Kings offseason changes
Adding veterans was an emphasis for the Kings. They shipped out Willie Cauley-Stein to clear salary space and the way for Bagley and Harry Giles, who are expected to patrol the five. They also added Dewayne Dedmon at center.
Sacramento’s young core all have three years of experience or less. Adding a 15-year veteran wing in Trevor Ariza, an eight-year veteran point guard in Cory Joseph and a seven-year veteran wing in Harrison Barnes is going to elevate the leadership in the locker room.
The wing positions were relatively light last season, similar to that of the Pistons, but adding Barnes and Ariza gives the Kings the flexibility to play at small forward or as stretch-fours in small-ball lineups.
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With the youth and athleticism the Kings roster boasts, going small and using their quickness may be one of their best assets this season.
Later in the offseason, the Kings added Richaun Holmes, an athletic, rim-running big man, and Tyler Lydon, a stretch-four that is 4-for-10 from 3-point range in limited playing time in his career. Lydon has a better opportunity in Sacramento for playing time, since Denver’s frontcourt was loaded with veteran experience.
Aside from bolstering each position on the depth chart, the Kings also added 3-point shooting, after having the fourth-best percentage in the league at 37.8 percent last season. Barnes and Ariza are assets to improve their shooting even more.
Drafting rookie Kyle Guy 55th overall could prove helpful in the long run. Guy was a clutch shooter for the national champion Virginia Cavaliers. He’s only on a two-way contract but he has the experience leading an offense and could realistically help them this season and beyond.
Let’s take a look at how the teams match up this season.