The Sacramento Kings were one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, but despite that, the franchise has a new general manager and head coach and is now looking to improve in free agency and with trades, including by targeting star Monta Ellis.
The team has shopped around trades along with looking at signing Ellis, as the team has looked at the Cavaliers as a potential partner for Jimmer Fredette and Chuck Hayes. The team felt that it had a shot at getting Ellis since they hired Mike Malone as head coach and Pete D'Alessandro as the head of basketball operations, since all three have ties to the Golden State Warriors in the past.
The Hawks are also interested in Ellis and on top of that, the Kings have been exploring other trade deals, including with Jimmer Fredette and Chuck Hayes to the Cavaliers to give themselves the room to sign Ellis. The team may not have much luck on that deal, according to ESPN.com, as the contract for Hayes goes through the 2015 season, although Fredette's $2.4 million salary is expiring and that could be attractive for them.
The Kings have been active so far in free agency, bringing in Carl Landry on a four-year, $27 million deal after playing with the Warriors last season. Landry previously played with the team for multiple seasons and last year he came off the bench and averaged 10.8 points and six rebounds to get the Warriors past the Nuggets and into the second round against the Spurs in the playoffs.
Landry had an opt out decision to make with his two-year, $8 million deal with Golden State and clearly he cashed in after getting out of that deal. Jarrett Jack also left the Warriors in free agency and the team missed out on Dwight Howard after being one of the teams that he met with. The Warriors replaced their loss of those players with Andre Iguodala on a four-year, $48 million deal Friday and now the Kings are looking to improve as well.
Landry originally was part of the deal that sent Kevin Martin to the Houston Rockets, Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks and later he was traded for Marcus Thornton to the New Orleans Hornets. Landry follows Malone to the team from the Warriors and he will join centers DeMarcus Cousins and Chuck Hayes and forwards Patrick Patterson and Jason Thompson.
