The Kings continue to look to add to the talent on the team via free agency. The new target is Jamal Crawford, the high-scoring guard from the Atlanta Hawks.
Crawford, the 2009-10 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is also being pursued by Portland and the New York Knicks. Crawford has reportedly turned down a two-year, $10 million deal from Indiana.
Crawford's appeal to the Kings is that he's instant offense. The Kings have sought a bench player that could produce in bunches off the bench. Crawford is among the best at that.
In the Kings new offense that wants to put pressure on the defense from all angles, Crawford would fit in well. Once concern would be if Crawford's presence would cut into Jimmer Fredette's playing time.
It might, but in the interim, if the goal is to get better in a hurry, Crawford might be a better option now and allow Fredette time to adjust to the NBA.
The Kings are intrigued by the idea of having a player with the ability to score 30 points on any given night.
Crawford averaged 14.2 points last season, down from the 18 he averaged in 09-10. He shot 42.1 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from three-point range, also down from the previous season.
Crawford reportedly isn't seeking a long-term deal and that would be fine with the Kings. Sacramento wants to maintain financial flexibility for the future while still improving the team now.
The Kings are a little more than $1 million below the minimum salary level so the Kings need to spend money on someone.
The other option is Andrei Kirilenko, who the Kings are very interested in. As Ailene Voisin pointed out, Kirilenko is not opposed to playing in Sacramento completely and Kirilenko's agent, Marc Fleisher represented Vlade Divac, who would have plenty of nice things to say about playing for the Kings.
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