ESPN Critiques Kings' Schröder Signing with Low Grade

ESPN gave the Kings a C- for the signing, pointing to the Kings' need for defense as the Kings continue to look for size to add to their roster.

"To some degree, Schroder could help there. He's capable of providing full-court pressure on opposing ball handlers. Still, the 6-foot-1 Schroder makes the Kings even smaller on the perimeter, and he's certainly a downgrade defensively as compared to Ellis."

While Schröder is just 6-foot-1, he has a 6-foot-7 wingspan that helps him play disruptive defense that should fit perfectly with new head coach Doug Christie's defensive style.

The biggest issue that ESPN had with the signing is Schröder's higher value contract and age, which matches the sentiment of many Kings fans in Sacramento.

"Whether Schroder fills the right need for Sacramento, the other question is handing out a three-year contract to a player who will turn 32 in September. Given how important Schroder's quickness is to his playmaking, any drop-off should be a major concern."

Entering his age-32 season, Schröder is more of a stop-gap option for the Kings at the point guard position, but his play hasn't declined over recent years and he has the potential to continue his recent level of play through the end of the contract.

Having the third year be partially guaranteed should help the Kings cause, but if things aren't going well with Schröder, they could look at trading him to a team in need of backcourt help, as we've seen multiple times in the past few seasons.

Schröder has the unique ability to plug and play in almost any offense (ok, maybe not Golden State's) that makes him easier to move than a player with a specific skillset.

Of course, all of this from ESPN should be taken with a grain of salt, as they originally had the Kings with a fictional player in Keegan Ellis in the write up for the grade.