Sacramento Kings Blog – Page 24 – NBA Blog

Kings sign Bogdan Bogdanovic

The Sacramento Kings have signed guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, General Manager Vlade Divac announced today.

Originally chosen 27th overall by Phoenix in the 2014 NBA Draft, the 6-6 shooting guard was acquired alongside the 13th and 28th picks (Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere) and a future second-round choice by Sacramento in exchange for the eighth selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Bogdanovic joins the Kings after playing the last three seasons in Turkey, where he led Fenerbahce to both the Euro and Turkish League Championships in 2016-17. In 27 games, the 24-year-old amassed averages of 14.6 points (.500 FG%, .430 3pt%, .855 FT%), 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.12 steals in 27.9 minutes per contest, earning All-Euro League First-Team and Turkish Finals MVP honors.

In addition to professional experience with Fenerbahce, Bogdanovic spent parts of four seasons with Partizan Belgrade, averaging 14.8 points (.401 FG%, .370 3pt%, .754 FT%), 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.67 steals per game in route to 2013-14 Euro League Rising Star accolades. Then only 21 years of age, he guided Partizan past rival Red Star Belgrade in the league’s championship series in route to posting 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest during the best-of-five series.

A member of the silver-medal winning Serbian national team in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bogdanovic averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in eight contests, including a game-high 18 points (7-11 FG, 3-4 3pt, 1-1 FT) to accompany one rebound, five assists and three steals in a quarterfinal victory over Croatia. He helped guide Serbia into the Games with averages of 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists during the 2016 FIBA Qualifying Tournament, punctuated by 26 points (9-14 FG, 6-10 3pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and eight assists in the championship game victory against Puerto Rico.

Kings sign rookie Frank Mason III

The Sacramento Kings announced Wednesday that the team has signed 2017 second-round draft selection Frank Mason III to a contract, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

Mason, a 6-0 guard, averaged 20.9 points (.490 FG%, .471 3pt%, .794 FT%), 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals during the Jayhawks’ 31-5 record and Elite Eight campaign—becoming the first player in both Big 12 and Kansas history to average 20.0 points and 5.0 assists for a season. For his efforts, the four-year collegian swept the National Player of the Year awards as a senior, earning honors from the AP, Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA), NABC, Sporting News, CBS Sports, USA Today, NBC Sports and BleacherReport, becoming the first consensus National Player of the Year in Kansas history and just the second Jayhawks player to win the Wooden Award (Danny Manning, 1988). Additionally, Mason was bestowed the Bob Cousy Point Guard and Big 12 Player of the Year Awards. He concluded his career ranked sixth in KU history in scoring (1,885) and assists (576)—the only player to rank as high in both categories.

The first Kansas player to lead the Big 12 in scoring since 2004-05, Mason finished the season ranked 22nd in the nation in scoring while finishing first in the league in three-point percentage and fourth in assists. He posted 23 games of 20 or more points, including 10 of KU’s last 11 outings.

Kings sign rookies De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles

The Sacramento Kings have signed 2017 first round draft selections De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles to contracts, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

Tabbed with the fifth overall pick, Fox was just one of four freshman in the nation to average at least 16.7 points (.479 FG%, .246 3pt%, .736 FT%), 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. A Bob Cousy Award finalist, he paced the SEC in assist average and earned Third Team All-American honors by CBS Sports, USA Today and ESPN, as well as AP Honorable Mention accolades. The 6-3, 170-pound guard posted 22.0 points (.618 FG%, 3-5 3pt, .700 FT%), 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists en route to MVP honors during the Wildcats 2017 SEC Championship run, including a Kentucky freshman tournament-record 28 points versus Alabama in the semifinals. He later encored the performance in the Sweet 16 with 39 points (13-20 FG) against UCLA, the most ever by a freshman in a tournament game.

A junior out of North Carolina, Jackson was taken 15th overall after averaging 18.3 points, a career-high 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a consensus First Team All-American and ACC Player of the Year while helping lead UNC to the 2017 NCAA Championship. His 239 points scored in the tournament were the second-most in school history. In North Carolina’s six NCAA Tournament wins, Jackson paced the Tar Heels in scoring (19.5 ppg), field goals (41), three-pointers (15), assists (22) and steals (9). He also set a new single-season UNC mark with 105 three pointers made. He joins Rick Fox as the only Heels with 1,600 career points, 150 three-pointers, 400 rebounds and 300 assists.

An early entry candidate selected 20th overall, Giles accrued averages of 3.9 points (.577 FG%, 12-24 FT), 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 11.5 minutes, ranking fourth among ACC players with at least 150 minutes on the season in rebounds per 40 minutes (13.3). The 6-10 forward recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double effort against Georgia Tech and a season-high 12 points versus Boston College before playing an integral role in the ACC Tournament semifinals, posting six points, seven rebounds and four blocks in just 15 minutes in a win over eventual national champion North Carolina. As a prep talent out of Oak Hill and Wesleyan Christian Academies, Giles was honored as a First Team All-USA selection by USA Today, a Third Team Naismith Trophy All-American and Fourth Team Max Preps All American as a junior in 2015 after averaging 23.9 points and 12.5 rebounds to lead Wesleyan Christian to a NCISAA 3A runner-up finish.

Kings add Phil Ricci to coaching staff

The Sacramento Kings today have added Phil Ricci as an assistant player development coach on Head Coach Dave Joerger’s staff.

Ricci brings nearly twenty years of collegiate and professional basketball experience to Sacramento, including a playing career that spanned a half dozen countries and the NBA Development League.

The northern California native and former Galt Warrior standout spent a decade playing abroad in Spain, Japan, Korea, France, Israel and the Czech Republic, where he guided Nymburk to an appearance in the 2010 European Cup for the first time in club history.

Prior to embarking overseas, the 6-7 forward parlayed a successful stint at Delta Community College (Stockton, CA) to a scholarship at Oregon State, where he averaged 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in route to All-Pac 10 First Team honors as a senior (2002). A year later, he registered 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest with Huntsville of the Development League after spending the summer as a member of the Kings training camp roster.

Kings adding George Hill, Zach Randolph

The Kings came to agreements with some talent yesterday. George Hill is a starter-worthy guard. Power forward Zach Randolph is in his golden years but can make a bench better. Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting:

The Kings knew their team was too young. Though committed to a youth movement, they were reluctant to rely mostly on inexperienced players, hoping they quickly learn from the mistakes they’ll make.

And the Kings have made it clear they want to change their losing culture, too.

The Kings made two deals Tuesday that show they won’t be content simply letting their inexperienced players stumble through the season, reaching agreements with point guard George Hill and power forward Zach Randolph, league sources confirmed.

Hill agreed to a three-year deal worth $57 million, with a partial guarantee for the third year. Randolph agreed to a two-year deal worth $24 million.

Kings make big offer to Otto Porter

Wizards restricted free agent small forward Otto Porter Jr is about to get paid. The question is, by who. Right now it’s all about the Kings and their offer. Here’s the NY Post reporting:

The Wizards didn’t offer Otto Porter Jr. a maximum contract, but the Kings did.

Now the question is: Will the Nets offer the restricted free agent one as well if they meet? And will the Wizards really match it?

The Kings’ offer to Porter — first reported by ESPN — is for four years and $106.5 million, the same amount the Nets could offer. Porter will continue taking meetings, even though sources told The Post the Wizards will match any offer for the small forward…

Despite Washington’s ability to match, trying to out-recruit the Kings is still a worthwhile pursuit. Porter, 24, is young enough to be part of a lengthy rebuild and is the top restricted free agent on the market. Porter was second in the NBA in Offensive Rating (129.1) and fourth in 3-point shooting (.434).

Buddy Hield named to NBA All-Rookie First Team

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield was named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the league announced today.

Selected out of Oklahoma with the sixth overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft, Hield joined Sacramento in mid-February and finished the season scoring double-figures in 22 of the Kings 25 contests. The former Sooner standout accrued averages of 15.1 points (.480 FG%, .428 3pt%, .814 FT%), 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 29.1 minutes per game as a King, earning Rookie of the Month honors for games played in March. Overall, the 6-4 shooting guard registered 10.6 points (.426 FG%, .391 3pt%, .842 FT%), 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 23.0 minutes in playing all 82 contests during his rookie campaign, ranking third in scoring, fourth in 3-point and free throw percentage, eighth in field goal percentage and 11th in rebounding among all rookies.

Hield becomes the 16th player in Kings franchise history and the 11th during the Sacramento era to earn All-Rookie Team distinction, a list that includes teammate Willie Cauley-Stein (2015-16 All-Rookie Second Team).

Kings waive Arron Afflalo

The Sacramento Kings today waived forward/guard Arron Afflalo, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

In 61 games played (45 starts) with the Kings during the 2016-17 season, Afflalo averaged 8.4 points (.440 FG%, .411 3pt%, .892 FT%), 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 25.9 minutes per game. The 10-year NBA veteran has accrued career averages of 11.3 points (.451 FG%, .386 3pt%, .825 FT%), 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 28.4 minutes per contest in 709 NBA games with Detroit (2007-09), Denver (2009-12 & 2014-15), Orlando (2012-14), and New York (2015-16).

Skal Labissiere will host basketball camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Sacramento Kings rookie Skal Labissière announced today that his first Camp S.K.A.L. basketball clinic will tip off this summer in his native Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Representing skills, knowledge and life, Labissière’s Camp S.K.A.L. will host 50 of the top high school basketball players and coaches in Port-au-Prince July 19-21.

“This will be my first time back home in seven years,” Labissière said. “I’m blessed to be in a place now where I can give back to my Port-au-Prince community and this is just the start of more free Camp S.K.A.L. events there in the future. I look forward to sharing some of the basketball and life knowledge I’ve gained over the years.”

Labissière partnered with Reach Your Dream, a non-profit organization promoting spiritual awareness, self confidence, and innovative thinking for future generations in communities throughout the world. Reach Your Dream helped Labissière relocate to the United States before high school to pursue his educational and basketball goals.

“Without the good people of Reach Your Dream, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” added Labissière. “It’s only fitting, that we work together on Camp S.K.A.L. to provide similar opportunities to the future basketball stars of Haiti.”

Kings hire Scott Perry as Executive VP of Basketball Operations

The Sacramento Kings today hired Scott Perry as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

Perry will report directly to Divac and assist in all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the Kings front office, including roster management and development, player personnel matters, scouting strategy and free agency negotiations.

“I’m thrilled that Scott will be joining our front office team,” said Divac. “His extensive experience in the league and management talents will help build on our progress as we work to develop a winning franchise.”

Perry joins Sacramento’s front office after serving the last five seasons in a similar capacity with the Orlando Magic. Prior to his time in central Florida, Perry spent parts of 12 seasons with the Pistons as a collegiate scout (2000-02), director of player personnel (2002-2007) and later as Vice President of Basketball Operations (2008-12). Detroit reached the Eastern Conference Finals on six occasions (2003-08), made consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals (2004 and 2005) and won the NBA Title in 2004 during Perry’s tenure. He also served as the Seattle Supersonics assistant general manager in the 2007-08 season, during which the franchise drafted Kevin Durant No. 2 overall.

Before entering the NBA executive ranks, Perry spent three seasons as head basketball coach at Eastern Kentucky University (1997-2000) and nine years as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley and Detroit Mercy.

The former Wayne State University Warrior was a captain and all-conference player his senior season (1986). He also suited up for the University of Oregon as a freshman after being recruited by NBA coach Jim O’Brien and former NBA executive Stu Jackson.