Happy Hour set, NBA schedule on its way, Kings roster hits 18

Welcome to The Kings Beat! The offseason is in full swing and we’ll be diving into what comes next for the Sacramento Kings. It’s a great time to jump on board with a premium subscription so you get all the latest delivered directly to your inbox. Also, for more Kings content, join Kyle Madson and myself Monday-Friday from 10-noon for The Insiders on ESPN 1320!

Off the record with The Kings Beat Virtual Happy Hour: “The Voice, part II”

We have another Off the Record with The Kings Beat Virtual Happy Hour set for Thursday, August 15, from 5:30-7 with legendary voice of the Kings, Gary Gerould. The G-Man is the best in the business and a great storyteller. 

The Happy Hours are a unique experience reserved for premium subscribers to The Kings Beat. Jump on board to receive the link for Thursday’s festivities. 

NBA schedule on it’s way

The NBA schedule is set for release later in the week, but there is a slow trickle of information seeping out. The league released the four game schedule of each team for the Emirates NBA Cup on Tuesday and we should have the remainder of the schedule by Thursday. 

From our sources here at The Kings Beat, the Kings will host the NBA Champion Boston Celtics on March 24 and the Milwaukee Bucks on March 22. DeMar DeRozan will face his former team, the Chicago Bulls on March 20.

Our friend Sean Cunningham added a few more games to the docket, including the home opener against the Timberwolves on October 24th, as well as a few matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Frankie Cartoscelli of 1140 was first with the opening night news.

Hidden in Sean’s tweet is also the mention that the Kings only have seven nationally televised games this season, down from the 22 we saw a season ago. This is a number I have heard as well, but I would caution that this can change. Last season, the final version of the schedule added a handful of games that weren’t on previous versions and there is always the chance that the team gets off to a good start and the league adds a few national games during the season.  

And then it was 18…

The Sacramento Kings added some depth early this month when they inked 24-year-old center Orlando Robinson to a one-year contract. According to Michael Scotto from HoopsHype.com, the contract comes with a $500,000 guarantee, which is slightly higher than expected and likely means he sticks on the roster, at least until the league-wide guarantee date of Jan. 10. 

For comparison sake, the Kings gave Nerlens Noel $300,000 in guaranteed money last summer and Neemias Queta another $250,000. 

Robinson played the last two seasons with the Miami Heat, appearing in 67 games, including eight starts. The former Fresno State star joins the Kings with career averages of 3.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game. Robinson shot 8-for-15 from behind the arc last season and averaged one block per 36 minutes over his two seasons in the league.

At 6-foot-10, with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Robinson has the length the Kings are looking for on the frontline. If he makes the squad out of camp, he’ll likely start the season as the third center behind Domantas Sabonis and Alex Len. 

This is a solid low risk, high reward signing by the Kings that could pay dividends down the road. In his final season at Fresno State, Robinson posted 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting over 35 percent from 3-point range. Maybe a change of scenery and a new opportunity in Sacramento can elevate his game. 

In addition to Robinson, Sacramento added Boogie Ellis to an Exhibit 10 contract according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. 

Ellis turned heads during summer league with the Kings after going undrafted out of USC in June. The 6-foot-1, 185 pound guard averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and three assists per game as a fifth-year senior last season. He shot an impressive 41.8 percent from three for the Trojans and then backed that up by knocking down 47.1 percent over eight games between the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League.

With Ellis on the roster, the Kings now have 18 players under contract, including their three two-way players. They are allowed to carry up to 21 players up until the start of the regular season, so they still have a few roster spots to play with. 

According to the Kings, De’Aaron Fox is back in the gym with some of the young players preparing for camp. Players who live outside of Sacramento typically filter into town in the first week or two of September. Training camp should start the first week of October again this season.