Kings Have Shopped Thompson

[Who]

They should shop Thompson.  He is a decent young player, however, his value is probably as high as it will ever be, and he doesn't really figure into their future plans (nor should he).

Why do you think Thompson shouldn't be in the Kings long term plans?

[Who]

The Kings are shopping Jason Thompson and the Hawks recently declined a deal involving the young forward.

A source with knowledge of the situations says Sacramento offered Thompson to Atlanta for young point guard Jeff Teague, but the Hawks passed on the offer.


http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/70100/20101115/hawks_declined_deal_for_jason_thompson/

Interesting. I know the Hawks are high on Teague, but this suggests the concept of swapping Bradley for JT is not so far fetched, considering the Kings were turned down.

Since we've never seen Bradley play in green, I can't believe it could be done straight up. I'm not giving up Erden in that deal -- too much defensive potential. Would they want Harangody? Probably not. Would they prefer a 2nd round pick? Though it'd be low, probably.

It is a deal that could make sense for both teams from a make-up perspective. Thompson could be a nice fit for the Cs. His defense could improve a great deal learning from the likes of KG, Baby, JO and Perk.

Erden - too much defensive potential? How good do you think Erden can become defensively?

Same question for Thompson. How good could he be defensively? Could Thompson not replace Erden's defensive value?

[ssspence]

The Kings are shopping Jason Thompson and the Hawks recently declined a deal involving the young forward.

A source with knowledge of the situations says Sacramento offered Thompson to Atlanta for young point guard Jeff Teague, but the Hawks passed on the offer.


http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/70100/20101115/hawks_declined_deal_for_jason_thompson/

Interesting. I know the Hawks are high on Teague, but this suggests the concept of swapping Bradley for JT is not so far fetched, considering the Kings were turned down.

Since we've never seen Bradley play in green, I can't believe it could be done straight up. I'm not giving up Erden in that deal -- too much defensive potential. Would they want Harangody? Probably not. Would they prefer a 2nd round pick? Though it'd be low, probably.

It is a deal that could make sense for both teams from a make-up perspective. Thompson could be a nice fit for the Cs. His defense could improve a great deal learning from the likes of KG, Baby, JO and Perk.

Erden - too much defensive potential? Really? How good do you think Erden can become defensively?

Same question for Thompson. How good could he be defensively? Could Thompson not replace Erden's defensive value?

Both Bradley and Erden have the potential to be excellent defensive players in the NBA. Erden's defensive IQ (combined with his agility) has been a very pleasant surprise to me, and I'm intrigued by Bradley's potential to be a defensive menace ala Rondo for the second unit. Tony Allen with more polished scoring / less turnovers would be awfully nice to have on the Cs.

Thompson has been inconsistent on both ends of the floor, with the exception of his rebounding which has been solid throughout his career. He needs to add strength, and a little grit in my opinion. With that said, I've always liked what I've seen from him and believe better coaching might bring a solid NBA starter out of him. He could become a nice high post compliment to Perk over the next few years, and can play some 5 as well. He also provides some insurance if Baby has a TA free agency moment.

Chris, agreed -- I'd not trade Baby or Perk for him unless either of them walked into Danny's office and all but insisted they were going elsewhere next year. Even then it'd be questionable considering what they bring to the table in 2010-2011. 

[Fafnir]

(combined with his agility)

I haven't seen all that much agility out of Erden personally. He's done much better than I expected but he still looks slow to me.

[Chris]

They should shop Thompson.  He is a decent young player, however, his value is probably as high as it will ever be, and he doesn't really figure into their future plans (nor should he).

Why do you think Thompson shouldn't be in the Kings long term plans?

Because Cousins and Landry are significantly better, and should be their starting frontcourt of the future.  And I think Thompson is too productive to come off the bench, and they would have to dramatically overpay him to convince him to do it.  I also think they are better off trying to find more of an energy defender to fill that role, and Thompson doesn't play much defense.

[Who]

They should shop Thompson.  He is a decent young player, however, his value is probably as high as it will ever be, and he doesn't really figure into their future plans (nor should he).

Why do you think Thompson shouldn't be in the Kings long term plans?

Because Cousins and Landry are significantly better, and should be their starting frontcourt of the future.  And I think Thompson is too productive to come off the bench, and they would have to dramatically overpay him to convince him to do it.  I also think they are better off trying to find more of an energy defender to fill that role, and Thompson doesn't play much defense.

You think the Kings should keep Landry as part of their long term future?

I think Landry's contract is up at the end of the year. How much do you think the Kings will have to pay him to keep him around?

[ssspence]

(combined with his agility)

I haven't seen all that much agility out of Erden personally. He's done much better than I expected but he still looks slow to me.

His footwork needs a lot of development, which is to be expected. But he's looked capable if inconsistent on pick-n-roll D, and i like his natural timing on blocks and shot altering.

It's early days -- he's understandably lost right now. If his habits could become as good as Perk's, he's significantly more agile (not to mention the the portly O'Neal brothers).

[Chris]

They should shop Thompson.  He is a decent young player, however, his value is probably as high as it will ever be, and he doesn't really figure into their future plans (nor should he).

Why do you think Thompson shouldn't be in the Kings long term plans?

Because Cousins and Landry are significantly better, and should be their starting frontcourt of the future.  And I think Thompson is too productive to come off the bench, and they would have to dramatically overpay him to convince him to do it.  I also think they are better off trying to find more of an energy defender to fill that role, and Thompson doesn't play much defense.

You think the Kings should keep Landry as part of their long term future?

I think Landry's contract is up at the end of the year. How much do you think the Kings will have to pay him to keep him around?

Yes, unless they prefer to upgrade through FA (not a bad idea either), I think Landry is the choice, and not Thompson.

If they do keep Landry, it is tough to tell, since it would be under the new CBA...but assuming its similar to the last CBA, then probably something similar to Scola's deal.  Something like 5 year/$45 million.  

Either way, I don't see Thompson with the Kings beyond his rookie contract, and given the guys he is behind right now, I think his value is only going to drop the longer they wait to trade him.

[MBz]

Thompson could be a nice back up plan incase Big Baby does leave the C's in the off-season.  He does rebound fairly well and I am not sure why Darnell Jackson would be taking minutes away from him.  Thompson is the superior player, unless its an internal issue, he should be getting more minutes.

[Chris]

Thompson could be a nice back up plan incase Big Baby does leave the C's in the off-season.  He does rebound fairly well and I am not sure why Darnell Jackson would be taking minutes away from him.  Thompson is the superior player, unless its an internal issue, he should be getting more minutes.

I have not watched them play, but my guess is Jackson is getting the minutes because he is a superior defender.  Thompson doesn't defend anyone, so its not that surprising that he is being benched now that they have better options as scorers up front.

[Fafnir]

(combined with his agility)

I haven't seen all that much agility out of Erden personally. He's done much better than I expected but he still looks slow to me.

His footwork needs a lot of development, which is to be expected. But he's looked capable if inconsistent on pick-n-roll D, and i like his natural timing on blocks and shot altering.

It's early days -- he's understandably lost right now. If his habits could become as good as Perk's, he's significantly more agile (not to mention the the portly O'Neal brothers).

I don't see any of the agility you describe, he's certainly inconsistent in the P&R but I don't see the sort of quickness that could be built into a superior defensive C.

[Who]

They should shop Thompson.  He is a decent young player, however, his value is probably as high as it will ever be, and he doesn't really figure into their future plans (nor should he).

Why do you think Thompson shouldn't be in the Kings long term plans?

Because Cousins and Landry are significantly better, and should be their starting frontcourt of the future.  And I think Thompson is too productive to come off the bench, and they would have to dramatically overpay him to convince him to do it.  I also think they are better off trying to find more of an energy defender to fill that role, and Thompson doesn't play much defense.

You think the Kings should keep Landry as part of their long term future?

I think Landry's contract is up at the end of the year. How much do you think the Kings will have to pay him to keep him around?

Yes, unless they prefer to upgrade through FA (not a bad idea either), I think Landry is the choice, and not Thompson.

If they do keep Landry, it is tough to tell, since it would be under the new CBA...but assuming its similar to the last CBA, then probably something similar to Scola's deal.  Something like 5 year/$45 million.  

Either way, I don't see Thompson with the Kings beyond his rookie contract, and given the guys he is behind right now, I think his value is only going to drop the longer they wait to trade him.

If I were Sacramento, I would be looking to move Carl Landry as quickly as possible. He has been a horrific fit on that roster since the moment he joined the team last season.

They need someone with more offensive range and versatility to play the four alongside Tyreke Evans. Especially if you have a low post scorer like DeMarcus Cousins. Carl Landry doesn't offer that.

Landry has been killing their spacing offensively and costing the Kings games ever since he joined the squad. 7 wins, 21 losses after he joined last season versus 18 and 36 wins prior to him joining (which includes the struggles and lost games due to the troubles with Kevin Martin that pre-Landry record too). Landry has weakened the team considerably.

I'd like to see Sacramento move Landry for whatever assets they can get for him in the trade market. I would not consider re-signing him. He would be the #1 guy that would be looking to dump off of that roster.

I'd also note that I think Landry is very likely to be over-paid next summer. I consider him an MLE level player or slightly lower. A bad contract waiting to happen.

[Chris]

They should shop Thompson.  He is a decent young player, however, his value is probably as high as it will ever be, and he doesn't really figure into their future plans (nor should he).

Why do you think Thompson shouldn't be in the Kings long term plans?

Because Cousins and Landry are significantly better, and should be their starting frontcourt of the future.  And I think Thompson is too productive to come off the bench, and they would have to dramatically overpay him to convince him to do it.  I also think they are better off trying to find more of an energy defender to fill that role, and Thompson doesn't play much defense.

You think the Kings should keep Landry as part of their long term future?

I think Landry's contract is up at the end of the year. How much do you think the Kings will have to pay him to keep him around?

Yes, unless they prefer to upgrade through FA (not a bad idea either), I think Landry is the choice, and not Thompson.

If they do keep Landry, it is tough to tell, since it would be under the new CBA...but assuming its similar to the last CBA, then probably something similar to Scola's deal.  Something like 5 year/$45 million.  

Either way, I don't see Thompson with the Kings beyond his rookie contract, and given the guys he is behind right now, I think his value is only going to drop the longer they wait to trade him.

If I were Sacramento, I would be looking to move Carl Landry as quickly as possible. He has been a horrific fit on that roster since the moment he joined the team last season.

They need someone with more offensive range and versatility to play the four alongside Tyreke Evans. Especially if you have a low post scorer like DeMarcus Cousins. Carl Landry doesn't offer that.

Landry has been killing their spacing offensively and costing the Kings games ever since he joined the squad. 7 wins, 21 losses after he joined last season versus 18 and 36 wins prior to him joining (which includes the struggles and lost games due to the troubles with Kevin Martin that pre-Landry record too). Landry has weakened the team considerably.

I'd like to see Sacramento move Landry for whatever assets they can get for him in the trade market. I would not consider re-signing him. He would be the #1 guy that would be looking to dump off of that roster.

I'd also note that I think Landry is very likely to be over-paid next summer. I consider him an MLE level player or slightly lower. A bad contract waiting to happen.

I havent really seen them play much, so I can't dispute this. 

I just don't think Thompson is the answer either.  He is basically a poor man's (later career) Shareef Abdur-Rahim.  Puts up nice stats, and does some nice things on the floor...but ultimately does not help his team win.  Perhaps Landry is in a similar mould?

Either way, it sounds like their best course of action will be using their significant cap space this offseason to solidify that spot.  Or maybe even carry it over to 2012, when there may be more on the market.

[Who]

They should shop Thompson.  He is a decent young player, however, his value is probably as high as it will ever be, and he doesn't really figure into their future plans (nor should he).

Why do you think Thompson shouldn't be in the Kings long term plans?

Because Cousins and Landry are significantly better, and should be their starting frontcourt of the future.  And I think Thompson is too productive to come off the bench, and they would have to dramatically overpay him to convince him to do it.  I also think they are better off trying to find more of an energy defender to fill that role, and Thompson doesn't play much defense.

You think the Kings should keep Landry as part of their long term future?

I think Landry's contract is up at the end of the year. How much do you think the Kings will have to pay him to keep him around?

Yes, unless they prefer to upgrade through FA (not a bad idea either), I think Landry is the choice, and not Thompson.

If they do keep Landry, it is tough to tell, since it would be under the new CBA...but assuming its similar to the last CBA, then probably something similar to Scola's deal.  Something like 5 year/$45 million. 

Either way, I don't see Thompson with the Kings beyond his rookie contract, and given the guys he is behind right now, I think his value is only going to drop the longer they wait to trade him.

If I were Sacramento, I would be looking to move Carl Landry as quickly as possible. He has been a horrific fit on that roster since the moment he joined the team last season.

They need someone with more offensive range and versatility to play the four alongside Tyreke Evans. Especially if you have a low post scorer like DeMarcus Cousins. Carl Landry doesn't offer that.

Landry has been killing their spacing offensively and costing the Kings games ever since he joined the squad. 7 wins, 21 losses after he joined last season versus 18 and 36 wins prior to him joining (which includes the struggles and lost games due to the troubles with Kevin Martin that pre-Landry record too). Landry has weakened the team considerably.

I'd like to see Sacramento move Landry for whatever assets they can get for him in the trade market. I would not consider re-signing him. He would be the #1 guy that would be looking to dump off of that roster.

I'd also note that I think Landry is very likely to be over-paid next summer. I consider him an MLE level player or slightly lower. A bad contract waiting to happen.

I havent really seen them play much, so I can't dispute this. 

I just don't think Thompson is the answer either.  He is basically a poor man's (later career) Shareef Abdur-Rahim.  Puts up nice stats, and does some nice things on the floor...but ultimately does not help his team win.  Perhaps Landry is in a similar mould?

Either way, it sounds like their best course of action will be using their significant cap space this offseason to solidify that spot.  Or maybe even carry it over to 2012, when there may be more on the market.

I don't like Thompson as a starting four for the Kings but I do like him as the main backup big man off the bench. Good size, capable of playing both big man positions (especially if he improves his D) and has a nice range of skills offensively. A nice weapon to have off the bench, matchup wise. Can go small or go big, create or negate a matchup advantage.

I would be concerned about trying to develop him defensively + Cousins at the same time though. Especially with a hole at that starting PF spot and the low likelihood of having a standout defender there. Difficult to develop those bigs defensively at the same time. Locking yourself into a long term contract in that situation is a very risky move.

I'd be giving Thompson until about mid-season to show some serious defensive improvement. And I'd be trying to get him as many minutes alongside Dalembert as possible in the meantime to see if Thompson can improve his (defensive) play once he's alongside a quality interior defender.

If Thompson does show good improvement, I'd give him another season to show his worth and decide on his long term future then. If he didn't, I'd be looking to trade him in February or in the offseason.

[ssspence]

(combined with his agility)

I haven't seen all that much agility out of Erden personally. He's done much better than I expected but he still looks slow to me.

His footwork needs a lot of development, which is to be expected. But he's looked capable if inconsistent on pick-n-roll D, and i like his natural timing on blocks and shot altering.

It's early days -- he's understandably lost right now. If his habits could become as good as Perk's, he's significantly more agile (not to mention the the portly O'Neal brothers).

I don't see any of the agility you describe, he's certainly inconsistent in the P&R but I don't see the sort of quickness that could be built into a superior defensive C.

Perk's quick?