Free agency round up: Kings add Vezenkov, Duarte, bring back Barnes and Lyles

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Hold onto your hats, things are moving quickly.

After reigniting talks earlier in the week, Harrison Barnes is returning to Sacramento on a new three-year, $54 million contract. There is no word yet on the financial breakdown of the deal or if there are any option years, but this is a market value contract for a player who suited up for all 82 games last season. The team even press released the signing on Friday afternoon.

With Barnes in tow, the Kings are aggressively filling out their rotation. A league source confirmed that the Kings are set to acquire Chris Duarte from the Indiana Pacers for future draft compensation.

Listed at 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, Duarte can play both the two and the three in the Kings’ uptempo style. The third-year wing is coming off a down season with the Pacers, but his rookie season from two years ago was impressive.

Duarte is a low-risk, high-reward addition for Sacramento. The 26-year-old is under contract at $4.1 million with a team option for $5.9 million next year. If he can get back to the player who averaged 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 36.9 percent from three as a rookie, the Kings may have found a steal.

It should be noted that Duarte’s best numbers came while playing alongside Domantas Sabonis. Maybe they can find that connection again with the Kings this season.

Next up, Trey Lyles is returning for another tour of duty in Sacramento. The veteran big man was clear in his exit interviews that he wanted to stay with the team and now that appears to be the case.

According to a league source, Lyles landed a two-year, $16 million contract with potential bonuses. After making just $2.6 million last year, it’s a substantial increase for the 27-year-old.

With Alex Len entering free agency, Chimezie Metu reportedly leaving to join the Suns and Richaun Holmes traded away on draft night (although the transaction is still pending), Lyles’ value to the team might be as a small ball five this season. He played the position on and off throughout last year and then again in the postseason.

On Saturday morning, McNair added one more major piece when Sasha Vezenkov, the EuroLeague star from Olympiacos, reportedly accepted a three-year, $20 million contract from the Kings.

The rights to the 27-year-old sharpshooter were acquired on draft night last year, but Vezenkov spurned the Kings’ offers to join the squad for the 2022-23 campaign. Sacramento put the full court press on Vezenkov, sending a fleet of coaches and front office personnel to meet with him. That investment seems to have paid off.

Why Harrison Barnes matters

There is a sizable portion of the Kings’ fanbase that wants an improvement at the small forward position over what Barnes brings to the table. That isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Barnes has shortcomings, like every player, but his value to this team as a major minute eating, multi-faceted leader who sets an example on and off the court, shouldn’t be ignored.

Sabonis had this to say about Barnes during the regular season, “He’s the most professional player I’ve ever seen. He comes in early, gets his work in, does whatever he needs to do. He sets the example for the young guys, you know. He’s definitely pushed all of us to be more of what we are.”

If that isn’t a ringing endorsement, I’m not sure what would be. Barnes isn’t a rah-rah guy and he isn’t going to take some monumental leap forward in production, but he is the calming influence that helps tie this team together.

The fact that he showed up ready to play in all 82 regular season games and another seven playoff contests speaks to the work he puts in off the court. His 15.0 points ranked fourth on the team. His 4.5 rebounds per game were third and his 37.4 percent from long range ranked third amongst the team’s regulars.

After posting some rough defensive numbers during the 2021-22 season, Barnes bounced back this year, holding his opponents to .7 percent below average on the season and a negative percentage from every area on the court. That’s solid when you consider the Kings’ 24th rated defense.

Barnes’ rebounding numbers faded as the year went on and his performance in the postseason wasn’t stellar, but there are enough intangibles that he brings to the court, especially when you consider that he doesn’t have to be the team’s third best player in the coming years, like he has been for some time.

An average salary of $18 million over three seasons isn’t a hometown discount, but it’s also fair market value for a player of his ilk. Barnes represents continuity and a player who shows up every night. That has value for a team looking to build.

Why Duarte matters

This is an interesting pull for McNair. Duarte was an older rookie and made an immediate impact with the Pacers. He’s one of those solid all-around stat stuffers with a high basketball IQ and a solid NBA body.

In year two, he suffered an ankle injury and never found his footing. Duarte fell out of the rotation late and finished with only 46 games played. His sophomore numbers are a mess, but he’ll get a shot at rebooting his career in Sacramento.

The addition of Duarte likely means the departure of Terrence Davis. Duarte’s $4.1 million is a match for what Davis made last season and the two are just 28 days apart in age. Duarte isn’t the high flier that Davis is, but his overall game may fit better with the Kings.

It will be interesting to see how Mike Brown mixes Duarte into the fold. There will likely be a battle for minutes with Duarte and Kessler Edwards at the backup three positions. Edwards has the defensive chops the Kings are looking for and has been working out in Sacramento this summer. Duarte has a more balanced game.

It appears that Duarte is being acquired into cap room for the Kings and the cost is future draft consideration. That likely equates to a future second round pick for the No. 13 overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Why Lyles matters

There were so many times last season where Lyles came off the bench and helped the Kings win a game. Like Duarte, he is a well-rounded player with a spectacular basketball IQ.

Brown started tinkering with using Lyles as his backup five late in the season and into the playoffs. He can shoot, rebound and pass, although he isn’t much of a shot blocker and he’s undersized at center.

On the positive side, Lyles can play alongside Sabonis for stretches and he is a player who wanted desperately to return after last season. He’s all in on what the Kings are building and he fits a role with the team.

The Kings will need to add another center to the roster to defend some of the larger big men in the league. Last season, Len filled that role. It’s possible that Neemias Queta gets a shot, after finishing second in the G League MVP balloting, earning All-G League honors and making the G League’s All-Defensive team.

McNair could also continue to shop the market and look for a veteran backup center to support Sabonis, but Lyles knows the playbook and style of play. This is a very good insurance policy move by McNair and the cost wasn’t outlandish.

Why Vezenkov matters

This is a gamble, but one that could pay off big time for Sacramento. Vezenkov went from a solid draft-and-stash prospect to an MVP in Europe over the last two seasons and the Kings couldn’t be happier.

Vezenkov isn’t the super athlete or defensive stopper the Kings need at the forward spot, but he’s an extremely high level player who not only shoots the lights out, but should play well off of Sabonis as a cutter.

The Kings have had success in the past with European prospects, including Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu and Bogdan Bogdanovic. If Vezenkov can come close to reaching the heights of any of these three players, then they found a steal.

You can’t have too many shooters, especially seasoned ones who have an advanced feel for the game and a proven track record of winning. This was a solid addition, with McNair likely using the room exception to fit him in.

What’s next

McNair has chipped away at the Kings’ massive $35 million war chest with each of these moves, although we will have to see how the Kings’ GM manipulates the cap to fit everyone in.

After the Barnes signing and the trade that landed Duarte, the Kings had an estimated $13.5 million remaining in cap space. Sacramento has “early bird rights“ to Lyles, so it’s likely that they used his cap hold (which varies from $2.46 million to $3.4 million, depending on which site you look at) to secure his spot and then go over the cap to sign him once they use the rest of their cap space.

This doesn’t leave the Kings a ton of money to work with, especially if they attempt to bump up Sabonis’ salary and extend him this summer.

McNair has quickly filled up his roster. The team currently has 11 players under contract (De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Duarte, Edwards, Barnes, Murray, Vezenkov, Lyles and Sabonis). They have also placed qualifying offers for two-way players Keon Ellis and Neemias Queta, have a decision to make on P.J. Dozier’s non-guaranteed contract and need to figure out how to fit in second round picks Colby Jones and Jalen Slawson.

There wasn’t one big splashy move from McNair, but this is a deep, smart team that should once again compete for a postseason spot in the Western Conference.