Kings center Kosta Koufos is coming off a nice year. The 29-year-old could probably help several better teams next season.
But it’ll be a tight market this summer, especially for traditional centers. He probably couldn’t land a salary on the open market above his $8,739,500 player option, which is why he’s making the sensible choice.
The Kings have already traded their 2019 first-round pick. So, Koufos could help them win in a year there’s no incentive to tank.
But a free agent they could have signed instead probably could have helped even more.
Koufos maintains a glut of bigs in Sacramento – Koufos, Zach Randolph, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and Harry Giles. Will Koufos help the Kings win a satisfactory amount or just get in the way of Cauley-Stein’s, Labissiere’s and Giles’ development?
At best, Koufos plays well enough to be tradable for value before the deadline. Considering how little buyers need centers, that seems unlikely. But it’s certainly possible.
