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Principles vs. particulars in overpaying in NBA free agency

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For 24 hours, the Sacramento Kings reportedly had a four-year deal worth $52-56 million on the table for Andre Iguodala. The Kings rescinded that offer Tuesday night, as they needed an immediate answer from Iguodala and didn't get one.

But while the offer was valid and public, it echoed one of the more interesting debates around NBA free agency: is it ever okay to overpay?

The Kings' historic list of non-incumbent free agent signings looks like this: Brad Miller in 2003, Vlade Divac in 1998, Bobby Jackson in 2000 and Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 2005. The Kings do not compete in free agency. Most of the teams' best players were drafted by the franchise or acquired via trade. That's how it goes for most non-glamour teams. The free agents tend to sign with teams in big markets who have chances to compete for a title. When star players do sign in smaller non-incumbent markets, it's typically all about the money.

So to win big-name free agents, these teams need to win the money battle. Which usually means overpaying. Is that ever acceptable when trying to build a team in a salary cap league?

Reaction to the pulled offer: Sactown RoyaltyDenver Stiffs

I'll paraphrase an excellent point my friend Kevin Pelton raised during the Iguodala discussion on Tuesday: the principle that one should not overpay always matters because that overage on one player is money you can't spend elsewhere. The cap is a cruel mistress, and overpaying a player $3 million per year essentially reduces your cap line (or luxury tax line, in reality) by that amount. That could be an even bigger problem for smaller markets who would need to overpay in the first place, as the tax is typically a non-starter.

Do any circumstances merit breaking that principle? I think the Kings can make a compelling case in the now-defunct Iguodala deal. As noted, Sacramento never pulls free agents of note. The city just saved its team. New owners are in place. Fans are scooping up season tickets with hopes that this will truly be a new era of Kings basketball. The new arena is scheduled to open in three years. There is a palpable excitement for the team, and a pretty crazy need for a defensive-minded small forward. (The Kings finished No. 29 in defensive rating in each of the past two seasons.) The Kings have gobs of cap space if they let Tyreke Evans walk. At 29, Iguodala is a bit older than you'd like on a deal of that size ($13-14 million per year, on average), but he was otherwise a flawless fit.

Do those circumstances justify overpayment? I'd argue they would, though the amount of overpayment is highly debatable. (In Iguodala's 2016-17 season under the now-dead deal, he'd be making $15 million at age 34. That's a little frightening, I'll admit.) That was the issue with Rudy Gay, as Memphis needed to keep him when he was up for a new contract, but had to overpay massively to prevent him from signing an onerous offer sheet. And now Gay is overpaid by at least a third, or $6 million. (He's due $18 million this season.) That's a huge amount of money.

But would the $3 million or so Iguodala might be overpaid hurt as much? No, not really, unless his athleticism left him quickly and he became highly overpaid early in the deal.

Again, it's all moot in this particular situation, but the debate will pop up again. Heck, it applies to the New Orleans Pelicans' wooing of Tyreke Evans, too, though that deal is as much about projecting potential as anything else. (The list of NBA players with Evans' numbers at this age is incredibly short and impressive.) It's something front offices have had to and will have to grapple with for a long, long time. Is it ever okay to overpay? Sacramento was ready to say "yes," at the very least.

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Grading the NBA free agent deals

Tyreke Evans and the suddenly hot free agent market

Rondo's on board with Boston's rebuild

NBA Draft 2013 grades and results


NBA fines players for participating in Washington alumni game

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The NBA recently fined a number of players for their participation in an unsanctioned University of Washington alumni game, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Playing in the event costs each player $15,000.

Philadelphia 76ers center Spencer Hawes, Sacramento Kings guard Isaiah Thomas and a pair of Memphis Grizzlies guards, Quincy Pondexter and Tony Wroten, have been fined for playing in the game on June 23 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

Other NBA players also took the court, including Raptors guard Terrence Ross and free agent Nate Robinson, but Wojnarowski says it's unclear if they were also subject to the fines.

The game, which was organized by Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar, broke a rule in the CBA stating, "players can't play in public offseason games prior to July 1 or after Sept. 15 without league approval."

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Dwight Howard finishes meetings, will decide soon

Pistons want Rudy Gay, offer Stuckey and Villanueva

Flannery: Tanking and rebuilding | Ziller: When it's OK to overpay

Grading the NBA free agent deals

With Iguodala Offer Off The Table, What Will Sacramento Do Next?

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Yesterday was a rollercoaster ride. First reports came in that the Kings had offered Iguodala a 4 year, $56 million contract and called the Kings the "frontrunners" to land him. Just a few hours later, the Kings rescinded their offer which had actually been 4 years, $52 million. The belief is that Iguodala and his agent were using Sacramento as leverage to seek a bigger deal, and the Kings front office didn't like being used as leverage for someone who was hesitant upon joining the team anyway.

So where does this leave Sacramento going forward?

1. Tyreke Evans is back on the table

There seemed to be a consensus among the veteran NBA reporters covering the Kings that Sacramento would not bring back Tyreke Evans if the team signed Andre Iguodala. Now however, Evans would seem to be back in play. The Bee's Jason Jones reported earlier this morning that Evans is close to verbally accepting New Orleans' 4 year, $44 million offer. The same article states that Evans had been seeking a 4 year, $48 million offer from Sacramento, but the Kings had put his value somewhere between $8-9 million a year.

Now, if the Kings decide to retain Evans, they can let him sign New Orleans offer sheet on July 10th and then match the offer. Or if they want to part ways anyway, they can try to work out a sign and trade. I don't believe that they'll go higher than New Orleans' offer.

2. The Kings Still Need a Small Forward

Iguodala would have given the Kings their best Small Forward since Ron Artest. With him off the table the Kings will need to look at other options, whether by signing a Free Agent or conducting a Trade. The best available Small Forwards the Kings could potentially target in Free Agency are Josh Smith, Andrei Kirilenko and Dorell Wright. In terms of trades, Rudy Gay or Danny Granger could perhaps be available.

3. Cap Space

I've seen some confusion over the amount of cap space the Kings have.

First off, make sure you're using the salary numbers from ShamSports for accuracy.

Here's what the committed contracts for next season look like right now:

Player

2013-14

John Salmons

$7,583,000

Marcus Thornton

$8,050,000

Chuck Hayes

$5,722,500

Jason Thompson

$5,643,750

DeMarcus Cousins

$4,916,974

Travis Outlaw

$3,000,000

Aaron Brooks*

$674,196

Jimmer Fredette

$2,439,840

Patrick Patterson

$3,105,302

Isaiah Thomas

$884,293

Ben McLemore

$2,413,300

Total:

$44,433,155

*Brooks was bought-out last year but part of his buyout remains on the cap for this season. It cannot be removed.

This does not include the cap holds for James Johnson, Toney Douglas, Cole Aldrich or Tyreke Evans. For our purposes, lets assume Johnson, Douglas and Aldrich are renounced and their cap holds don't count. Evans cap hold is $13,129,563. That would bring the Kings to $57,562,718 with an assumed cap of $58.5 million. So the Kings need to decide what to do with Evans quickly. Should they opt to match New Orleans offer, Evans salary will start somewhere around $10.3 million, as detailed by Tom the other day. That would give the Kings just under $4 million in Cap Space.

The Kings could free up more cap space by letting Tyreke Evans walk (that would give us the $44.4 million from the above table), by signing and trading Evans for cheaper contracts, by trading other players on the team for cheaper contracts, or by using the amnesty clause on John Salmons.

***

Sacramento has a lot of options going forward. It's still very early in the offseason, but a lot can happen very quickly. It will be very interesting to see what direction the new front office goes now that their #1 target (Iguodala) is seemingly no longer an option.

NBA free agency: Manu Ginobili gets 2-year, $14 million contract

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The San Antonio Spurs have agreed with free agent Manu Ginobili to a two-year contract worth a total of $14 million, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. That means the aging Argentinian will take an annual pay cut equal to half of his 2012-13 salary.

Ginobili, who is 35 years old, announced his agreement via Twitter and made the decision to return after speculation that he would retire.

The Spurs are well on their way to keeping together the core that took them to a seven-game NBA Finals series. The team previously agreed to re-sign center Tiago Splitter to a four-year, $36 million contract when the free agency negotiation period ends July 10. Keeping Ginobili on board for a final few go-arounds was the next hurdle to clear, and now the Spurs have only reserve guard Gary Neal to chase after if they want, essentially, the same roster back next season.

San Antonio was reportedly interested in free agent small forward Andrei Kirilenko, according to Marc Stein, but he will likely have a market value too high for the Spurs to afford after the re-signings of Splitter and Ginobili.

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Dwight Howard finishes meetings, will decide soon

Kings pull offer to Andre Iguodala

Flannery: Tanking and rebuilding | Ziller: When it's OK to overpay

Grading the NBA free agent deals

NBA free agency: Wizards, Garrett Temple agree on 1-year deal

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The Washington Wizards agreed Wednesday to sign reserve shooting guard Garrett Temple to a one-year deal worth more than $900,000, The Washington Post reports.

Temple averaged 5.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for the Wizards last season. A qualifying offer was not put on the table to begin the free agency moratorium, but the Wizards all along expected to re-sign the 27-year-old out of LSU.

Playing time could be hard to come by for a Washington team that has helped its perimeter depth in the last few days. On Tuesday, the Wizards re-signed swingman Martell Webster to a four-year, $22 million contract and also added backup point Eric Maynor to a two-year, $4 million deal. That duo will continue assisting young guards John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Washington also picked shooting guard Glen Rice Jr. in the second round of the draft, making Temple more insurance than anything.

A journeyman who has played for the Rockets, Kings, Spurs, Bucks and Bobcats, Temple finished as the Wizards' starting shooting guard last season because Beal ended the year on the bench due to an injury.

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Dwight Howard finishes meetings, will decide soon

Kings pull offer to Andre Iguodala

Flannery: Tanking and rebuilding | Ziller: When it's OK to overpay

Grading the NBA free-agent deals

NBA free agency rumors roundup: Kings to trade Tyreke Evans; Eric Gordon wants to stay with Pelicans

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Tyreke Evans has verbally agreed to sign the four-year, $44 million offer sheet extended by the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Sacramento Kings have decided they will not match such an offer. Now the two teams are working on a sign-and-trade deal, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. The Sacramento Kings will reportedly trade Evans to New Orleans in exchange for point guard Greivis Vasquez and big man Robin Lopez.

Without a trade, Sacramento would otherwise have a three-day window to match the offer sheet and retain Evans once he signs the offer sheet on July 10. However, it appears that things are moving quickly and the Kings would rather work out a trade during the moratorium and pick up some assets than lose Evans for nothing. As for why the Kings would hesitate to match the $44 million offer sheet for Evans, the No. 6 free agent on Tom Ziller's top available list, is anyone's guess.

Pelicans SG Eric Gordon"all in" with New Orleans

The restricted free agent process drove a wedge between shooting guard Eric Gordon and New Orleans over the past year, but in the wake of the Tyreke Evans news, Gordon now says he's "all in" with the franchise and would love to play with Jrue Holiday and Evans, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

"I'm all in with the Pelicans," said Gordon, who has been friends with Holiday and Evans since their AAU days. "It would be great if we can all play together. I would say we'd definitely have a chance to make the playoffs."

...

"I wouldn't say I'm 100 percent, but I do feel comfortable I am coming back," Gordon said. "I think there is a good to great chance I will be back."

Fitting Holiday, Gordon and Evans on the perimeter seems a bit difficult, but the upgraded talent suddenly makes the Pelicans a dangerous team. Rohan Cruyff of SB Nation's Pelicans blog has some thoughts on what acquiring Evans could mean to Gordon down the line:

An underrated aspect of this deal is that New Orleans picks up a very, very good insurance policy for Eric Gordon (you could make the case that Evans is a better player) that doubles as a very good complement and piece even when Gordon is healthy.

This might actually be my favorite aspect of the Evans acquisition. New Orleans is more capable of moving Gordon down the road now than ever before; if anything -- an unwillingness to play, injury, lack of fit with Holiday -- comes up, Dell Demps has his replacement on the team already.

Al Jefferson Looking for $15 Million Per Year

The Bobcats are pursuing big man Al Jefferson in free agency, and Jefferson is reportedly searching for a deal worth at least $15 million annually, according to a report from Chris Broussard of ESPN. Jefferson may wait until Dwight Howard signs to get his own deal, because that could open up opportunities with a few more suitors sitting on big money and still looking for a post presence. Jefferson is the No. 15 player on Ziller's list of top free agents.

O.J. Mayo Closing in on Deal with Bucks

The Bucks haven't been able to lure any free agents so far this summer, but negotiations on a multi-year deal with Mayo got serious on Wednesday and talks are expected to continue on Thursday, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Milwaukee is in an awkward space where they aren't quite prepared to tank for 2014, but they also aren't primed to add any valuable assets to get better in the short term. Bucks blog Brew Hoop has laid out the argument for why rebuilding makes sense at the moment.

Earl Clark Draws Interest from Clippers, Cavaliers

The Clippers have expressed interest in signing Earl Clark, but the Cavaliers are the team that Clark met with on Wednesday and there is reportedly strong mutual interest, according to The Sporting News.

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Dwight Howard finishes meetings, will decide soon

Kings pull offer to Andre Iguodala

Flannery: Tanking and rebuilding | Ziller: When it's OK to overpay

Grading the NBA free agent deals

NBA free agency: Tyreke Evans reportedly will be traded to Pelicans for Greivis Vasquez, Robin Lopez

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A blockbuster NBA sign-and-trade is in the works, as the Sacramento Kings are primed to deal Tyreke Evans to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for point guard Greivis Vasquez and big man Robin Lopez, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. Evans had verbally agreed on Wednesday to sign a four-year, $44 million offer sheet from the Pelicans when the July moratorium was lifted on July 10. The Kings reportedly do not intend to match such an offer, and Evans may not have want them to do so anyways. A trade will allow Sacramento to pick up some young assets instead of losing Evans without compensation through the restricted free agency process.

The Pelicans traded for all-star point guard Jrue Holiday on draft night, so the potential addition of Evans crowds the backcourt a bit, given that Eric Gordon is already on the roster. Gordon's relationship with New Orleans turned sour last year, but Evans is an old AAU buddy and now Gordon says he's "all in with the Pelicans."

Rohan Cruyff of SB Nation's Pelicans blog is excited about the new possibilities:

I like the idea of Evans coming off the bench. Early reports indicated that Dell Demps and his team laid out a vision of Tyreke in a Ginobili role to the Evans camp at their meeting on July 1. While many scoffed at the idea that Evans would accept a bench role at all, if the initial reports were accurate, that indeed appears to be the case.

An Evans-Ryan Anderson (that'll be a fun pick and pop) bench would almost automatically be excellent, with Williams able to play a late game line-up of Jrue Holiday-Eric Gordon-Evans-Anderson-Anthony Davis.

In this scenario, New Orleans would still need to pick up a starting SF (possibly re-upping Aminu) and center, although the possibility of starting Anderson and moving Davis to the 5 remains in play as well.

The larger point is that positions are *this* close to being out the window entirely on this team.

On the flip side, Cruyff notes that New Orleans is primed to lose two players who started a combined 160 games for the team last season. That price feels a bit high if the Kings truly did not intend to match the offer sheet, but by securing a trade New Orleans is able to eliminate any risk of losing Evans with a last-minute change of heart in Sacramento. In essence, the Pelicans are buying out the Kings' right to match the offer sheet that Evans would have otherwise signed on July 10.

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Dwight Howard finishes meetings, will decide soon

Kings pull offer to Andre Iguodala

Flannery: Tanking and rebuilding | Ziller: When it's OK to overpay

Grading the NBA free agent deals

Voisin: Kings working out sign-and-trade with Tyreke Evans for Greivis Vasquez, Robin Lopez

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It's the Fourth of July, and the fireworks have started early. Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee is reporting that the Sacramento Kings will not match the contract the New Orleans Pelicans have offered Tyreke Evans. Instead, the Kings will reportedly work to complete a sign-and-trade in which the Kings would receive back Greivis Vasquez and Robin Lopez.

Many Kings fans assumed the Kings would match the Pelicans offer after the Kings rescinded their offer to free agent Andre Iguodala earlier this week. This is a dramatic turn of events to say the least.

More: Trade Reaction from At The Hive

Tyreke Evans came to Sacramento as the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, and went on to win Rookie of the Year honors, entering rare company as he averaged over 20 points, five assists and five rebounds per game.

In return, the Kings upgrade both their front court and their back court. Lopez and Vasquez are both starting-quality players, although Lopez could come off the bench as a back-up to either DeMarcus Cousins or Jason Thompson. Vasquez will presumably take over the starting point guard role, and will be the best pure distributor the team has had in many years. Vasquez had a 44.9% assist percentage last season. Isaiah Thomas had the highest assist percentage on the Kings last year, but was at just 24.6%.

While this news comes as a shock, the expected trade gives the Kings two valuable pieces back in return. It's preferable to losing Evans for nothing, particularly if the Kings didn't see Evans as part of the long-term future of this franchise.

Hat tip to Evan Dunlap for the original Fanshot.


NBA Trade Idea: Phoenix Suns should get into Tyreke Evans trade to swap Lopez and Gortat

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In the rumored deal, the Kings would get back a solid center (Robin Lopez) and starting point guard (Greivis Vasquez) for letting Tyreke Evans walk away. Sounds like a GREAT deal for Sacramento.

Except that Sacramento doesn't need Robin Lopez at all. They already have DeMarcus Cousins, Chuck Hayes and Jason Thompson on the front line to rotate in the pivot.

The other problem is that New Orleans really DOES need a starting center but they are sending out Lopez to make the S-n-T work after acquiring Jrue Holiday in the draft.

How about the Suns getting involved in this deal by sending Gortat to New Orleans and getting Robin Lopez back?

Clarification here: there is NO RUMOR that the Suns are involved in any discussions on this. It's just me speculating.

New Orleans, who has a glut of guards now, could send Austin Rivers out to Sacramento with Vasquez, with Sacramento sending a protected first round pick to the Suns. NOLA has shown rumored interest in shopping Rivers.

Sacramento gets: Grievis Vasquez, Austin Rivers

New Orleans gets: Tyreke Evans, Marcin Gortat

Phoenix gets: Robin Lopez, protected first round pick

Lopez is younger, cheaper and less talented than Gortat, but can be a starter for his first NBA team while Alex Len develops.

What say you, Suns fans. Is this enough booty for Gortat?

Poll
Is Robin Lopez and a protected #1 from Sacramento enough for Gortat?

  493 votes |Results

Robin Lopez traded to the Kings, which means his contract is guaranteed

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The Kings are close to agreeing on a sign-and-trade sending Tyreke Evans to the Pelicans for Robin Lopez and Greivis Vasquez, according to reports. That means that Lopez won't be waived by Friday. Per the wonderful ShamSports.com, the team with Lopez's rights could have waived him by July 5, 2013, and paid him $500,000 to wipe out the other $9.9 million due to him over the next two years. But since a sign-and-trade can't be executed until July 10 at the earliest and Lopez is reportedly in the deal, he can't be waived in time to wipe off the salary.

As such, per Sham, Lopez is due $5.1 million in 2013-14 and $5.3 million in 2014-15.

Reports in recent days have suggested that the Pelicans had found at least one time interested in trading for Lopez to clear up New Orleans salary cap space. Apparently, the Kings were either also interested or willing to pull off another Lopez trade themselves.

Hmmm...if this trade actually does happen...

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First, thanks for the four years, Tyreke. You were a value to contract each of your four years, especially in years one and four. You single-handedly carried the fan base in your rookie season. This team was horrible during your tenure here in spite of you, and not because of you. You were pretty much a class act throughout, toiling for worst ownership in the NBA and never complaining about how you were being utilized, despite myriad position and role changes. Part of your new contract should dedicated to your time served in a Kings uniform. I wish you nothing but the best of luck and health in the future, and I look forward to the Kings defeating the Pelicans in future Western Conference Finals.

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Welcome Robin Lopez! I really think that Lopez might possess the better skill set to start next to DeMarcus Cousins (compared to Jason Thompson), as he is a better defensive interior presence than JT. And his contract is a great value. Lopez is a guy that won't demand a lot of touches on the offensive end (that's OK, as Cousins will take his touches for him), but he will provide consistent effort on the defensive end. His rebounding rate was .688 less than Thompson last year on a per 30 minute basis, the difference being on the defensive boards.

Greivis Vasquez, welcome on behalf of the "pass-first" fan brigade (I'm not really one of those guys, but I understand their thirst for a point guard that likes to facilitate for others before looking for his own shot). At $2.2m, he is a good value to contract, but his qualifying offer is next year, so that will be short-lived. I've read about his turnovers, but he had a 2.9/1 assist/turnover ratio last year, which is a much more telling stat. That placed him between Tony Parker and Rajon Rondo in that category, 9th overall. He was also 3rd in assists per minute, so he should be comfortable in the up tempo style that Michael Malone has mentioned. However, a bit of caution as it pertains to expectations. Overall, when you factor in shooting and steals and rebounding, Vasquez and Isaiah Thomas both currently rate out as point guards that would not crack the top 15 at their position. Now, both of these guys are really entering their 3rd year as rotation guys (Vasquez is 26 but has only been in the league 3 years, and the first year he was largely bench fodder), so there is certainly room for improvement (from both of them). My hope for Vasquez is that fans here are not disappointed when they come to the realization that he is not Rondo.

Overall, I'm not a fan of this trade if nothing else transpires. I would have preferred Evans at 4/$44m over Lopez and Vasquez. However, if the Kings add another piece (still holding out for Iguodala), this becomes a pretty sweet off season. If all we wind up gaining is cap space and flexibility, while that too would be a good thing, it would be a tough pill for this long-suffering fan base to swallow at this point in time (though swallow it we will).

And 1 - If this deal goes through, I'm prepared to call Ben McLemore a viable ROY candidate. Not an ROY winner, as I don't think that he will get the touches of (say) Victor Oladipo or Trey Burke. But McLemore will be given every opportunity to come in and win the starting SG job. Arguably the two easiest positions for a rookie to assimilate to are shooting guard and small forward, and McLemore could slide right in as a floor-stretching spot shooter, pick and pop guy and occasional cutter to the basket while learning the nuances of the NBA game. His defense would probably be a very weak spot early on, but when you consider Marcus Thornton's defense as an alternative (and when you look at the dearth of opposing offensive shooting guards), that weakness would probably be at least a little minimized on a night-in, night-out basis. So in that regard, the Evans/Lopez-Vasquez trade could help the Kings get a better return on their first round pick, and might help the franchise actually develop their young player.

-

Thanks again, ‘Reke. That picture of us in my office is staying right where it's at. Hmmm, come to think of it, "right where it's at" is next to a picture of Omri Casspi. Note to self - no pictures of McLemore are to be put up in the office.

(When this trade rumor is refuted later today, please disregard this post.)

Report: Robin Lopez would go to Portland in Proposed Sign-and-Trade of Tyreke Evans

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Last night Ailene Voisin reported that the Kings would not match New Orleans' offer of 4 years and $44 million for Tyreke Evans. In her report she indicated the Kings were working on Sign and Trade options with the Pelicans involving Greivis Vasquez and Robin Lopez. Most assumed the Kings would be getting both players.

However USA Today's Sam Amick reports that Lopez and his $10 million over two years could be heading to Portland instead:

This new proposed trade would leave the Kings with significant cap room. With Lopez and Vasquez, the Kings would have been at $52,471,068 or about $6 million under the cap. Without Lopez (who has a 15% trade kicker) but with Vasquez the Kings are at $46,583,343, almost $12 million under the cap. These numbers were obtained using ShamSports Salary Database.

It's unclear what Portland would send in this trade, and if it's going to Sacramento or New Orleans. Portland has the cap space to absorb Lopez's contract so they don't need to match salaries.

NBA free agent rumors: Jose Calderon rejects Kings, will continue talking to Pistons

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The door is still open to Jose Calderon re-signing with the Detroit Pistons. The free agent point guard briefly talked with the Sacramento Kings before rejecting a contract offer, reports Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:

But wait ... isn't Detroit a full-blown rebuilding project? After all, the Pistons (29-53) and Kings (28-54) finished with nearly identical records. Apparently Calderon feels differently:

A few things might be going on here:

1) Perhaps Calderon feels the Pistons are closer to the playoffs. That's plausible, given Detroit's promising front court, Joe Dumars' eagerness to pull trades and use cap space, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's arrival.

2) Maybe Woj's sources are putting words in Calderon's mouth, and he's not quite as daunted by rebuilding as it sounds.

3) Maybe the dude just wants to get paid considering this is (likely) the last big contract of his career, and the Pistons are not only desperate but also capable of giving him more than any other team in the league.

Last but not least, there's 4) Perhaps he does want to sign with a readymade winner but is stringing the Pistons along to leverage their offer against another -- or simply to avoid ticking Joe Dumars off so he'll play nice with a sign and trade.

What's the right answer? Only Calderon knows for sure. The fact he rejected the Kings is absolutely good news for Pistons fans -- we just don't know how good. But let's imagine for a moment that he returns and Chauncey Billups agrees to be his backup. That's a whole lot of ball protection and 3-point shooting from the point guard spot. Do it, Joe!

(In non-Detroit news, the Kings didn't sit on their hands after being rejected by Calderon. They quickly agreed to a three-way trade with the Pelicans and Trail Blazers. By the time the dust settles, Greivis Vasquez will be Sacramento's new point guard, Robin Lopez heads to Portland and Tyreke Evans was signed-and-dealt to New Orleans.)

Now your thoughts.

Greivis Vasquez to be Traded to the Sacramento Kings

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Last season the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) were one of my favorite League Pass teams to follow. It was mostly because Greivis Vasquez is probably my favorite player from the University of Maryland not named Juan Dixon. On draft day Vasquez lost his starting spot when the Pelicans traded the rights of Nerlens Noel to Philadelphia for All-Star guard, Jrue Holiday.

With Holiday in town it was only a matter of time before either Greivis or Austin Rivers would be on their way out of town. With Rivers having one of the worst seasons ever, not just as a rookie, but ever as in all time, it was going to be easier to move Greivis and get something decent in return.

What the Pelicans get in return is former Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans from the Kings. Evans is going to get a four year, $44M deal from New Orleans and is probably going to supplant oft injured Eric Gordon as the starting shooting guard. Robin Lopez also heads to Portland in the deal with Jeff Withey and a 2nd rounder heading to New Orleans in return.

We should see a big turn around from Evans with the Pelicans. You could tell that the uncertain situation, the bad rotations by Keith Smart and injuries limited his growth in Sacramento. Monty Williams should be able to max out the potential of the 23 year old, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Rumors are that New Orleans and Indiana are in talks for a deal that would potentially send Gordon to Indiana. I would assume for something that starts with Danny Granger.

The winner of the deal though are the Kings. They rid themselves of a guy who didn't really have a true position and was a fringe starter at that. With Vasquez the Kings get something they desperately need and that is on the floor and in the locker room leadership. Vasquez has the nickname "The General" for a reason.

Not only does he bring leadership, but he brings an extremely high basketball IQ. He's an extension of the coach on the floor and brings a fire and swagger that the Kings have not seen in a decade. One player that should see an immediate benefit from this is DeMarcus Cousins.

Greivis is an excellent post passer which is mainly attributed to his height. Last season Isaiah Thomas could not get Cousins the ball in a quick and timely fashion, having to rotate the ball around and finding different lanes to get Cousins the ball, allowing defenders to get better position and either forcing Cousins to pass back out or forcing him into a bad shot.

With Vasquez that won't be an issue. Cousins will be able to get that initial post hit, knock the defender off balance with his big frame, get the initial pass from the top and should see a lot more easy looks in the post.

He should also see a higher than average improvement in the pick and roll.

Vasquez, though not as athletic as Thomas, is deceptively fast with the first step because of his long stride and has few shots blocked in the lane because he has a high, quick release point on his floater and is an excellent finisher at the rim. Because of this Vasquez requires attention off the pick, if Cousins slips out and can consistently hit a 12-17 footer off this we should see a huge jump in his production next season.

Outside his selfless play, Vasquez can score as needed. He shots 43% from the field, 32% from three and 80% from the line. This is only a microcosm of his ability scoring ability though. He thrives and I do mean thrives in the clutch. The last two seasons in New Orleans he did not have a chance to show off this ability.

Go back to his days at Maryland and watch him ans how he played in games against Duke and North Carolina. Okay, sure those were regular season college games. Watch the game he had against Michigan State in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. A game in which he should have had the game winner.

Want more?

That epic Memphis-Oklahoma City triple overtime playoff game from two years ago doesn't even make it to overtime or a second overtime without Greivis Vasquez's heroics.

Vasquez isn't a great defender, but is better than Thomas, especially in pick and roll situation, he fills passing lanes better and because of Gary Williams' penchant for constant full court pressure and trapping, is quite adept at that as well. He is going to give his all on each defensive possession.

Two things Vasquez has been working on this offseason has been a post up game to take advantage of the new smaller guards that are now entering the league and his three pointer. Rumor has it he's taking up to 500 three pointers a day to get better.

As mentioned before, he's not the most athletic guy in the NBA, not even close. He is, however, one of the five hardest working guys in the NBA.

He has to be.

His work ethic and love for the game of basketball is something that is going to rub off on his Kings teammates. I would not be surprised if he hasn't already organized some sort of team activity already. He's going to make this team better and quickly.

All the attention is on Evans going to New Orleans, but the real winner is Sacramento here. A few months ago when it appeared that the Kings were going to come to Seattle to be the new Sonics, if I couldn't have Trey Burke in the draft, I wanted Ben McLemore and I wanted to trade Evans (because he wouldn't be worth the $10M plus a year on this team) to New Orleans for Vasquez. A core of Vasquez, McLemore and Cousins won't get you to the playoffs, but add a Wiggins, Parker, Gordon or Young in the 2014 draft and you have a team that is a few years away from potentially competing.

NBA free agent rumors roundup: Tyreke Evans to Pelicans, Jose Calderon says 'no' to Kings

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The biggest NBA news of July 4 was the Sacramento Kings agreeing to a three-team trade that will send Tyreke Evans to the New Orleans Pelicans in a sign-and-trade. The most interesting tidbit of the deal came from ESPN's Marc Stein, who reports that Evans told New Orleans he'd be willing to play a sixth-man role in a backcourt that will also include Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday.

Holiday, like Evans, will be acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers when the NBA's free-agent moratorium ends July 10.

The Pelicans are apparently ready to roll with that trio of dynamic guards and won't necessarily make a push to trade away Gordon, who was on the first season of a max deal in 2012-13.

The trade will also send Pelicans center Robin Lopez to the Portland Trail Blazers and teammate Greivis Vasquez to the Kings. The Blazers will also receive reserve shooting guard Terrel Harris and rookie center Jeff Withey, but they'll have to pay Lopez's $1.6 million trade kicker and ship two second-round picks to Sacramento, according to Stein.

Calderon spurns Kings

Vasquez's acquisition will give the Kings a young point guard to build around. He averaged 9.0 assists per game last season, good enough for third in the NBA. But he wasn't Sacramento's first choice.

The Kings pitched veteran point guard Jose Calderon on the idea of joining a rebuilding team, but he ultimately decided he'd prefer to sign elsewhere. A return to Detroit, which took on his contract as part of the Rudy Gay deal this season, could be an option. From Detroit Bad Boys:

The fact he rejected the Kings is absolutely good news for Pistons fans -- we just don't know how good. But let's imagine for a moment that he returns and Chauncey Billups agrees to be his backup. That's a whole lot of ball protection and 3-point shooting from the point guard spot. Do it, Joe!

Clark agrees to join Cavs

Earl Clark finally got a chance to shine last year, but not until the Lakers were decimated by injuries. He must have made an impression on coach Mike Brown, however. Brown coached just five games before Los Angeles fired him but Clark -- who came to the Lakers in the Dwight Howard deal -- was impressive enough to earn a two-year, $9 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brown's new team. Clark's deal has a team option in the second season.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports the Lakers would have paid $11.3 million a year just to match Cleveland's offer because of the luxury tax.

With 2013 first overall pick Anthony Bennett and fellow lottery forward Tristan Thompson on the roster, it's expected Clark will play a lot of small forward, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Goodbye, Gary?

The San Antonio Spursappear unwilling to pay too much for reserve guard Gary Neal, so it was on to agreeing with Marco Belinellion a two-year, $6 million contract. Apparently, Belinelli had a more lucrative contract offer to join the Cavs but couldn't turn down the opportunity to play for the Western Conference champs, Stein reports.

Belinelli will theoretically replace Neal, but could also spell the aging Manu Ginobili. Spurs fans at Pounding the Rock certainly like it:

He's got adequate D, very strong BBIQ, very strong jumpshooting and very strong confidence. He was directly responsible for the Bulls even making it a series with the Heat this year. He's a perfect Spur, and I've been eyeing him all year. [Editor's note: Yes, I know. You don't have to remind me again. -jrw] Trust me when I say, this will end up being one of the year's best FA moves league-wide.

Other news

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Flannery: Danny Ainge stays in character by hiring Brad Stevens

What does Stevens' arrival mean for Rajon Rondo?

Dwight Howard finishes meetings, will decide soon

Grading the NBA free agent deals


Reports: Pelicans Agree to Three Team Deal for Tyreke Evans [UPDATE]

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UPDATE: New Orleans also gets the 39th pick of the 2013 draft, Kansas center Jeff Withey. Woj:

[FULL WITHEY POST HERE: http://www.atthehive.com/2013/7/4/4494696/pelicans-jeff-withey-portland-tyreke-evans]

I absolutely love Withey -- he was one of the best finishers in college basketball last year, posted PERs of 26, 23, 25, 28 in four years at Kansas, and shut down some of the biggest post names in college basketball. Draft Express wrote in April that he's very arguably the best defensive prospect in the 2013 draft. Excitement!

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According to multiple NBA reports, the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers have agreed on a three team deal that lands restricted free agent Tyreke Evans in New Orleans, and Robin Lopez and Greivis Vasquez in Portland and Sacramento respectively.

ESPN's Marc Stein:

The New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to terms on a three-team deal that will cement Tyreke Evans' move to the Pelicans, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.

The trade -- which can't be officially completed until July 10 -- will send Evans to the Pelicans via sign-and-trade, with Sacramento receiving guard Greivis Vasquez from the Pelicans and Portland acquiring New Orleans center Robin Lopez.

The Pelicans could not acquire Evans or complete their draft-day trade for Philadelphia's Jrue Holiday without shedding salary, so they have been pursuing trades all week while putting the finishing touches on a four-year, $44 million offer sheet to Evans, a restricted free agent.

New Orleans had the option of waiving Lopez by Friday's deadline for a mere $500,000 to buy out the final two years of his Pelicans contract, but Portland has been after the big man for days.

Stein on Twitter:

NBA free agency rumors roundup: Lakers, Warriors preparing for Dwight Howard trade scenarios

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Dwight Howard will alter the course of multiple NBA franchises when he finally reveals his free agency decision, so on the eve of a resolution the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are all making preparations to move forward with contingency plans, if necessary. Likewise, there are other free agents around the association waiting for teams to strike out on Howard and use their massive cap space in other ways. Everyone is in a holding pattern at the moment, and Dwight's decision will act as a pivot for other important transactions. Here's the latest on where D-12 is leaning.

Lakers Reconsider Sign-and-Trade for Howard, May be 'Bracing for Worst'

The Los Angeles Lakers are losing confidence that Dwight will choose to stay with the team. Although most people assumed that the front office was willing to risk losing their star big man for nothing, in order to clear cap space for another free agent run in 2014, the organization is now reconsidering its position regarding sign-and-trade scenarios, according to a report from Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne.

SB Nation's Lakers blog, Sliver Screen and Roll, has more on the story:

Questions "inside and outside" the franchise regarding Howard's "ability and willingness" to co-exist with Kobe Bryant and Mike D'Antoni have raised doubts that he will decide to re-sign with the Lakers, according to the report from Shelburne and Stein.

The Lakers are "bracing for the worst."

The Lakers still prefer to re-sign Howard, according to the report, but the decision is out of their hands and the latest developments confirm that nobody knows which option Howard will ultimately choose. The emergence of the Golden State Warriors as a serious suitor in the past 24 hours has certainly complicated matters for L.A.

Warriors Try to Clear Cap Space in Effort to Sign Howard

The Golden State Warriors felt their meeting with Howard went very well, and on Thursday an ESPN report revealed that the team is "aggressively attempting to trade away players" to clear space to sign the star center. The Warriors need to clear roughly $30 million, and shedding the obligations to Andrew Bogut ($14 million), Richard Jefferson ($11 million) and Andris Biedrins ($9 million) would be enough to get the job done. However, Bogut is the only desirable player in that group, so it's expected that that Golden State would also have to use Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes or a future first-round draft pick to sweeten the deal for other teams.

Golden State already used the amnesty provision on Charlie Bell, so there aren't many ways to get creative outside of a trade scenario. Zach Lowe of Grantland suggested on Thursday that the Warriors could try to build a three-team deal to send a cheap asset like Thompson or Barnes, and then move the expiring deals to another team. If the Lakers are truly reconsidering their stance on a sign-and-trade, things could get very interesting in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes on Friday.

Are Rockets Still the Vegas Favorites to Land Howard?

On Wednesday, the Vegas odds pegged the Houston Rockets (+140) as the odds-on favorites to sign Howard, with the Lakers (+180), Mavericks (+300), Hawks (+950) and Warriors (+1000) lagging behind. Those odds at OddsShark.com have not been updated, but so much has changed in the past 48 hours that it's hard to believe the landscape looks the same right now. Hopefully we won't have to wait much longer to find out.

Dwight May Be Interested in Playing With Jose Calderon

Dwight Howard is reportedly interested in playing with veteran point guard Jose Calderon, according to Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.com. Calderon turned down an offer from the Kings earlier in the free agency period, and Kennedy speculates that he could wind up signing with the Lakers if Dwight goes there.

Chris Copeland Waiting on Howard's Decision to Assess Offer Sheets

Chris Copeland of the New York Knicks is a restricted free agent this summer and has received interest from the Lakers, Pacers and Jazz, but he will reportedly wait on a decision from Dwight Howard before he determines whether he will sign an offer sheet from another team, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.

You can expect plenty of the free agent dominoes to fall after Dwight makes his decision, so buckle up for a wild Friday in the NBA.

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Dwight Howard finishes meetings, will decide soon

Tyreke Evans headed to NOLA in 3-team deal

Flannery: Danny Ainge stays in character by hiring Brad Stevens

Grading the NBA free agent deals

Kings GM wants to build around DeMarcus Cousins

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Amid the ownership upheaval and the rapid changes to the front office staff, various rumors and reports over the past several months attempted to suggest the Sacramento Kings were looking to part with talented big man DeMarcus Cousins. Well, it's finally time to put those rumors to rest.

General manager Pete D'Alessandro and head coach Michael Malone recently paid a special visit to Cousins' home in Mobile, Ala., and the main message from the meeting was that the Kings consider the 22-year-old big man a franchise centerpiece, according to a report from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Here's what Sacramento's GM had to say:

"DeMarcus is a really talented player and we look forward to him being a major part of this team," D'Alessandro told Yahoo! Sports. "We want him to get better as a player and help him get there. That's our mission. We love him in this role. I'm sure he's excited about it."

...

"He's a remarkable talent," D'Alessandro said. "He's a dominant player. There are very few dominant bigs. I look forward to our relationship growing, with myself, the new owners and the coaching staff. We have to support him to get to where he can."

As noted at SB Nation's Kings blog, Sactown Royalty, Cousins is eligible to sign an early-Bird extension that would go into effect in 2014-15, and he may be looking for the maximum amount allowed under the CBA. His agent, Dan Fegan, is currently consumed with the Dwight Howard decision and the negotiations that will follow, but Cousins could be next in line for a deal. Sacramento has agreed to trade away Tyreke Evans to the New Orleans Pelicans in a sign-and-trade deal, so Cousins is now presumably the core piece of the team, along with first-round pick Ben McLemore.

In short, it seems like the Kings are more than comfortable with the idea of building around Cousins.

More from SB Nation:

The NBA's top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

Dwight Howard finishes meetings, will decide soon

Tyreke Evans headed to NOLA in 3-team deal

Flannery: Danny Ainge stays in character by hiring Brad Stevens

Grading the NBA free agent deals

NBA odds: Magic's Victor Oladipo second in Rookie of the Year chase

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Bovada.LV has released its odds for NBA Rookie of the Year, and they look good for Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic.

Vegas lists Oladipo, a shooting guard from Indiana, as having 11-to-2 odds to capture Rookie of the Year honors, trailing only Utah Jazz point guard Trey Burke, who has 4-to-1 odds.

At 15-to-2, Portland Trail Blazers point guard C.J. McCollum and Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter are tied for third in the Rookie of the Year race, according to Bovada. Philadelphia 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams, at 9-to-1, is fifth. Combo forward Anthony Bennett, the first overall pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is tied with Sacramento Kings shooting guard Ben McLemore for sixth, as both players face 10-to-1 odds.

Oladipo, Burke, and Carter-Williams are set to compete for their teams in the 2013 Orlando Pro Summer League, which begins Sunday.

The Magic picked Oladipo with the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Burke went 9th overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who conveyed his rights to Utah for the 14th and 21st picks.

Orlando's last Rookie of the Year winner was Mike Miller in 2001.

We invite you to follow Orlando Pinstriped Post on Twitter and like Orlando Pinstriped Post on Facebook.

Friday Mail Sac: It's all about timing and value to contract, but is the timing and valuation correct?

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Let's see...where to start?

I think that I want to start by applauding everyone that has commented over the past few days over the incendiary topic that is Tyreke Evans. While there has certainly been some extremism on both sides of the aisle, the overall conversation has been dynamic and informative. And the tone has had far more respect than I would have guessed (with a few notable exceptions). The ban hammer and timeout tapper have been on high alert, but there have been very few occasions to unsheathe them. Well done!

There are great rationalizations on either side of this debate. On the one side is that this team is not as good without Evans as they are with Evans. And if the sum of this summer's roster moves wind up being Evans for Vasquez, I would agree.

Vasquez will certainly provide a pass-first mindset that we have not seen from the point guard position since perhaps Jason Williams, and this will make everyone on the team better on the offensive end. However, we should also keep the very real perspective that Vasquez was probably not a top 15 point guard by the end of last season. He's a suspect shooter, and has not shown much passion for defense. Just like Tyreke Evans, he needs to address the deficiencies in his game to get to the next level. And make no mistake: Evans is at a much higher level right now as a player than Greivis Vasquez.

On the other side of this debate is that Evans is not worth the 4 year, $44m investment, or at the very least that there are better ways to spend that money. As someone that would have paid Evans that amount (and $1m a year more before I cried "Uncle"), I'm not sure that I agree...yet.

I would tend to agree that a team with Tyreke Evans as their centerpiece is not a serious playoff contender. However, an $11m a year player is not centerpiece pricing. $11m a year would have made Evans the 4th highest paid player on Miami last year, and the 3rd highest paid player on the Spurs. If we skip down to the 4th seeds in the playoffs, Evans would have been the 5th highest paid player on the Nets and the 3rd highest paid player on the Clippers (Griffin's new contract not kicking in until 2013-14). Tied for 3rd on Boston, 4th on the Lakers (both 7th seeds), but tied for 1st on 8th seed Milwaukee and 1st on Houston (with Harden's new deal kicking in this year).

The Kings could have matched and retained Evans at 4/$44m without really mortaging the franchise or committing to him that he was "the man" or the face of the franchise. The Kings could have elected to pay Evans and pay Cousins at or near the max next year and still be under the cap, albeit not enough to sign an upper tier player. But in 2015-16, the team would have an abundance of cap room, with Cousins/Evans and Thompson being the only current contracts of any note (McLemore would be earning a couple of million at this point).

Given these numbers, I'm not sure that the timing matters. I mean, you don't want to throw a $44m investment out there if it's not going to improve your team, so if the mindset of the franchise is that you don't pay out for your 2nd or 3rd best player until you have paid out for your best player, I can at least see a bit of the logic. But as versatile as Evans is, it sure seems that you could retain him and retrofit him as you bring in other talent.

It really comes down to value, in my opinion. Simply, the Kings front office did not value Tyreke Evans as a 4/$44m player. For those that agree with the front office, it's "Welcome our new cap guru and analytic overlords!" For those that disagree, it's "I miss Geoff Petrie!", or at the very least, some insight into what the front office is thinking here.

One thing that is really not debatable is the value to contract of Vasquez. He is a starting caliber point guard (again, though, not currently a top 15), at a very low $2.2m. I like Jeff Teague a lot, but Vasquez is not all that far away from Teague, so it will be interesting to see what kind of contract Teague draws this summer. Because whatever it is, that could potentially be the market for Vasquez next year if/when he becomes a restricted free agent. Teague's contract will definitely provide a negotiating point for Vasquez as this process moves forward, if the Kings indeed have an interest in keeping him around (FWIW, I put little stock in the scuttlebutt that the Kings wanted Calderon over Vasquez, and even if that is true, this does not automatically mean that they dislike Greivis, especially since they are indeed acquiring him as of right now). As much as I would have paid Evans 4/$44m, Vasquez's contract is the better value right now, though perhaps for only one year.

And while I agree that the sign & trade is better than outright losing Evans, the fact is that the Kings had the opportunity and authority not to lose him. The fact that they are electing to do so simply means that they think that Evans is (a) overvalued at this contract offer, and (b) not worth paying over value for.

The overvaluation component is important here. At some point every team has to overpay for talent in order to be competitive. However, given the cap constraints, your hope is to relegate those overpayments to your top couple of players. Is Evans one of those guys? The Kings seem to be saying no. The Kings seem to be saying that they are going to ultimately look elsewhere for their top-end talent (I have no clue as to where right now and your guess is probably better than mine), and they have either chosen flexibility over Evans, or something else is going to happen that we are not privy to yet. It is, after all, only July 5.

A side note to all of this is the Robin Lopez component. I think that I am once again valuing Lopez higher than the front office. Lopez is due to make $5.1m and $5.3m over the next two years actually $5.9m and $6.1m after factoring in the trade kicker - hat tip CaliforniaJag). That's not a bad price for a defensive-minded center. Lopez would provide more defensive interior presence than anyone since Samuel Dalembert. He is not a plus-rebounder, but that happens sometimes with guys that are busy altering shots (his rebounding rate is on a par with Marc Gasol, for example). I can't see why the Kings wouldn't keep him, unless there is something else brewing that we don't know about. I'm OK with receiving 2nd round picks for Lopez instead of Jeff Withey (who is reportedly headed to the Pelicans in this deal), as I think that those picks may be ultimately used to obtain good players from other teams that are looking to shed contract, or as pieces to other future trades. Again, so much is contingent on the next deal...if that deal is indeed forthcoming.

Overall, I'm not pleased with where the Kings roster is today as opposed to where it was right after the draft. But that could change in the blink of an eye, or within minutes of me posting this, or by July 12 and the first day of Vegas Summer League, or by training camp, or by the trade deadline, or by next year, or perhaps the year after that. My hope is that there are still plenty of chapters to be written about the Sacramento Kings offseason of 2013.

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Mail your questions and topic ideas to asksactownroyalty@gmail.com. Please use this thread to satisfy all of your threadjacking desires today and over the weekend.

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