The Sacramento Kings added veteran help to their young roster Tuesday by agreeing to free-agent contracts with forward Zach Randolph and point guard George Hill.
Randolph left Memphis for a $24 million, two-year deal to reunite with former Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger in Sacramento, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be signed until Thursday.
ESPN first reported the agreement.
Hill announced on Twitter that he was coming to Sacramento. Yahoo Sports first reported the deal, saying Hill would get $57 million over three years.
The Kings started free agency with just two players on the roster who are not on their rookie contracts — guard Garrett Temple and center Kosta Koufos — and were seeking some proven players to provide stability. Sacramento went 30-52 last season, Joerger's first year, and has not made the playoffs since 2006.
The Kings hope the additions of Randolph and Hill will help change that.
Randolph found himself in Memphis after a rocky start to his career in Portland and New York. He spent eight years with the Grizzlies, emerging as one of the central figures of the team's "grit and grind" mantra.
He helped Memphis make the playoffs the past seven years, including a trip to the conference final in 2013 when Joerger was an assistant. Joerger took over as coach the following year and had three years with Randolph, including a trip to the second round in 2015.
Randolph, who turns 36 later this month, averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season and still is considered one of the better post players in the game.
He is expected to be a mentor for young big men like Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and Harry Giles, one of the team's three first-round picks last month.
It's quite a reversal for Randolph, who was considered a malcontent in need of mentoring when he arrived in Memphis in 2009 after failed tenures in Portland, New York and with the Los Angeles Clippers. But he grew into a leadership role with the Grizzlies and became a trusted veteran.
Hill will be expected to provide similar traits in Sacramento, while grooming rookie point guards De'Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III. The 31-year-old has spent nine years in the NBA with San Antonio, Indiana and Utah.
He averaged a career-high 16.9 points per game for the Jazz last season, helping them make the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2010. He also averaged 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds. He played only 49 games in the regular season because of various injuries.
After going into the draft last month with no point guards on the roster, the Kings have invested heavily in the position the past two weeks. They took Fox fifth overall then used their second-round pick on Mason.
Fox is extremely quick and a skilled ball handler who showed the ability to get to the basket in his one season at Kentucky. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Mason was a four-year player at Kansas and won numerous player-of-the-year awards last season, including from The Associated Press. He averaged 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per game as a senior and finished sixth all-time at Kansas in both points (1,885) and assists (576).
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) runs around LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during Game 1 of the Western Conference at the Staples Center Saturday, April 15, 2017. Utah Jazz defeated LA Clippers 97-95.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson (6) and Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) after a timeout. The Utah Jazz lead the Los Angeles Clippers after the first quarter during Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 21, 2017.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3), Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) and Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) celebrate play in the first half. The Utah Jazz lead the Los Angeles Clippers after the first quarter during Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 21, 2017.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) pulls in a loose ball. The Utah Jazz lead the Los Angeles Clippers after the first quarter during Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 21, 2017.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) celebrates his dunk with Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3). The Utah Jazz lead the Los Angeles Clippers after the third quarter during Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 21, 2017.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) celebrates a 3-point sink. The Utah Jazz lead the Los Angeles Clippers after the third quarter during Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 21, 2017.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) tries to fire up his teammates. The Utah Jazz lead the Los Angeles Clippers after the third quarter during Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 21, 2017.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) gets the foul on this play battling LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3). The Utah Jazz lead the Los Angeles Clippers after the third quarter during Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 21, 2017.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) scored 26 points and forward Gordon Hayward (20) scored 40 points. The Utah Jazz lead the Los Angeles Clippers after the third quarter during Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 21, 2017.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) draws a foul on LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3). The Utah Jazz trail the Los Angeles Clippers 59-62 in the third quarter during Game 6 at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 28, 2017 during the NBA's first-round playoff series.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) celebrate play in the first half. The Utah Jazz trail the Los Angeles Clippers 59-62 in the third quarter during Game 6 at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 28, 2017 during the NBA's first-round playoff series.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) fires off the shot before LA Clippers guard Raymond Felton (2). The Utah Jazz trail the Los Angeles Clippers 59-62 in the third quarter during Game 6 at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 28, 2017 during the NBA's first-round playoff series.
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Greg Miller watches as Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) walks off the court during a timeout. The Utah Jazz trail the Los Angeles Clippers 59-62 in the third quarter during Game 6 at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Friday, April 28, 2017 during the NBA's first-round playoff series.
FILE - In this April 20, 2017, file photo, Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph reaches for the ball during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in Memphis, Tenn. A person with knowledge of the agreement tells The Associated Press that the Sacramento Kings have agreed to a two-year, $24 million deal with forward Zach Randolph. The sides came to agreement on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, reuniting Randolph with former Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger, now the coach in Sacramento. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be signed until Thursday. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill, File0
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