Sacramento Kings: Ranking the four free agent additions in order of value

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 21: Dewayne Dedmon #14 of the Atlanta Hawks guards Luke Kornet #2 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter of the game at Madison Square Garden on December 21, 2018 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Sacramento Kings (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

The Sacramento Kings did an excellent job beefing up their roster this offseason to set the team up for success next season. Here is a ranking of the team’s four free-agent additions in order of value.

The Sacramento Kings entered this offseason with high hopes for the future. Coming off a 39-win season in which the team finished 9th in the Western Conference, just outside the playoffs, expectations were certainly high to see the team improve.

A successful offseason would put the Kings square in the playoff picture next season — even in a very difficult Western Conference. But a few missteps could set the team back and see them fall behind while their adversaries only got stronger.

Now that the initial dust of free agency and the draft has settled, it’s safe to say that the Kings did an excellent job this summer.

While they didn’t make the star-studded, max contract signing that many fans likely hoped that they would, they did something more important. They made signings based on team fit and maintained cap flexibility for the future.

There was no big-name signing. Instead, the Kings set themselves up for future success while also allowing the team to compete in the present.

There’s no greater mark of a successful offseason that that.

Join us as we rank the Kings four free-agent additions in order of their perceived value. Note that Harrison Barnes will not be listed here as he was technically a re-signing as opposed to a true free-agent addition.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 01: Trevor Ariza #1 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket against Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics during the first quarter at TD Garden on March 01, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Sacramento Kings (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

4. Trevor Ariza

The Kings have struggled to maintain adequate wing depth for quite some time now and that weakness was one of the talking points of last season. That’s why Kings fans rejoiced when the team made the deadline trade for the aforementioned Barnes.

Still, the depth behind Barnes was all too thin.

Sacramento tried to help matters with the trade for the oft-injured Alec Burks but his tenure in NorCal was an overwhelming disappointment. So after the team re-signed Barnes this offseason, the message became clear.

Sign some depth at the wing.

The Kings did just that by signing traveled veteran Trevor Ariza to a two-year, $25 million contract. Ariza put together his worst season in quite some time last season splitting time with two of the worst teams in the NBA in the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards.

The hope is that Ariza’s struggles had more to do with his supporting cast and poor organizational fit than any true decline. His contract is far from egregious, but the $25 million mark does seem high given his age and the season he’s coming off of.

Still, the second year of the deal may be worth $12.8 million, but only $1.8 million of it is guaranteed. So if things don’t work out after one season, the Kings could simply cut ties with him with a very small penalty.

Ariza will hopefully provide an improved three-and-D presence to the Kings wing depth on top of his veteran acumen. But he’ll be doing so at a higher rate than most would have hoped.

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