The Sacramento Kings are under new management and while the team has done a solid job at bringing in free agents, they have already traded away one star in Tyreke Evans and they had the chance to sign another in Andre Iguodala before he selected the Warriors instead.
The Kings were one of the early frontrunners for Iguodala, but after the team offered him a four-year, $52 million deal, they pulled it and decided to move in a different direction. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Iguodala was seriously considering the Kings, but he did not want to be on the clock and the team put a deadline on the deal and that was the main point of him not coming to Sacramento. Iguodala said he liked the new owner and that the team was in the top three, but after the deadline came up, he decided the quick thinking was not for him.
The Kings obviously would have liked to sign Iguodala, but now that money allows them to concentrate on signing DeMarcus Cousins long-term, but if that doesn't work out, they could end up dealing him in the future. This offseason the team has been trying to trade Chuck Hayes and Jimmer Fredette and while that originally was to clear space to try and sign Iguodala, the team appears to be continuing those talks with teams, including the Cavaliers, although no deal is imminent.
Hayes is due over $11 million over the next two years and as the team tries to rebuild and sign Cousins, that money could be on the way out. Hayes, who is an eight-year defensive specialist in the league, said he would be open to a move, while Fredette could be on the way out after the team got Greivis Vasquez. The Kings will need him to replace Tyreke Evans after they traded him to the Pelicans and now they may try to move Fredette too after he averaged less than 10 points per game last season. Fredette has a $2.4 million salary this season and the team has an option for next year, which could mean he will be moved at some point before that.
Fredette averaged 7.4 points, 1.5 assists and 1.1 rebounds and could be a solid addition for another team. The Kings made some solid moves in the offseason with Carl Landry, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Vasquez and they should be at least slightly improved from last season. Landry was the top contract for the team so far after he signed a four-year, $26 million deal and now he comes back to the team after spending time with the Warriors. Landry averaged 10.8 points and six rebounds in 23.2 minutes off the bench last season and played well in the playoffs and he might be the primary starter next season.
