Sacramento Kings ownership is pushing to pursue former Dallas Mavericks teammates Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis in free agency, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
Kings ownership reportedly wants to sign Rajon Rondo or Monta Ellis, for some reason
The Kings want to make a splash in free agency, but going after Rondo or Ellis isn’t the best idea.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Kings have been linked to Rondo in the past, while Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is a fan of Ellis from their time with the Golden State Warriors. Things didn't end well for Rondo or Ellis in Dallas this past season, with both players contributing negatively to the locker room dynamic.
Bringing those types of issues to the mess in Sacramento doesn’t seem ideal, but Kings ownership seems set on it anyway. Rondo and Ellis can play up-tempo ball, but they’re also poor long-range shooters, and spacing would continue to be an issue for a team that ranked toward the bottom of the league in three-point shooting.
It's debatable if Rondo is even better than incumbent point guard Darren Collison at this point, although the Kings could look to play both of them together to help speed up the offense. Ellis has value as a scorer, but a team with him, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay would be quite the experiment.
Acquiring both Rondo and Ellis would be a huge stretch with the Kings’ salary limitations, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that one of them winds up in Sacramento if ownership is really pushing for it. The Kings could have around $9 million in cap space, and perhaps that increases if some cost-cutting trades are made. The value of Rondo and Ellis isn’t exactly at a high, so a competitive offer could be made.
Sacramento should avoid players like Rondo and Ellis at this point, but ownership wants to make a splash. Acquiring one of them on a cheap deal may not be the worst thing in the world, but the Kings should be wary of this chase.
SB Nation presents: NBA Draft first round winners and losers
See More:
