12:39pm: The Kings' pursuit of Ellis has been described as "aggressive," a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
10:01am: Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive, GM Pete D'Alessandro, and head coach Michael Malone all have roots in Golden State, and that influence may result in the Kings adding an ex-Warrior to their roster. According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, the team is currently discussing a free agent deal for veteran guard Monta Ellis.
Berger's report reiterates many of the same points we heard from ESPN.com's Marc Stein earlier today, noting that other likely suitors for Ellis appear to be exploring alternative options. The Nuggets are discussing acquiring Randy Foye via sign-and-trade, while the Hawks are considering a sign-and-trade for Brandon Jennings.
Stein also noted in his piece that the Kings were investigating trade options involving Jimmer Fredette and Chuck Hayes, dangling them in talks with the Cavaliers. Berger confirms that the Kings are exploring potential deals for those players in order to create the cap space necessary to accommodate a $12MM starting salary for Ellis.
While multiple reports prior to July indicated the Kings would have interest in Ellis, this is the first time we've heard the team linked strongly to the 27-year-old since free agency officially got underway.