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Although the NBA offseason isn’t officially underway, the Sacramento Kings are already part of the rumor mill. The Athletic’s Shams Charania says the Milwaukee Bucks are planning on making a run at Kings restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Sacramento’s new general manager Monte McNair will make the ultimate decision, but Bogi has shown why he deserves to be back with the organization in 2020-21.
One former Kings coach is back in the NBA. Dave Joerger has agreed to join the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach on Doc Rivers’ staff. Joerger spent three seasons in Sacramento, finishing with a record of 98-148 and no playoff appearances. The Kings finished 39-43 in Joerger’s final season with the team, which is Sacramento’s best record since the 2005-06 season.
Former Kings and Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger has agreed to join Doc Rivers' staff as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 15, 2020
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes ranked the top-10 most underpaid players in the NBA and one Sacramento player made the list. Center Richaun Holmes put up fantastic numbers in his first full year as a starter. The 27-year-old averaged 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds last season, both career-highs. As Hughes points out, Holmes’ numbers put him among elite company in the NBA:
“It’s a quick-and-dirty approach, but consider this when weighing Holmes’ value against what he’s being paid. Last year, only he and three other centers averaged at least 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds with a true shooting percentage north of 64.0 percent (Holmes was at 68.1 percent, for what it’s worth): Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside.”
Holmes is due just $5 million next season and will be in line for a huge raise if he keeps up these stats. Sacramento scored 4.7 more points per 100 possessions with Holmes on the floor than it did with him on the bench. His underlying numbers make him a steal at his current salary. With the Kings potentially losing Alex Len and Harry Giles in free agency, Holmes looks like he could get the lion’s share of the minutes at center in 2021.
Former Kings play-by-play announcer Grant Napear isn’t going to apologize for his “All Lives Matter” tweet. Napear told Fox40 that he doesn’t regret his words.
“And I said ‘all lives matter, every single one’, because I meant it. Do the lives of Black people matter? Hell yeah, the lives of Black people matter,” Napear said. “I’m for equality for all, that’s how I was raised. That’s how my dad brought up my brother and I.”