The Sacramento Kings are trying to make moves, but running out of time to fill in holes. After opting to retain DeMarcus Cousins following plenty of trade interest, the Kings have dumped off a portion of their roster hoping to sign a few marquee free agents in place of them. However, the market is shrinking and the Kings will need to start getting aggressive.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Kings have traded Nik Stauskas to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Jason Thompson and Carl Landry in order to make room for several other players. The trade freed up potentially $25 million in cap space for the Kings. Marc Stein of ESPN.com followed up that report by saying the Kings want to sign Rajon Rondo, Monta Ellis or Wesley Matthews to pair with Cousins and Rudy Gay.
The Kings are already losing. Stein reported that Ellis has agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the Indiana Pacers taking him off the market for several teams. With that contract, Matthews becomes the priority for the position. The issue is Sacramento is facing competition for him as well. According to CBSSports.com, the Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors are chasing Matthews in hopes of winning him over in a deal. Out of those three times, the Kings can pay the most money for Matthews, but their franchise is not the most stable at the moment.
While Sacramento fights for Matthews, they are hoping to be the team that offers Rondo the most money. News around Rondo has been quiet. The point guard is being forced for the market to quiet down before making his move. According to ESPN, the Kings have requested a meeting with Rondo while Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated is reporting that Rondo wants a salary that pays him $10 million this season. Last year he was paid $12.9 million at in the final year of his five-year contract.
The Kings have cleared the cap space to meet those demands, but they need to determine whether or not Rondo is worth it. According to Wojnarowski, Rondo is going to be forced to accept a small contract thanks to his issues with the Mavericks last season. Rondo's stock dropped, but he still wants his money. The Kings are desperate to fill the holes on the roster and after the marquee trade to the 76ers, they cannot afford to lose out on Rondo.
