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ESPN Attempts to Fix Kings Roster

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Sacramento Kings The problem: At least it appears that the Kings will be staying put, so we know they will continue to have the support of a loyal fan base. What we don't know is how the Kings are going to evolve. On paper, they have a pair of super-talented building blocks in Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. The results, however, remain awful. The offense ranks 25th in efficiency despite a third-place standing in offensive rebound percentage and the defense ranks 28th. The Kings just can't score inside the arc, ranking 29th in 2-point percentage. Sacramento once held hope that Evans could be the primary decision-maker on offense, but he's been used more at the wing positions this year. They've been using rookie Isaiah Thomas as their starting point guard of late, but he really should be used as a streak shooter in limited minutes of the bench. The fix: The Kings have to continue to develop the Evans-Cousins core and make it work. There is just too much talent there to give up. For that pairing to succeed, the third member of Sacramento's big three needs to be a playmaking point guard, who can make decisions for players who don't make good ones for themselves. If you find that, then you can get a defense-first wing to play alongside Evans on the wing and a rim protector/rebounder to go with Cousins inside. Voila! You've got a playoff contender -- if Evans and Cousins mature. (Not a given.) The Kings could offer their first-round pick and a couple of young pieces like Thomas or Hassan Whiteside to the Celtics for Rajon Rondo. The Celtics would be creating even more flexibility for the future, adding a high lottery pick and getting rid of a player they seem to want to move. The Kings would gain one of the league's top point guards, one who plays the exact style they need, though a couple of high-percentage perimeter shooters would have to be added. Rondo WARP: 7.8/13.8 (over two seasons)

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