of Kings It was one of the heartwarming stories of the NBA's 2022/23 season. Mike Brown The Kings led Sacramento to their best record since 2005 (48-34) and their first playoff appearance since 2006, and no team has allowed more points per 100 possessions (118.6).
In many ways, the 2023/24 sequel was a worthy sequel: Despite suffering injuries to several key players late in the season, the Kings won 46 games and recorded consecutive wins of at least .500 for the first time in nearly two decades.
But the mood in Sacramento just wasn't as good for a few reasons: First, while Brown appreciated the improved defense (the Kings went from 24th in the '22/'23 season to 14th this season), their No. 1 offense took a big step back (13th) and they just weren't the crowd-pleasing, well-played team they were a year ago.
More importantly, with their postseason drought now over, Sacramento's hopes were high and the goal was to go further and maybe win a playoff series, but the Kings had to fight for their postseason lives in a more competitive Western Conference.
A year after winning 48 games and handily securing the No. 3 seed, the Kings clinched the ninth spot in the West despite winning just two fewer regular-season games. They got some revenge against the Warriors, who eliminated them in the first round in 2023, in a 9-10 play-in game, but lost to the Pelicans in the play-in game to determine the No. 8 seed in the conference, ending their season before the playoffs could even get underway in earnest.
Team improvement isn't always linear, so a slight downturn this season doesn't mean this version of the Kings can't continue to improve in 2024/25. Without a franchise dominating the West, the front office may not need to make major changes to the roster to become a legitimate contender. Monte McNair And his basketball operations team will be working hard this summer to find ways to upgrade the current squad with limited resources.
Kings offseason plans
The Kings completed one of the most important items on their offseason to-do list a week ago, coming to terms with Brown on a multiyear contract extension. The veteran coach signed a four-year deal with the team when he was hired in 2022, but the final year was a mutual option, meaning his contract would effectively expire in 2024/25 if negotiations between the two sides had stalled. That briefly seemed like it could happen last month.
Brown has yet to win a championship as a head coach, but his playoff track record is relatively good, which bodes well for Sacramento. He has a 50-40 overall postseason record and has advanced past the first round in six consecutive seasons with the Cavaliers and Lakers. He is well respected around the league, is one year removed from winning Coach of the Year and has been the Kings' best coach in quite some time.
Given the rising cost of NBA coaching salaries, Sacramento was a good move in signing Brown to a three-year deal worth $8.5 million per year (with the potential to rise to $10 million per year with incentives). If things go south in the next year or two, the Kings won't need Brown long-term, and if things go right, the Kings can confidently offer Brown an eight-figure salary that's on par with what some of his NBA peers have been making over the past year or two.
With Brown signed, the focus over the next few weeks will be on the roster, with the biggest question being what will happen with the free agent wings. Malik MonkMonk, the 2024 Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, has been one of the Kings' most important rotation players over the last few years and has developed into more than just a shooter: His 3.9 assists per game average in 2022/23 was a career-best, but he's quickly surpassed that figure in 2023/24, increasing it to 5.1 assists per game.
There are two challenges to re-signing Monk. First, Sacramento only has the 26-year-old's Early Bird Rights, which means the team can offer him a 75% raise on his previous salary of $9.95 million (with 8% raises each year after that). That would be about $17.4 million in the first year and just under $78 million total over four years. It's a strong offer, but one that could be surpassed by a team with cap space and a need for shooting (Detroit? Orlando?).
Monk, in comments to reporters after the season ended, suggested that while he wouldn't necessarily accept the highest offer, if another offeror came forward with a higher bid than the Kings could offer him and offered him the starting spot, it might be hard to turn down.
Even if Kings teeth If they were able to re-sign Monk with an early bird offer, giving him a significant salary increase would put the club at risk of going over the luxury tax line. Keon Ellis's nonguaranteed salary and the salary cap hit for the No. 13 pick, Sacramento has roughly $155 million available for 12 players. Add in Monk's $17.4 million salary and that total will exceed the projected luxury tax line ($171.3 million) and leave at least one roster spot to be filled.
While releasing the veteran shooting guard or losing him to a higher bidder would give Sacramento enough room under the tax rate to use its full nontaxpayer mid-level exception ($12.9 million) on a replacement, it would be unrealistic to expect the Kings to acquire a player with the same or greater impact as Monk in the MLE. I expect the Kings to press for Monk to re-sign and then address the tax issue if necessary. It wouldn't be too hard for a team owner to chuck a contract or two to avoid the tax if they wanted to.
Of course, if Monk returns, the Kings' roster for 2024/25 will look pretty similar to last season's. The team can't do much in free agency after re-signing Monk, adding a new prospect with the 13th pick and giving him a modest contract (perhaps Sasha Vezenkov And it would raise the salary cap at $6.66 million and likely replace a few minimum-salary players at the back of the roster.
It won't generate a ton of excitement heading into the fall, but it won't be a disaster either. Sacramento has high hopes for their 2022 No. 4 overall pick. Keegan MurrayMurray, a big, 23-year-old winger, is averaging 15.2 points in 2023-24 and has shot 38.4% from three-point range since entering the league two years ago. Murray has shown improvement defensively in his second season and is a breakout candidate that could legitimately raise the ceiling for the Kings if he continues to develop as a two-way star.
Looking to the trade market would be another option for the Kings, who would likely be comfortable upgrading their current primary position at forward. Harrison Barnes and Trey LylesSacramento is Pascal Siakam There were players who were interested in acquiring Murray before he was traded to the Pacers, but putting together a package to acquire a player of that caliber without Murray is not easy.
The Kings' other recent lottery pick was Davion Mitchell (No. 9 in 2021) is a solid defender, but he will likely fall below a two-way player (Ellis) on the backcourt depth chart and doesn't have the same trade value as Murray. Mitchell and Barnes or Kevin Harter A future first-round draft pick would have some appeal, but it's also likely to be outbid by other strong contenders looking for a star player.
It's also worth noting that the Kings still have a 2025 first-round pick in Atlanta after finishing in this year's draft lottery, meaning the earliest the Kings can trade a first-round pick (excluding this year's 13th pick) is 2027. And that could be pushed back a year if Sacramento's 2025 first-round pick finishes in the top 12 and becomes protected again.
Rather than making a big move on the trade market, the Kings could weigh the value of a package centered around Huerter and a future first-round pick (or the 13th overall pick this year). Huerter is a talented outfielder, but he's just returning from shoulder surgery and has defensive limitations that could lead Brown to experiment with using Huerter in the starter role. Chris Duarte In January, he took his place.
Barnes' underrated two-way contributions are arguably more meaningful than Huerter's, so the veteran forward would only be traded if a clear upgrade was available at his position. Huerter seems like a more expendable player at his salary given the Kings have plenty of shooting talent elsewhere on the roster. Sacramento could also add another outfield threat with the 13th pick, but this lottery pick could take the team in a number of different directions, and if the pick isn't traded, they should probably target the best player available.
So far I have not mentioned the Kings' two star players. Domantas Sabonis and Dearon Fox But their contract situations are relatively stable and they're not likely to move anywhere anytime soon, which is especially true for Sabonis, who signed a new deal last summer that puts him under team control for the next four seasons.
Fox has two years left on his current contract and will be eligible for an extension this offseason. The star guard might want to try and make an All-NBA team next spring and see if he can get 35% of the maximum salary cap instead of 30% of the maximum salary cap. So don't worry if he and the Kings pass on an extension this offseason. That could be an issue if they still can't come to an agreement in 2025, but there are no signs of things heading in that direction at this point.
Salary Cap Situation
Guaranteed salary
Domantas Sabonis ($40,500,000)- Dearon Fox ($34,848,340)
- Harrison Barnes ($18 million)
- Kevin Harter ($16,830,357)
- Keegan Murray ($8,809,560)
- Trey Lyles ($8 million)
- Sasha Vezenkov ($6,658,536)
- Davion Mitchell ($6,451,077)
- Chris Duarte ($5,893,768)
- Colby Jones ($2,120,691)
- Total: $148,112,329
Non-guaranteed salary
Death/Withholding Salary
Player Options
Team Options
Restricted Free Agents
Two-way free agency
Draft picks
- 13th overall pick (cap hold: $4,702,800)
- 45th overall pick (no cap hold)
- Total (Maximum): $4,702,800
Players eligible for contract extension
- Chris Duarte (Newcomer scale)
- Dearon Fox (veteran)
- Kevin Harter (veteran)
- The extension will take effect from October 1st.
- Davion Mitchell (Newcomer scale)
Note: Unless otherwise noted, these players will be eligible for extensions starting in July.
Unrestricted Free Agent
Cap exceptions apply
NOTE: The Kings plan to operate within the first tax credit, above the cap.
- Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception: $12,859,000
- Semi-annual exceptions: $4,681,000
