RUMOR: Ben Simmons has to make Kings opening night roster for partial guaranteed contract

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1:05The money is in and the King's low-risk opportunity with Ben Simmons looks even better than it did a couple of days ago. You are Lockdown Kings, your daily Sacramento Kings podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome in. I am James Hammy, Kings and Saddle for ESPN 1320, the King's Beat and host of Lockdown Kings. Let's dive into today's three keys. And as we do, hit that thumbs up button to help with the algorithm of life. Ben Simmons contract details released from Micoscooto gave us a nice assist here today. That's going to be what we discussed in block number one and block number two. We're going to talk about chasing silly reports. I don't know why I'm talking about it, but we're going to. All right, and block three is a contract year, a good thing or not.

2:07All right, we have the deeds. For those of you who were concerned about the Ben Simmons signing, you may have gotten a reprieve on Wednesday. According to Micoscooto from Hoops hype, if Simmons makes the opening night roster, he'll earn a $1 million guarantee on his $3.5 million one year contract. This means that if he makes a team, the Kings have until January 10th to decide on the remainder of his contract. By that point, he will have made slightly more than the $1 million probably closer to $1.75 million probably right around half, maybe a little bit less than that. But if he isn't working out, the Kings can also move on without paying the entirety of his original $3.5 million contract. They also could look at him in training camp and go, yeah, that's not going to work. I don't know what's happening here, but that's not going to work. In that situation, the Kings could just cut ties and realistically be on the hook for virtually

3:11nothing, which would be another option. Joe has used a non-guaranteed contract in the past a few times, specifically over the last few seasons, including Doug McDermott's first year with the team. This was an easy way to limit your financial responsibilities with a player. If you have some sort of questions, or if you're just not quite sure about your roster and he might work out, he might not. Doug McDermott that first year got the rest of his contract picked up relatively quickly. He got to January 10th. It's like, yeah, Doug's going to stick around. They also did this with Matthew Delabadova, right before that, where he was on a limited guaranteed contract and they ended up keeping him for the rest of the season. This is a perfect way to structure a contract, in my opinion, for Ben Simmons. There was a point where he's an all-star and an all-nb-a player. But before sitting out last season, he played a grand total of 108 games over his previous

4:14four seasons in the league. So, Gaini sat out all last season. Like four years ago, he sat out the entire season to holding out and with back issues. He's played limited minutes and then he didn't play at all. So the Kings are really taking sort of a shot in the dark here. We've used I've used specifically, and you hear it all over the places. This idea of a low-risk high reward as a way of describing Ben Simmons. I'm not sure that that's completely accurate. A million dollars for making the team out of training camp is certainly really low-risk, especially by NBA standards. The rest of us out here are like, hey, I'll take a million dollars. That's a lot of money, right? But there isn't a lot to predict the high reward part of this conversation. There's a player that was once really, really good, but that was five years ago. If he ends up being a rotational player, then great, that's a win.

5:14If he doesn't make the team, then nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? If he ends up being a back end of the rotation player, then the signing is may. It doesn't really move the needle all that much. It would probably mean more time on the court for precious attieu, more time on the court for Malik Blanc, more time on the court, maybe for Alex Kerrman would get an opportunity that he might not get this season because of sort of the crowdedness of what's happening at the 2-3-4. Right? Again, if he ends up being Ben Simmons of old, then I guess you can say a high reward, but that is such a far off and the distance thing. The more conversations I have about Ben Simmons with people around the league, the more I hear, you aren't expecting him to be part of the rotation, right? Okay, well, I think that the Kings might be, at least as a back-up point guard, but then

6:15again, maybe they're not. They do have Malik Monk who can play a ton of men this year. They have a bunch of players at the shooting guard position. They can play, including Monk moving over and playing the shooting guard spot, but also, you know, Zach will be starting. Nick Clifford, Dei Kwan Plowden, a manual sharp. So they have other options, right? Even at the small forward spot, you're going to maybe be able to fit Ben Simmons in there for some minutes, but that means probably no minutes for Alex Caravan. It also means fewer minutes for Precious Ochoa because Kigamurri would have to play more at the 4 than at the 3. So again, these are all kinds of things that Doug Christie and Scott Perry are going to have to work out. I do think Scott Perry is making a calculated risk here. The team might hope for more. Maybe Simmons is like this really incredible redemption story. But at the end of the day, these types of transactions, these are the types of transactions that Perry needs to make while he attempts to get the team through the next two years

7:19before the large veteran salaries come off the books. By that, I'm talking about the 49 million and 25 million owed, Zach Levine and DeAndre Hunter this season that both fall off the books. Then next season, we're talking about the $49 million contract of Demandas Sabonas and 22 million Formal League Monks. Another $71 million will fall off the books in the summer of 2028. That's what Scott Perry is trying to do. He's trying to get this team to the point where those big money deals fall off and he can actually make some transactions that are more what he's looking for and not what the previous regime are looking for. In the meantime, it's doing his best to draft well to try to find guys at the top end of the draft when he gets those picks like Darius A. Cuff, but also mine for the other talent like Nick Clifford, Alex Keroban, Max Ray No, Dylan Cardwell, Emmanuel Sharp, DeAndre

8:21De Cuamp-Plout. We've got this weird dynamic. It's not really a two timeline thing as much as it is one timeline that's waiting for other players to expire. In the meantime, you've got to fill out a roster. You've got to add length. You've got to add athleticism. You have to add defense. You have to add a guy who can play a point guard and maybe four other positions on the court. That's where I think Ben Simmons really might help this team. If this all ends in mid-October before the training camp ends, with Simmons never even making an appearance, then the Kings really aren't out anything. If they find him to be a productive basketball player, then it's found money. This particular transaction barring some complete meltdown by Simmons shouldn't really have a lot of bearing on what we think of Scott Perry's first 18 months on the job. It's a league minimum deal for a player that was not in the league last year. Maybe he comes in and he does what Russell Westbrook does and he just thrives.

9:22Maybe he comes in and he does what Doug McDermott did, which was occasionally hit threes, but for the most part, be a good locker room guy and kind of stay out of the way. That's always a possibility. But there's also this chance that he doesn't even make opening night. Now, by putting a million dollars on it, it almost becomes a million dollar bounty. Go ahead. Show us that you've got something. Show us that you can be part of the rotation. If not, we'll walk away and we'll save our million dollars. I do think that this is going to be an interesting way that it plays out, but now knowing the numbers a little bit more, at least according to Michael Scoto, which I trust is a good reporter. We do have a little bit more to go off of. The Kings are still in the same similar financial situation they were before. They have 14 roster players. They have roughly $2.8 to $3 million in available money to go out and sign maybe one more player. That would be, again, a veteran minimum.

10:24They'll probably make more around like 2.2 million, 2.3 depending on what the league rules are for this season. But still, you can see where the Kings could potentially fit one more player in. Also, possible, they wait till later in the season and maybe try to take on a league minimum player from another team that's trying to clear some salary cap space and maybe get an asset in return. Lots to think about here. Again, let's just wait until the team is more financially functional and that will happen in 2027, 2028. And hopefully by that point, they have a loss of plot and that's when the real rebuilding can begin. Okay, let's step aside. When we come back, there's a wild demonist, a bonus trade rumor that will take a machete too because, you know, why not? See off season. Think of business shouldn't feel like you're trying to connect to a bunch of systems that

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13:35Thanks for making us your first. Listen of the day. Okay. Not every rumor is worth reaching out and checking in on to be honest with you. There are so many rumors out there. For the most part, a lot of them just go unchecked because you're like, all right, that's not real. There are also a lot of people out there who are just throwing whatever they can at the wall and hoping that something sticks. Hey, if they're right, they look like a genius. If they're not right, people will forget. It's the internet. Everyone smiles. Something sounds at least slightly interesting. At least interesting enough to look into. So let's dive into the latest wild rumor about Demonis Abonus on Twitter and account called NBA trade rumors, all one word NBA trade rumors or you could look them up at NBA trade rumors eight. They posted the following trade breaking.

14:35So this isn't even a rumor. This is breaking the Charlotte Hornets are finalizing a trade to acquire Demonis Abonus from this Sacramento Kings for a package centered around Grayson Allen, Grant Williams, and two first round picks per sources. The account would go on to say, add this to the conversation. The only way this trade falls apart is if Sacramento can pull off a deal with free agent center, Jalen Dern, per sources. However, it sounds like Sacramento is ready to pull the trigger for Abonus. Okay. So the trade itself is interesting. I got to be honest. We've heard Charlotte mention with the Kings before and with the Kings considered trading something like this. And to be honest, maybe if they were to get a pair of first round picks from Charlotte who has a bunch of picks, especially after the moves they've made this summer, maybe it would also does a money work. I went and looked. Sure.

15:36The money works as well. But yes, it would also save the Kings money, which is a lot of money actually. It's 13 million this season and roughly another 13 million the next season. You be taken on two players with similar contract lengths to the bonus, two year deal for Grayson Allen at 18 million this year. And I think 19 million on player option next year and two million on two years on Grant Williams as well. It's 13 something this year and I think it's right around 14 million next year. So right off the bat, Kings would save money. Kings would acquire two first round picks. And again, this is a team that has some really crazy good first round picks or potential good first round picks. We never know with the whole relegation zone thing. So I think there's at least one small hiccup and that is Grayson Allen salary can't be aggregated into another trade until September 13th, which is only four days away. So again, this is something that technically speaking could actually make sense for the

16:39Kings. I don't think it makes any sense for Charlotte, but we're not worried about that so much at this point. So it actually this it might pass the litmus test. If you look at trades that are out there when we're talking about the possibilities, right? Salary savings, draft compensation, similar lengths of contracts, etc. All that stuff. Again, the Kings have an open roster spot. So they could actually absorb a two for one trade without having to wait anyone. That's it does actually all of the functioning parts of this actually do make sense. But it's it's September and we're building up the training camp. So I figured why not at least ask the question. So according to a league source, the Kings have not spoken to the Hornet since two weeks prior to the draft. So no deal. All of this to say no deal. Again, here's where I kind of get stuck on this. The Hornets they look like a completely different team than the one that the Kings spoke to before

17:44the draft. Lamello ball is gone. He's a Minnesota symbol. Mile bridge, Miles bridges is gone. He's on the Phoenix Suns in reality. The Hornets are a team that looks like they're rebuilding just like the Kings and a 30 year old center doesn't make a lot of sense unless you just really want to put Domas in a situation where he's again running like the DHO game with a bunch of shooters around him because Charlotte does have some shooters. Con-Kennepal. You know, what are they at? Brandon Williams. Brandon. Oh, Brandon Miller. There we go. So anyway, not to like throw NBA trade rumor, rumors eight under the bus on Twitter, but for now nothing is brewing between these two. Again, not all of these rumors are reaching worth reaching out to, but after a weekend of getting poorly aggregated by multiple accounts mining for buzzworthy headlines, I figured

18:49I might as well check in and potentially just spell something like this and sure enough that is exactly what happened. I don't think we'll check in on all of these rumors just because, you know, again, there's so many things that go up and are crazy, even from reputable, you know, people that are out there that are long term NBA writers, long term NBA newsbreakers that have more, of a reputation for breaking stories and everything else. So this isn't to completely destroy and throw shade at this guy. You know, with you have the trade looks on paper, pretty intriguing. I just don't think it's one of those things that is going to happen and from again, my king's sources. Yeah, these teams haven't even talked. So yeah, nothing brewing, nothing is imminent. Nothing is breaking none of that. And again, the kings have a lot of things that they're trying to work out still.

19:50Who knows what's going to happen this season with the modest bonus or any other player on the king's roster outside of maybe Daria's a cup at this point. So all right, we're going to step aside. When we come back, there's this idea that a contract here is always a good thing. Players are going to a contract here. That means they're going to play harder. They're going to perform more. Is that a good thing for the Sacramento kings in this particular situation? I'm not sure. We'll be right back. The problem of finding clothes that you can live it all day, be comfortable and do whatever you need to do. Whether it's just chilling, go into meetings, playing golf, being on the move. That problem has been solved by Kozierth. The everyday polo is the answer. It's lightweight, built to move with you. Just easy to wear wherever I've got it on right now and it's fabulous. Plus the Kozierth essential socks, they're exactly what the name suggests.

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21:55I'm actually hanging out in trucky just for the evening. It's beautiful up here. I highly recommend if you've never been to trucky. This is old green wood golf course behind me. It's the absolute beautiful spot. Shout out to my friends with a time share up here. Let's dive back into this. A lot has been made about the kings having a couple of players on what we out here in the sports world call a contract here. Right. So the kings happen to have a couple of big ones, right? Zach Levine who's entering the final year of his deal and will make $49 million a season. The kings also have Deandre Hunter who is set to make $24.9 million. And I'm going to get this out of the way at first. I think both of these players on opening night are starters. I think Zach Levine will start the shooting guard position alongside Jerry's A cuff. I think Deandre Hunter will start a small forward spot alongside Keegan Murray and Demonis Sabonis. I think that's your starting five. Maybe I'm wrong.

22:56Maybe something crazy happens. Maybe Ben Simmons becomes like this incredible story and steals one of these positions on the court. But I want to point out a couple of things. Both of these players finished last season on the entry list, missing some substantial time at the end of the year. Levine missed 39 games. So I missed 43 total, including I think it's something like the last 37 something like that. Deandre Hunter, king's trade reformed trade deadline. He plays a game in a half gets poked in the eye done for the year. I think of the 30 games he was available to play in Sacramento. He played 20, he missed 28. So again, both of these guys are are you know, they've had long careers. Levine is a two time all star and a very capable score. Deandre Hunter is a solid wing option and scoring option. And you know, somewhere around an average, an average NBA defender, right?

23:57Levine will be 32 in March. Hunter will be 29 in December. Both should have another solid contract in them, whether it's, you know, nickeling and diming from here on out for one of these guys or it's getting another two or three or four year deal. I don't know. But if you ask some of the folks around the kings, they have a good feeling about this idea of a contract here. They think that it could mean something good for both them and the player. Maybe we see a higher level of production from these guys. Maybe we see them locking on defense more. Maybe we see a complete bounce back after injury plague seasons last season because both these players are coming off of relatively substantial injuries. I mean, Zach Levine had a finger had surgery on his finger on his pinky and you know, again, the Andre Hunter might have to wear goggles, the rest of his career because of the scratch he got on his eye and actually needed eye surgery. So more than anything else, maybe we see highly motivated players auditioning for 30 teams.

25:03All of these things could be correct. But I asked this question. What is it that what is in it for the kings? What is in it for Sacramento? Because I'm confused by this, right? I get the concept. I've watched professional sports my entire life. I understand that when players are in a contract here, sometimes that's when they play at their best. They're super motivated. They're super locked in. But I also understand that the Andre Hunter is entering his eighth NBA season and Zach Levine is about to embark on his 13th NBA season. I don't want to be too direct here, but everyone in the league knows who these players are. Right? They do. The only question might be about whether they are on the decline or not. And whether they step on the court and you're like, oh, shoot, that does not look like the same player. He's gotten worse. I don't expect either one of these players to get worse because again, at 31, going on 32 and 28, going on 29, they still should have years of basketball in them, at least

26:07a couple of years for Levine. And maybe four, five years for the Andre Hunter, we'll have to see. So as much as I would like to get behind this sentiment and say, yeah, this could be a really, really good thing for the Kings, I keep asking the question, like, why would it be a good thing for the Kings? So maybe a motivated Levine and Hunter help you possibly avoid the relegation zone. That would be a huge plus. So I get that. But just to work clear, the odds makers have the Kings winning 21 and a half games this season. And they know that these two players are currently on the roster. So it's already been factored in to their 21 and a half wins, right? And again, Vegas could be wrong. The predictors could be wrong. The 19 wins ESPN has the Kings winning could be way off. They could be just completely wrong and have no idea what exactly they're talking about.

27:08So that's always a possibility. I'm also not convinced that a contract here, again, will help lead to a better trade at the trade deadline. Again, people know exactly who these two players are. And in a lot of ways, the league is going to be looking at these players as expiring contracts as much as they are NBA players. That's a harsh reality that players get to, especially when you're making 49 million and you average 17 points per game last year. And then the Andre Hunter again missed a ton of time making $25 million a year this year. So I think the league knows who these are. And if anything, they're, you know, they again are looking at these players as potential guys that you might trade for that will help you a little bit down the stretch. But then you're hoping that you move contracts to the Kings that you're trying to move off of and you're trying to get these expiring contracts, right? And one of these guys are likely to touch the same heights that they are as far as contractually

28:11moving forward. There's no way I see a team giving exactly 49 million. I don't see the Andre Hunter getting anywhere near 25 million either. You know, and if the two of the two, I would think the Kings would be more inclined to at least look at Hunter as a, you know, maybe again, stopgap until they have that small forward that they're really dreaming of. So outside of, you know, the Kings, maybe these guys help the Kings one a few more games, right? This season should be about Darius A. Cup Jinger. And it should be about Kig and Murray trying to develop who he is. And it should be about bringing along the young core that includes Max Rino and Dylan Cardwell, Nick Clifford, Amanda Sharp, Alex Cariban, Dayquan Plowden. If you want to add Dayquan Plowden to the young player mix, which he's like 27, but only a second year player, I don't think the Kings should be at all concerned about what next season looks like for Zach Levine or DeAndre Hunter. And that's just being completely honest.

29:12Well, why does it help the Kings? Maybe you can do a sign in trade, maybe, but again, that sign in trade is going to be for a lot less than what they're currently making. If you want to retain DeAndre Hunter, maybe that changes things a little bit. But side of this, I think a contract year could actually come at the expense of developing the players who will be here beyond the 26, 27 season. I'm not saying that Doug Christie shouldn't play these two. I, again, I already believe that both of them are going to start. They should also play. But I'm also not saying that the team should prioritize opportunities for either of these players. They need to have these other players develop. They need to have, again, they need to figure out what King of Maria's. They need Darious A cup to show that he has all star or even superstar potential. These are things that the Kings are banking on in order to move their program forward after this season into the next, into the one after that and the one after that.

30:15Long after Levine and Hunter will be gone. So I don't want this to sound like I'm being disrespectful. I think it's just a reality where the Kings are in their current build. Ending 25 games with Levine, averaging 24 points a night. It only helps Levine and his representatives, not the group of players who will be here next year when Levine is likely elsewhere. And the same exact thing goes for Deandre Hunter. It'd be great if Deandre Hunter averaged 19 points a game and Levine averaged 24. But if the Kings are going to win 25 games or even 30 games, what was it for? Unless somehow you avoid relegation. But again, we're talking about walking a tight rope here. So Maya Bagan, I'm not quite buying into the idea that these contract years are a good thing for the Kings. I do think you might get better play out of both of these players, but it should be better play in shorter, stents of minutes while you're developing other players.

31:17It should not be one or two of these players taking 15 to 20 shots per game. Those shots should go to Darius A. Cuff. They should go to Keegan Murray. It should be about developing the players that you have in Sacramento. As far as Domana, Sabonis and Malik Monk, you got two years. And there's always a chance that you might be able to trade these guys with a year and a half left on their deal. So I'm not going to put them in the same boat. But it would be nice if they both had bounce back years as well. I thought Monk was good last year. One of his better three point shooting years. But Sabonis playing 19 games and having all kinds of injuries was was a bit of a train direct. So that's just my take. Again, maybe you disagree if you do jump in the comments section. So thanks for tuning in. Make sure to follow me on social media at James underscore ham NBA and make sure to subscribe and follow locked on kings. So you get all the latest episodes hit that notification button so you get alerted when we post. Thanks for making locked on kings your first listen every day for your second listen, find locked on NBA podcasts where there is no offseason.

32:21West Matt and Hayes keep you up to date on contract negotiations, rumors and everything you need to be the most informed NBA fan find locked on NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts is part of the locked on podcast network. Your team every day. Hey, we got one more pod this week. And then next week we crank it back up. We're back, baby. See you soon. Labor Day Savings are happening now at the Home Depot is select appliances starting at $399. Plus save up to an extra $1000 and get free delivery on appliance purchases of $998 or more. Upgrade your kitchen with a Samsung refrigerator featuring zero clearance. Designed for all spaces with special hinges and slim doors for a seamless look. Right now at great prices at the Home Depot you can save on top brand appliances built to elevate your kitchen. Shop Labor Day Savings at the Home Depot today. Offer valid august 27th through September 16th. US only see store online for details.

33:22It's Halloween time at the Disneyland Resort and many began to brew up delights and spying tingling fun. Halloween time August 21st through October 31st visit disneyland.com or contact your travel advisor for important details. The best menu hack for cheese lovers. One you don't even have to make. Introducing Applebee's new OMGia burger. Your favorite UCB burger meets an irresistibly cheesy case idea. Served with tortilla chips on a sizzling skillet of even more cheese. And for a limited time only it's on Applebee's 2 for 25 menu. We dare you to resist the pull of this triple threat of cheesiness. A full-sized appetizer and two entrees including the OMGia burger for just 25 bucks. That's even good in the neighborhood. Thank you for making Locked On Your First Listen Every Day. For your second listen find the Locked On NBA podcast where there's no offseason. West Matt and Hayes keep you up to date on contract negotiations. Rumors and everything you need to be the most informed NBA fan.

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