The Kings are looking to make changes to their roster sooner rather than later, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, who reports that Sacramento is “aggressively” pursuing trade possibilities. The team wants to make a deal well before the February deadline, says Howard-Cooper.
Despite a comeback win last night against the Suns, the Kings are off to a slow start in 2013/14. Only the Jazz (1-11) are below Sacramento (3-7) in the Western Conference standings so far. As such, the Kings are hoping to accelerate their rebuilding process by trading veterans for young prospects and draft picks, according to Howard-Cooper, who adds that Sacramento has already engaged in talks with several clubs. While nothing appears to be imminent, discussions are believed to have advanced beyond preliminary talks.
Marcus Thornton, John Salmons, Chuck Hayes, Jason Thompson, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Travis Outlaw are among the veteran players currently on the Kings’ roster. Howard-Cooper doesn’t specifically single out any of those players as likely to be moved, but I’d guess Sacramento would be open to trading any of them in the right deal.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identified the Kings last week as one of the teams that has been “very active” in exploring trades early in the season. A recent report named Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams as a potential target of interest for the Kings, and Jimmer Fredette has been the subject of trade rumors as well. However, Howard-Cooper writes that Sacramento probably wouldn’t be able to extract much value for the the third-year guard. .