.

If Kings head coach George Karl did not have his hands full before, he does now with the addition of the temperamental Rondo on his team to go along with the mercurial personality of star center DeMarcus Cousins.

Rondo’s 2014-15 season came to an abrupt end. After being traded by Boston to Dallas, Rondo’s star did not shine big and bright in Texas. To say the trade failed to live up to its billing would be an understatement.

The low light of Rondo’s time in Dallas came late in the season when he had a heated exchange with Mavericks’ head Rick Carlisle on the bench during a game. That was followed by a one-game suspension.

Rondo missed most of the playoffs with a previously unreported back injury. Most observers felt the injury report was just a cover to keep Rondo off the playoff roster.

Rondo’s run in Boston was much more successful and included a NBA Championship (2008) plus four trips the NBA All-Star game. Rondo became expendable when the Celtics went into full-blown rebuilding mode.

Ironically, Rondo becomes the third Kentucky Wildcat on the Kings roster. Rondo played two seasons in Kentucky for Tubby Smith. DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein played for the Wildcats under John Calipari.

Rondo averaged 8.9-points, 5.5-rebounds and 7.9-assists per game in 2014-15. For his career, Rondo has averaged 10.8-points, 4.7-rebounds and 8.3-assists per game in his nine-seasons as a NBA player.

The Kings made it clear they were seeking a pass first point guard. Well, they have one at least for the next season or until the next emotional blowout, which ever comes first.

Sources have also confirmed the Kings have signed shooting guard Marco Belinelli to a three-year, $19-million deal. Belinelli was member of the San Antonio Spurs for the two previous seasons.

The Kings needed to add outside shooting in order to run George Karl’s “three or in the key” dribble-drive offense. Sacramento did not feel that their 2014 draft lottery pick Nik Stauskas was going to be able handle the job and traded him to Philadelphia in a three-player transaction.

The Kings reportedly pursued shooting guards Wesley Matthews and Monta Ellis. Matthews is reportedly headed to Dallas while Ellis will play for the Pacers next season.

Belinelli will be playing for his sixth team in eight seasons in “the association”. He was the number one draft pick (18th overall) of the Golden State Warriors in 2007.

Belinelli was a member of the Spurs 2014 NBA Championship team.

Belinelli has been a second unit player for San Antonio averaging just over 22-minutes per game off the bench. He averaged 9.2-points, 2.5-rebounds and 1.5-assists per game last season. Belinelli shot 42.3-percent from the field and 37.4-percent from beyond the 3-point arc. He is a 84.8-percent free throw shooter.

Belinelli will need no time to adjust to Karl’s dribble-drive offense. The Spurs play a wide-open offense that encourages the guards to shoot 3-point shots in transition. The Kings will want Belinelli to attempt 3-pointers early and often in games.

The signings of Rondo and Belinelli leaves the Kings with approximately $10-million left in reserve to sign additional free agents. Rumors continue to abound that Sacramento is interested in re-signing forward Derrick Williams who seemed to fit into Karl’s free-wheeling offense during the final 30-games of the season.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings went into the free agent signing period with just $9-million in cap space. In order to add the veteran free agent talent they crave, the Kings needed to created more cap space.

According to multiple reports, the Kings are creating that space by sending Carl Landry, Jason Thompson and Nik Stauskas to the Philadelphia 76ers in a move that will give the Kings an additional $16-million to pursue players in the free agent market.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports was the first to report the transaction which cannot become official until July 9th by NBA rules. On that date, teams are allowed to officially trade players.

Sports Radio Service has been projecting that Thompson and Stauskas could be packaged together in a trade situation during the off-season. Rumors have been swirling that the Kings were also trying to move Landry.

The Kings receive the $16-million in cap space, rights to an unknown number of overseas players, a swap of first-round draft picks and a future second-round selection. In addition to the players, the Sixers will receive a protected future first-round draft pick.

The Kings have been rumored to be pursuing Rajon Rondo, Monta Ellis and Wesley Matthews. Sacramento needs another strong point guard and shooting guard to run George Karl’s “dribble-drive offense”. The Indiana Pacers met with Ellis on Wednesday.

Jason Thompson was the longest-tenured Kings player. The 6-foot-11 Thompson played in 542 games over seven seasons in Sacramento. He played under seven head coaches in those seven seasons.

Nik Stauskas was a lottery pick in 2014. The shooting guard out of the University of Michigan was selected to be a 3-point shooter for the Kings. Stauskas was never able to find consistency with his jump shot. He did establish some success driving to the basket later in the season. The jury is still out on whether Stauskas will make it as a NBA shooting guard.

Carl Landry was in his second tour of duty with Sacramento. Frankly, his health issues are what made him available to be traded. Landry recently had surgery on his wrist and was hampered early last season while rehabbing from knee surgery. The Kings – who lack depth – need healthy players who can withstand the rigors of a NBA season.

The Sixers will be receiving two “high character” veterans who will provide stability for their young roster. Stauskas gives them a young player who could become a good NBA shooter given the time to develop.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The trial on the lawsuit brought by three Sacramento residents over what they see as illegal hidden subsidies given to the Sacramento Kings ownership group continued on Tuesday with two high-profile witnesses. Mayor Kevin Johnson and Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive took the stand.

Johnson’s testimony began with a discussion of deleted emails. It was revealed that the mayor deleted emails concerning the arena even after being advised to keep all communications related to the arena project.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Johnson testified that there was no sinister intent in deleting the communications.“I did it without thinking,” Johnson said on the witness stand in Sacramento Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon. “There was no ill intent.”

Johnson implied that the deleted emails contained nothing of substance related to the project. He characterized the content as “chit-chat”.

The judge in the case indicated he would consider the deleted emails when deliberating on the merits of the lawsuit. Since the case is accusing the city of hiding subsidies to the Kings ownership in order to have them buy the team and participate in the building of the arena, deleted communications are seen as a significant issue.

The lawsuit contends that 3700 parking spaces under the arena that will be controlled by the Kings and six digital billboards that Kings will place around the city were not disclosed to the public. The city and the KIngs refute that the parking and billboard deals were kept  secret.

“I could not tell you how many parking spots there are. I could not tell you how many signs or what the value of the signs is, if there is any value,” Ranadive said from the witness stand.

The Kings majority owner also said that his group overpaid for the NBA team. He testified that the group may have paid as much as $200-million more than the team was actually worth to keep the franchise in Sacramento.

KCRA Channel 3 News quoted Randive, “If there was a way to save the team and keep it in Sacramento, that would be a good thing to do,” Ranadive said. “I had come to the state of California with nothing. And everything I had I owed to the state. And so if I could play a role in keeping the team, that would be a noble purpose.”

Ranadive went on to say, “It was an emotional decision,” he said. “If I had actually done it based on numbers, then I would not have done it.”

Mayor Johnson also told the court that the Kings ownership group came back to the city to see if they could put in any additional funds for the arena. The mayor indicated he told the owners that the city’s involvement would be capped at $258-million. The Kings are responsible to pay any overruns.

Observers have implied that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit have an uphill battle in proving their case against the city and the Kings.

The trial is expected to continue until the end of the week.