The Sacramento Kings' best move in free agency, actually happened before it. It happened to be a trade they orchestrated during the 2023 NBA Draft, which has allowed the Kings to do what they have done so far in this NBA free agency period.
On draft night, the Kings traded veteran big man Richaun Holmes along with the 24th overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks. This deal opened up over $30 million in cap space for Sacramento to work around in either signing new players, re-signing their own free agents, or trading for a player without needing to send back a player in return.
Kings best move in 2023 free agency: Richaun Holmes trade
Ultimately, that trade funneled into the moves the Kings were able to do during free agency. Let's track down the transactions Sacramento has made since opening up over $30 million in cap space through the Richaun Holmes deal.
Most importantly, Sacramento was able to re-sign veteran starter Harrison Barnes to a three-year, $54 million contract just before free agency opened. Retaining the one-time NBA champion was undoubtedly one of the Kings' top priorities in the offseason as he provides a solid stabilizing presence to this relatively young and budding roster.
Barnes played a vital role for the Kings throughout the 2022-23 season, where they finally broke a 16-year postseason drought and finished with the third-best record in the Western Conference. They took the 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors to the brink before falling in Game 7 of the first round.
In addition, the Kings were able to re-sign Trey Lyles to a two-year $8 million deal. Lyles' ability to space the floor and knock down shots consistently from beyond the arc has made him a fixture in head coach Mike Brown's rotation. In 74 games, the 6-foot-9 big man averaged 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 36.3 percent from three.
Lyles will continue to serve as a spot-up shooter or a pick-and-pop option who can thrive from the playmaking chops of their two stars De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Sacramento also retained Alex Len to a one-year deal. Though he played sparingly, Len was efficient and productive in his minimal role off the bench for the Kings. He played some key minutes for them during the playoffs against the Warriors, where he was able to take advantage of his size. Through the first five games of the series, Len averaged 10 minutes, scoring 3.8 points and shooting 87.5 percent from the field.
Len will continue to provide Sacramento with an extra big body they can go to when they face teams with elite big men. As he did with the Warriors, perhaps he can also take advantage of his 7-foot, 250-pound frame against smaller teams.
Chris Duarte deal
Apart from re-signing their own free agents, the Kings also traded for Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte. In exchange, Sacramento routed two second round picks to Indiana (the Dallas Mavericks' in 2028 and their own in 2030). Duarte, the 13th pick in the 2021 NBA draft, will have two years, $17.7 million left on his rookie deal.
The Dominican guard had a stellar rookie season where he averaged 13.1 points while shooting 36.9 percent from three, en route to earning All-Rookie Second Team honors. However, he saw his role decline in his sophomore campaign, where he 7.9 points and shot just 31.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Duarte is an intriguing piece who could flourish in Mike Brown's three-point heavy system, which ranked fifth in three-pointers made and ninth in percentage last season. He is still just 26 years old and though he entered the league as one of the older rookie of his class, Chris Duarte comes in as an NBA-ready guard who can help the Kings win games.
More to come?
Sacramento may not be done making moves. And again, all of this is possible because of the Richaun Holmes deal that happened during the NBA Draft.
After the Duarte deal, the Kings still have about $15 million in cap room. It's possible that the best is still yet to come for Sacramento, if they are able to add another significant piece that could further improve their team as they look to embark on a deeper playoff run in 2024.
Sacramento can still make moves via trade to acquire a legitimate star to pair with Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox. The Kings can bring in a big salary star without needed to match the money. And they have intriguing pieces that they can include in trade packages to bring in a significant and game-changing piece to get them over the hump.
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