Jason Thompson

Kings Reach Agreement With Jason Thompson

The Kings and Jason Thompson have agreed to terms, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. It's a multi-year deal worth $6MM per season, Jones tweets, while the precise length of the contract remains unclear The two sides had been close to an agreement earlier today, so the move comes as little surprise. The move will become official after the moratorium on signing ends Wednesday.

Geoff Petrie, the team's president of basketball operations, indicated the Kings aren't done dealing in the wake of the Thompson agreement and missing out on Ryan Anderson, who agreed today to go to the Hornets in a sign-and-trade

 

 

 

 

Kings Close To Re-Signing Jason Thompson

Restricted free agent Jason Thompson is close to reaching an agreement with the Kings to remain with the team, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). The former first round pick averaged 9.1 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 64 games for the Kings during the 2011/12 season. Thompson, 26 later this month, earned $3MM last season with Sacramento.

The power forward had been taking a wait-and-see approach with the Kings as the franchise drafted Thomas Robinson in June and pursued Magic big man Ryan Anderson as recently as last week. Regardless, Kings president Geoff Petrie reiterated his stance that re-signing Thompson was the team's top priority and could foresee Anderson playing small forward if he signed with Sacramento.

Kings Meet With Ryan Anderson

8:40pm: Petrie reiterated to Jones that Thompson remains his top priority, saying the team has made him an offer and added that he can envision Anderson sliding over to play small forward for the team (Sulia link).

7:32pm: The Kings met with restricted free agent Ryan Anderson today, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Jones opines the three-point sharpshooter, who attended high school in the Sacramento area, would make sense for the Kings (Twitter link). With Anderson in town and Thomas Robinson, another power forward, arriving through the draft, Jason Thompson is taking a "wait-and-see" approach to re-signing with the Kings.

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Odds & Ends: Nash, Lakers, Kings, Bulls, Rockets

Another NBA draft is in the books, and once again, we're reminded that no matter how many draft rumors we read, and how many mock drafts we run through, we have no idea what will happen on draft night. While the latest version of Hoops Rumors' own mock draft looked okay a couple days ago, you can count our accurate picks on one hand. Be sure to check out the complete draft results for a rundown of every pick and trade from Thursday night, but with the draft behind us, we're looking ahead to free agency. Here are a few post-draft odds and ends from around the Association:

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Kings Extend Qualifying Offer To Thompson

June 25th: The Kings have officially extended a qualifying offer to Thompson, tweets Jones.

March 20th: The Kings will extend a qualifying offer to Jason Thompson at season's end, president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter).

Thompson, the 12th overall pick in 2008, is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. If and when the Kings officially extend him a qualifying offer, he'll have the option to accept the one-year contract ($4.13MM) and become an unrestricted agent in the summer of 2013. It's more likely he'll explore his options in restricted free agency, with the Kings having the opportunity to match any multiyear offer he receives.

Thompson's play was one reason Sacramento felt comfortable buying out J.J. Hickson, Jones adds. Playing in every one of the Kings' 45 games this season, the 25-year-old big man has averaged 8.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and has a .527 FG% in 24.3 MPG.

Petrie On Thompson, Free Agency, Draft, Whiteside

Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee sat down for a Q&A with Geoff Petrie, president of basketball operations for the Kings, and discussed a number of topics. Here are the highlights of the twopart interview:

  • Restricted free agent power forward Jason Thompson is "somebody we will definitely give the qualifying offer to and look to re-sign," Petrie says.
  • The team will look to make roster changes that add interior defense, three-point shooting and offensive efficiency this summer.
  • The draft lottery will help decide how the team allocates its resources with regard to free agents. The Kings currently sit in the fifth slot, with a 7.6% chance of grabbing the No. 1 pick.
  • The deepest positions in the draft are power forward and center, Petrie believes, and he says the team will not pick a player from overseas in the first round.
  • With the team already about $15MM under the cap and no plans to spend major money in the offseason, Petrie says there's no pressing need to use the amnesty clause.
  • It's been hard to assess second-year center Hassan Whiteside, who's been limited to only 19 career NBA games in large part because of injuries. His minimum-salary deal becomes guaranteed for next season if he's not waived by July 15. Petrie said the team will work with him over the summer, so that seems like a sign they'll keep him around.
  • Petrie has one year left on his contract, and was noncommittal when asked how much longer he would stay in his position. "I honestly don't think about that," he said. "I think about next year and what we do. Whatever the future holds after that, personally or collectively, I really don't spend much time pondering that."

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Kings, Redd

Should the Suns be able to outlast the Rockets and Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, it will be the first time since 2007 that three teams from the Pacific Division had made the playoffs simultaneously. Phoenix plays host to the Thunder, while Houston travels to Dallas and Utah draws Portland tonight. On an evening that will surely have a strong impact on the standings in the West, you'll find the latest division rumblings here: 
  • Despite some belief that coach Vinny Del Negro was treading on thin ice after the Clippers had lost 12 of 19 games after a 19-9 start, he responded with a 12-2 record over the club's next 14 contests. T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times writes about Del Negro's resiliency on a team has appeared to hit a stride with just a handful of games left until the postseason. 
  • Mark Nugent of Hoopsworld discusses some topics surrounding the Kings moving forward: the uncertainty of the team remaining in Sacramento, how that will impact management and coaching, handling the free agency of Jason Thompson and the contract extension of Tyreke Evans, the potential to be highly active in free agency, and the draft.
  • Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson is calling for the city to explore constructing a downtown sports and entertainment complex regardless of whether or not the arena would have an anchor tenant, writes Ryan Lillis, Tony Bizjakand, and Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. The Kings had previously been expected to be a tenant of the potential arena before the Maloof brothers had pulled out of a deal. In a separate article, Dale Kasler writes that the Maloofs are reaching out to the business owners that had reportedly called for them to sell the team. They have also been calling season ticketholders, attempting to reassure their ownership's commitment to Sacramento and urging them to renew their season tickets for next year.  
  • Suns guard Michael Redd sat down for an interview with Hoopsworld, and when asked if he'd like to continue playing for Phoenix beyond this season, Redd responded with: "I've had a great time here. I love the coaches, I love the organization, I love my teammates. We'll see what happens in the summer time, but this has been a great place for me."