As teams complete their seasons, ESPN Insider's NBA team will take a look at the offseason picture and priorities for all 30 teams. Below, Kevin Pelton offers a snapshot of the Sacramento Kings.
2014-15 record: 29-53
Pythagorean record: 31-51
Offensive Rating: 102.5 (16th)
Defensive Rating: 106.5 (27th)
Draft picks
Own first-round pick (6th entering lottery)
L.A. Clippers' second-round pick (57th or 58th, pending coin flip)
Projected cap space
Maximum: $9.9 million
Minimum: $0
Likely: $8.9 million
What's returning
Boogie! DeMarcus Cousins put together the best all-around season of his career, making his first All-Star team and bidding for a spot on an All-NBA team at center. It wasn't all roses for Cousins, who moped after the Kings unexpectedly fired Mike Malone in December and was frustrated by the rumors that preceded George Karl's arrival in February. He remains prone to turnovers and fouls. Still, Cousins showed dramatic growth defensively and continues to evolve into a dominant offensive force in the paint.
Rudy Gay quietly put together arguably the best season of his 10-year career, posting a career-best (and above-average) .556 true shooting percentage. Sacramento rewarded him in November with a three-year, $40 million extension that keeps him with the Kings at a reduced rate. Darren Collison played some of the best basketball of his career early in the season, helping Sacramento get off to a strong start, before his campaign was cut short by injury.
In Year 2, Ben McLemore made strides, and RPM was particularly enamored of his performance. (WARP less so, since McLemore does little to fill out a box score.) The Kings can only hope fellow shooting guard Nik Stauskas follows a similar development path after a disappointing rookie campaign.
Sacramento has $13 million of power forward under contract the next two seasons in Carl Landry and Jason Thompson. Thompson was at least part of one of the league's most potent lineups (16.4 points per 100 possessions, fifth best among lineups with at least 250 minutes together) when he was a starter.
Free agents
As long as Andre Miller wants to play basketball professionally, Karl will have a spot for him on the roster. Miller's limited lateral quickness lost him favor in Washington, but he provided a spark off the bench for the Kings and will probably be back to play through age 40. Derrick Williams also benefited from the coaching change and associated increase in tempo, posting a .560 true shooting percentage after the All-Star break. It will be hard to justify making an $8.3 million qualifying offer to Williams to preserve matching rights, but he still might return as an unrestricted free agent.
Playing for the minimum, well-traveled former Sacramento draft pick Omri Casspi enjoyed the best season of his career, shooting 40.2 percent from 3-point range and providing the Kings needed toughness on the wing.
Biggest need: defensive commitment
Karl's arrival failed to produce immediate dividends in large part because Sacramento struggled at the defensive end. The Kings were 28th in defensive rating after the All-Star break, ahead of only the lowly Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Golden State Warriors have demonstrated it's possible to play at a fast pace and excel defensively. Sacramento hasn't been able to produce those results. As soon as Malone was fired and the Kings pushed the pace, their defensive intensity went missing. Until Sacramento can shore up the defense, a run at a .500 record -- much less a playoff spot -- is out of the question.
Biggest question: Who's calling the shots?
Last week's report that former Kings center Vlade Divac is now controlling basketball operations in Sacramento was unsurprising only in that we've come to expect surprises from the Kings organization under majority owner Vivek Ranadive. From Malone's abrupt firing to negotiations with Karl that played out while interim head coach Tyrone Corbin was still coaching the team, it was a soap-opera season in Sacramento. That doesn't figure to change any time soon, and that bodes poorly for the Kings' decision-making process this offseason and beyond.
Ideal offseason
Divac proves a better talent evaluator even than he was a center. Sacramento fills out its bench with value pick-ups who fit Karl's system, like his former player Corey Brewer. Given a full training camp to mold the rotation, Karl gets the Kings to average on defense and slightly better on offense. Cousins stays healthy and leads Sacramento to its first playoff berth in a full decade, just in time for the Kings to move into their new arena in 2016-17.