Kings Free Agent Target Profile: Dewayne Dedmon
Jun 25, 2019, 6:00 AM
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Welcome to KHTK’s Kings free agency profiles! Here we’ll be breaking down some of the top players the Kings should target in free agency, analyzing their career numbers, fit with the Kings and potential downsides. We’ll also assign a priority score to each player, signifying how strongly the Kings should consider pursuing a given free agent.
The Player
After struggling through a four-year span that saw him average 4.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, Dewayne Dedmon found new life after joining the Hawks in 2017. Dedmon has upped his averages to 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds over 126 games (98 starts) with Atlanta. He’s also developed into a rim protector on the defensive end with 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game last season.
The Fit
Sacramento ranked fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage in 2018-19, which bodes well for the possibility of adding Dedmon. The seven-footer surprised many around the league last season as he shot 38.2 percent from downtown. That number isn’t inflated by a small sample size either. Dedmon took 217 three-pointers last year and drilled 83.
That is a lot of threes from a starting center. For comparison, newly crowned NBA champion Marc Gasol, who is known for his range, shot 36 percent from three-point land on 273 attempts. While Dedmon isn’t considered in the same tier as Gasol, the numbers don’t lie when it comes to their three-point prowess. Dedmon ranked third out of all centers in three-point percentage, only trailing Minnesota’s Karl Anthony-Towns and Indiana’s Myles Turner.
Rebounding is also a strength for Dedmon despite averaging just 7.5 rebounds per game last season. That number is deceivingly low though thanks to his 25.1 minutes per game. Dedmon averaged 10.7 rebounds per 36 minutes last season. Sacramento’s Marvin Bagley III posted 10.8 rebounds per 36 as a rookie.
Dedmon’s ability to stretch the floor and pull down rebounds while playing above average defense would bring immediate value to Sacramento, especially for the price that Dedmon would command.
The Catch
Dedmon and Willie Cauley-Stein have very similar numbers, which could deter some Kings fans from getting excited about the possible acquisition. But when it is all said and done, there isn’t really a “catch” to kicking the tires on the veteran center or signing him to a multi-year deal.
With Harrison Barnes looking to lengthen his deal and other glaring issues that need to be addressed, signing Dedmon to a two-year deal in the $19-to-20 million range would be a solid signing for Sacramento. In a sense, they would be replacing Kosta Koufos’ contract with a more productive player in Dedmon.
The Priority
Unless the Kings are putting up a smokescreen, they are not expected to go after a max-level center like Nikola Vucevic. For the price and production they would receive, signing Dedmon would only benefit a team that will look to push the pace and shoot a lot of three-pointers in 2019-20.
Priority Score: 8.5/10
