Sacramento Kings Look to Shake Things Up

Apr 14, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Andre Iguodala (9) during the second half against the Portland Trailblazers at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 118-109. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Douglas, Aldrich, and Free Agents 

Combined with the potentially offering a maximum contract extension to DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings will need to decide whether or not they want to pursue any of the several free agents on the market this summer, while also determining if they want to retain the services of Toney Douglas.

Douglas showed the type of tenacity on the defensive side of the floor that has been missing in Sacramento since the departure of Doug Christie. However if the Kings retain Evans and offer Cousins a maximum contract extension, they will more than likely look to pursue several free agents, potentially leaving Douglas without a contract offer.

While Cole Aldrich had valuable moments with the Kings last season, the Kings are unlikely to extend a contract offer to the big man unless he is willing to take a minimum offer.

The Kings will also more than likely let James Johnson leave and save the money they would have paid him to lure a big name player to Sacramento.

Sacramento would be wise to try to lure in one of the several big names on the free agent market this summer. Andre Iguodala is a proven player and would provide the Kings with defense, athleticism, rebounding, scoring, and leadership. Iguodala would be almost a perfect fit for the Kings if they choose to retain the services of Evans.

Iguodala could make the Kings an immediate contender. The Kings have needed a leader on and off the court, and Igoudala would be the type of player who could change the atmosphere in Sacramento by leading this team by example.

The Kings would also be wise to pursue Josh Smith as he could provide similar things as Iguodala, but would create even more matchup issues for opposing teams. Smith next to Cousins would be a very formidable front line, and with both Patrick Patterson and Jason Thompson coming the bench, the Kings would have major size advantages against almost every team in the league, and would be very hard to defend against. Smith will be very highly pursued by several teams around the league and is said to already be receiving offers.

With the Spurs losing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the atmosphere in San Antonio could be changing very quickly. Manu Ginobili faces arguably the biggest decision of his career.

Ginobili will become a free agent on June 30th, and will play a major role in regards to what direction the Spurs organization chooses to move in. He looked like a shell of himself in this last season, and may consider retirement.

Tiago Splitter, Gary Neal, Boris Diaw, Patrick Mills, and DeJuan Blair are all free agents for the Spurs, making it likely that several of these players would be available if Ginobili chooses to stay with the team. Splitter will be a highly coveted player and will likely receive several offers from teams around the league, and he would be a great fit for the Kings.

Splitter developed around Tim Duncan and has learned from arguably the best coach in the game today on how to be a valuable productive player on a team with another dominant big man. He is a very tough nosed defender and rebounder and is a very talented and creative scorer. The Kings would be wise to pursue Splitter if he is indeed available and open to playing elsewhere. The Spurs would be wise to keep Gary Neal in San Antonio, making Splitter available to possible changes of scenery.