Kings Blog and Q&A

This remains the 30 (maybe 40-win) question for the Kings.

Can they all just get along and play like a team?

The question was fair game again this afternoon at Jason Thompson's press conference. Thompson re-signed with the Kings a couple of weeks ago, but it took time to schedule the press conference due to schedule conflicts.

Thompson's five-year deal is worth $30.2 million.

Thompson isn't being brought back to score. The sooner more Kings mature and realize how to find their offense within the team - something the Kings like about Thompson -the sooner the Kings can start realistically start talking about winning more than 30 percent of their games in a season.

"The big opportunity for our team, Jason along with the rest of his teammates is how much more cohesive they can become as a group and making each other better when they play," said Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie.

Part of that process is maturity from the team's young stars - DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton -who figure to get the bulk of the shots this season.

That also carries over on defense. For one of the worst defenses in the NBA to improve, the Kings need to function as a unit on defense.

Thompson believes the addition of Aaron Brooks will help in that process, too. Coach Keith Smart began the process of organizing the offense and looking to shore up the Kings' defense at the point of attack by starting Isaiah Thomas at point guard.

"(Brooks) can only help Isaiah with him maturing and being that floor general that we need," Thompson said.

If the entire team doesn't mature and learn to work together on both ends, the Kings are in for another season in the 20-win range.

By Ailene Voisin
Bee Sports Columnist

Aaron Brooks, the free agent guard who officially signed a two-year, $6 million deal Thursday, said he chose the Sacramento Kings because he liked the fit.

The former Houston Rockets first-round draft pick spent the NBA's 2011-12 season in China playing for the Quandong Southern Tigers.

"As I was making my decision, I was looking for a team that liked to play the way I like to play," Brooks said Friday during his late morning introductory press conference. "That is, get up and down, that has a great big man (DeMarcus Cousins) and great guards, and a team that's up and coming."

LAS VEGAS - Some leftover quotes from the Kings summer league finale.

Kings coach Keith Smart on Thomas Robinson's struggles:

"(Robinson has) energy, effort and desire and that travels every night. Just trying to settle on being an offensive player, you're hoping that game travels every night. So he should never be out of a game. His effort level should never be out of a game."

Smart on Jimmer Fredette's experience:

"It was good for him. Had he had a summer league last year and then go through an NBA season he's probably at a different stage than where he's at. This was all positive for him."

Kings summer league co-head coach Alex English on Jimmer Fredette and Robinson:

"I thought they got better as they played. Thomas, I think he realizes he's not a one-man show. He moved the ball well this game and Jimmer was more aggressive. He shot teh ball a little better. He ran the point guard position. He realizes and understands he's got a lot of work to do in that position."

Robinson on what he needs to work on before training camp:

"Learning how to finish with contact. I didn't have a problem getting to the rim. I just had a problem finishing as I got to the rim. I'm going to get back in the gym, touch my shot back up and I'll be ready when the season comes."

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LAS VEGAS - The message to Thomas Robinson for the final two games of summer league is to slow down.

To go along with poor shooting (35.1 percent) the rookie power forward is averaging 5.3 turnovers through three summer league games.

"He's going so fast," said Kings coach Keith Smart. "He's got to get to where he sees the floor and how that space opens up to be able to attack offensively. He's shown he can pass the ball, that he's a willing passer. Obviously his energy with how he plays on both ends of the floor and throughout the game is a huge plus. So the guy rarely wants to come out of a practice, wants to come off the floor and he rarely complains about anything. So he has the capacity to learn, willing to get better and that's only going to help him speed the process of learning the play game."

LAS VEGAS - For those who want to pass blame for Jimmer Fredette's up-and-down play as a rookie and to start summer league on coaches, teammates and other conspiracies, you might want to read what Fredette said after Monday's summer league game.

"My mindset I wasn't being myself," Fredette said. "I wasn't being as aggressive as I should have been, passed up some shots and everything just trying to fit in."

Fredette's job isn't to fit in. He needs to shoot. He needs to look for his offense.

Aaron Brooks is on his way to Sacramento.

The point guard tweeted "Sacramento Kings" in the last hour. The deal is agreed upon and expected to be worth around $3 million this season and a two-year deal.

The Kings would have 15 players under contract with Brooks. Of those players, Hassan Whiteside does not have a guaranteed deal.

If the Kings look to keep an open roster spot, Whiteside could be in trouble and a candidate to be released.

Brooks (6-0, 161) was the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 2009-10 season for the Houston Rockets when he posted career highs of 19.6 points and 5.3 assists.

Brooks was dealt to Phoenix the following season. Brooks played in China last season instead of waiting for the NBA lockout to end.

Brooks has been thought highly of by the Kings for some time. He was a first-round pick of the Rockets in 2007 and often linked to the Kings in trade talks.

Brooks can score and is also a career 36.3 percent shooter from the three-point line. Brooks, 27, averages 12.5 points for his career.

LAS VEGAS - Fans might have wanted a splashy addition via free agency that hasn't happened. But the Kings are spending more money than they have in recent seasons.

The addition of James Johnson ($2.8 million) brings the Kings' payroll to $55.5 million. That is the Kings' highest payroll since the 2008-09 season. The salary cap for this season is $58.044 million while the minimum team salary is $49.337 million.

The Kings have 14 players under contract. Center Hassan Whiteside was waived. His salary of $847,307 becomes available.

LAS VEGAS - The Kings have acquired forward James Johnson from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft choice in 2014.

Johnson (6-9, 248) is entering his fourth season. He averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and two assists last season in 62 games (40 starts).

Johnson was the 16th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls and was traded to Toronto during his second season.

LAS VEGAS - With a day off in the Summer League, the Kings took part in a scrimmage against the Memphis Grizzlies.

From the Kings perspective their best players were spectators. Jimmer Fredette and Thomas Robinson - both, who have played a lot in the first two summer league games - did not scrimmage.

Hassan Whiteside was the only Kings from last season's roster to see any time in the scrimmage. He started the game and played in the first quarter.

Whiteside played only 12 minutes in Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. That was due in part to his lack of effort on defense, said summer league co-head coach Alex English.

The Kings are still in need of a shot blocker and Whiteside has an opportunity to fill that role, if he accepts it.

The Kings do not want Whiteside worried about scoring. So he'll be on the court a lot to work on defense, rebounding and shot blocking.

That he played today is a sign the Kings are still looking for more. Engilsh said Whiteside needs to be a "specialist" because the Kings have plenty of players to score.

If Whiteside plays more than 12 minutes in Monday's game, it's a sign the message is sinking in.

LAS VEGAS - As could have been predicted, Team USA had no trouble disposing of a dispirited Dominican Republic team Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV. It was obvous that members of coach John Calipari's team wanted to be anywhere but on the court, in this heat, having failed to qualify for the London Games.

The Dominicans squandered their last opportunity for the 2012 Olympics with their to Nigeria last Sunday.

"I'm going to London anyway," said team captain Francisco Garcia. "I got tickets for the family a long time ago. I really thought we were going to make it."

Garcia chatted briefly with DeMarcus Cousins before the USA's 113-59 rout. The Kings center, who played for the Select Team during the weeklong training camp, is staying in touch to watch the Kings' first few games in the Summer League. "He's full of himself right now," said Garcia, laughing, and saying he heard reports about his teammate's progress throughout the week.

Here are a few final thoughts on Team USA:
* USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski look absolutely exhausted. True, temperatures reached 114 both Tuesday and Wednesday. Mostly, though, they have been dealing with what they termed "distractions," among them the crazy free agent period and the injuries to key players.
* Krzyzewski, who was an assistant on the 1992 Dream Team, sounds like he'd take the original Dreamers over any subsequent USA roster. "In their prime, all those guys together .... There was no team ever like that." The late Chuck Daly described his '92 squad as "majestic."
* Dream Team members Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen and assistant Lenny Wilkens receiving a rousing ovation when they were introduced to the crowd last night during a timeout. Daly, you might recall, never called a timeout in 11 games in Barcelona. Of course, his team won by an average of 43 points.
* As far as cobbling together teams at the last minute? Ask Larry Brown about that. Except for Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, the team that sprinted to the 2003 gold medal at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico virtually abandoned him for the 2004 Athens Games. Mike Bibby, among others, freely admitted that he bailed because of terrorism fears.
* Krzyzewski played the 6-foot-8 LeBron James in numerous positions, including center. Expect plenty of tinkering as Team USA heads off to Washington, D.C. for more training and another exhibition.

LAS VEGAS - It's about 90 minutes before the USA exhibition against the Dominican Republic here at Thomas & Mack Center, and USA Basketball officials are still awaiting the MRI results on Blake Griffin's surgically repaired left knee. The Clippers forward complained of discomfort and swelling on Wednesday and flew to Los Angeles earlier for tests.

According to USAB officials, Griffin remains on the final roster unless (or until) he withdraws. Anthony Davis, the NBA's No.1 overall pick - and one of three alternates named to the squad last Saturday - can step in and play the upcoming exhibitions. The United States Olympic Committee governs the deadlines prior to the Games, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) controls the Games. Final rosters for all teams have to be submitted to the IOC 24 hours before the games open.

DeMarcus Cousins, who has impressed USAB types after his shaky opening day performance, was in the conversation after Griffin went down. What hurts him is this -- he wasn't on the original roster, wasn't named as alternate (Davis, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon), and hasn't been submitted for the drug testing. That said, if another big man gets injured between now and the IOC roster deadline, USAB would be scrambling and could lobby the IOC for an exception.

Stay tuned.

LAS VEGAS - With news breaking about Blake Griffin suffering discomfort in his left knee (swelling and tenderness), USA Basketball types are scrambling for big men. Griffin went to Los Angeles to have the surgically repaired knee evaluated, with an MRI scheduled among other things.

USAB immediately added rookie Anthony Davis to the roster even thought the No.1 overall pick sat out the weeklong training camp with a sprained ankle. My sources have told me that, while the executives went with Davis, the former Kentucky standout, the Kings' DeMarcus Cousins was discussed as a replacement. Cousins had a shaky first day here while playing with the Select Team, was earned great reviews for his play and comportment thereafter. One USAB type told me he was the best player on the floor during Tuesday's scrimmages.

More to come later from the USA-Dominican Republic exhibition game.

LAS VEGAS - The 2012 U.S. Olympic team continues to have injury troubles. A few minutes ago, USA Basketball announced that power forward Blake Griffin felt "discomfort' in his surgically repaired left knee and was returning to Los Angeles for an MRI and other tests. USAB officials immediately moved alternate Anthony Davis over the to active roseter for tonight's exhibition against the Dominican Republic.

Now, given the way DeMarcus Cousins performed these past several days, I know at few USAB officials who think the Kings center should have been on the original list of candidates (not merely invited as a Select team member) and available for the final roster if injuries remained a factor. Chris Bosh, LaMMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard all withdrew because of injuries, and Andrew Bynum declared months ago that he was not interested in playing for the U.S.

I'll learn more in a few hours when the coaches and officials arrive at Thomas & Mack for the exhibition game. The Dominican Republic failed to qualify for the Games. The team is coached by John Calipari and includes Kings swingman Francisco Garcia.

Could anyone blame Jason Thompson for wanting a change?

In four seasons, Thompson has had four coaches. The Kings have brought in multiple players at his position as presumed replacements.

And let's not forget a good chunk of Thompson's third NBA season was spent wondering if he'd be an Anaheim Royal.

There was also the brief experiment with Thompson becoming a small forward (no, it didn't work) and a time it looked like a matter of when, not if, Thompson would become a former King.

But Thompson is sticking around after agreeing to a five-year contract with Sacramento that will pay him in excess of $30 million over the life of the deal.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't go through a roller coaster my first four years," Thompson said.

LAS VEGAS - Though he plans to stick around to watch the Kings first few games in the upcoming Summer League, DeMarcus Cousins' weeklong experience with the USA men's Select Team ended today. And let's just say that, while it started poorly, it ended well. NBA and USA Basketball types were very complementary of the Kings center.

Here are the final thoughts on the 6-foot-11, 290-pound Cousins from Select Team coach Jay Triano: "He's a super talent. He can make shots. He gets rebounds. I told him that if he ever gets to where's he's in great shape, running the floor, there's no reason he wouldn't get be able to get 15 to 20 rebounds a game. He just has a knack for eating up space and he has a knack for the ball. If you get that many rebounds a game, you find yourself in double-digit scoring, too."

Cousins reiterated his desire to compete on future national teams, with an eye on the 2014 FIBA World Championships. "If it happens, I will gladly accept," he said. "If not, I had run. I improved every day. Overall, it was a good experience. Today went well. Another competitive day. We battled Olympians."

There will be more on this topic in the future, but these last few days in particular, it sounds like Cousins really turned some heads. Or, changed some minds. The Kings star increasingly sought out Kobe, LeBron and the other Olympians as the week progressed, seeking their counsel and establishing relationships. One USAB official told me that Cousins' talent and his progress throughout the week was a major dinner topic conversation on Tuesday.

LAS VEGAS - I'm awaiting confirmation from USA Basketball officials, but a number of NBA types said that DeMarcus Cousins, Kyrie Irving and John Wall weren't weaving a story - they outscored the Olympic team during scrimmages a few hours ago at the Mendenhall Center on UNLV's campus.

While this is not the stuff of legends, say, Bobby Hurley, Chris Webber, Grant Hill surprising the 1992 Dream Team on the second day of practice. The Select Team has been known to prevail in scrimmages in recent pre-Olympic training sessions.

But it's interesting, and Cousins was right in the middle of it - or so we were told. Members of the large press contingent got booted out of the gym again before the scrimmages began. I'll write more about this for tomorrow's Bee, but when Cousins came out to chat with reporters, he was visibly excited. He pump-fisted, joked around, talked about his fishing trip to Alaska, and in general, was back to being DeMarcus most of us have come to appreciate.

It doesn't hurt the USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo sounds almost apologetic for labeling Cousins "immature" after the first two days of practice.

LAS VEGAS - That clear-the-air conversation between DeMarcus Cousins and USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo on Monday seems to have benefitted both parties. While Cousins said he heard nothing definitive when he approached Colangelo and why the USAB czar characterized him as "immature" during the opening days of the training cap. On Tuesday, while Cousins and the Select Team practiced in an adjacent gym and the Olympians warmed up for their own session, Colangelo seemed eager to put the issue to rest.

"We had a discussion," said Colangelo. "He asked me to be specific. I tried to be responsive, and as far as I'm concerned, (they should) just bury it. It's a non-issue. Hopefully that's the end of it."

When a Sacramento television reporter asked if Cousins' early presence was a red flag, Colangelo responded: "No, I don't want to do that. That would be unfair to him and unfair to any player to say it's a red flag, in particular since he had some red flags in the past. The fact that he's here, putting in his time .... He's had a couple really good days here back-to-back ... his play, his demeanor, his conduct, everything ... so everyone should just drop it."

LAS VEGAS - Kings' public address announcer Scott Moak, who emceed Saturday's press conference to announce the 12-man roster for the men's Olympic team, returned today for another series of events. On Wednesday, he hosts a Q & A with Hall of Famer Bill Russell, then hosts a panel discussion with original Dream Teamers Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin and Clyde Drexler, along with former Sonics star Gary Payton.

Moak - who has a great voice and doesn't overhype or overpower his audience unlike some of the league's announcers (see Miami Heat) - had an interesting entree to USA Basketball. It seems that when David Stern sent the NBA's marketing team to Sacramento after the Kings' near relocation to Anaheim in the spring of 2011, one of the staffers (Aaron Ryan) became impressed with Moak. When Ryan left to head marketing for USAB, and it turns out, remembered the voice of the Kings.

I'll update when I get times, locations and broadcast information for the events.

LAS VEGAS - I will address this more extensively in tomorrow's Bee, but Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, upset that USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo characterized him as "immature" in a teleconference with reporters on Saturday, approached the USAB boss to discuss the matter about an hour ago.

Cousins is among members of the Select Team e here scrimmaging and training with the 2012 Olympic squad. The 6-foot-11 center was extremely physical - throwing elbows and amassing fouls - in the Friday's opening day of practice. Colangelo and other USA officials and coaches weren't thrilled with his overly aggressive approach, or his frequent complaining to the referees.

By all accounts, however, the third-year center has progressed significantly by the day. (One GM who watched Sunday's entire session after members of the press were booted said DMC was exceptional).

The Kings announced Monday they have signed first-round draft pick Thomas Robinson to a contract.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Robinson, a 6-foot-9, 244-pound power forward, was the fifth overall pick in the draft out of Kansas. He was a first-team All-American last season, when he led Kansas to the NCAA championship game.

The announcement comes a day after the Kings reached an agreement with restricted free agent power forward Jason Thompson, who can sign his contract Wednesday.

Jason Thompson will return to the Kings after an agreement was reached on a multi-year deal Sunday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed and Kings basketball president was limited in what he could say because of NBA rules during the moratorium on signing free agents that ends Wednesday.

The deal is expected to average $6 million per season.

Having Thompson's deal completed frees Petrie to look at other areas. Petrie said trades and other free agents are possibilities.

"We're going to look at (trades and free agents) and pursue some things," Petrie said.

The Kings need to continue to improve their shooting and team defense and have different avenues to do so.

And with news former All-Star forward Andrei Kirilenko plans to stay in Russia one more season, he won't be an option.

Nor will any other "name" free agents because the Kings will not spend big and tie up future cap space to lure a player to Sacramento.

The team is set on saving future cap space for when it's time to negotiate with players like Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins.

And based on the offers some players are receiving in free agency, retaining Evans could cost the Kings $10 million or more a season. And if Cousins continues to develop, he figures to be a maximum-salary player.

That means any long-term money isn't likely to be spent on adding any more veterans unless they are impact players on a team that already has John Salmons, Chuck Hayes and Travis Outlaw signed beyond the 2012-13 season.

The Kings will have about $6 million left under the salary cap with rookie Thomas Robinson and Thompson's deal when it becomes official. The Kings will have 13 players, two below the league maximum

That gives the Kings options of re-signing Terrence Williams, who presumably would not cost $6 million, and save money for a possible addition later.

Williams is still available and not on the verge of agreeing to a contract with another team.

The Kings could monitor the amnesty waiver wire, too. So far the only name that has come up is Philadelphia's Elton Brand. The Kings have no need for another power forward, much less an aging one.

The only other way the Kings could clear more salary space would be to use the amnesty clause on one of their players. But the Kings aren't interested in hoping someone claims a player they waive to pick up the remainder of his salary, only to pay a player that is not in Sacramento.

Now we wait to see what might happen in the next few days.

Before heading to Summer League in Las Vegas, the Kings will hold a mini-camp July 9-12. The first Summer League game is July 13.

Here are the players who will be in Sacramento starting July 9.

2012 SACRAMENTO KINGS MINI-CAMP ROSTER

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College, Last team/Home Country Yrs.

8 Josh Akognon G 5-11 185 02/10/86 Cal State Fullerton, DongGuan (China)/USA R

24 Patrick Christopher G 6-5 210 06/03/88 California/USA R

7 Jimmer Fredette G 6-2 195 02/25/89 Brigham Young/USA 1

18 Kenny Gabriel F 6-8 209 07/03/89 Auburn/USA R

30 Yancy Gates F 6-9 260 10/15/89 Cincinnati/USA R

40 Augustus Gilchrist F 6-10 241 10/15/89 South Florida/USA R

41 Darnell Jackson F 6-9 253 11/07/85 Kansas, BC Donetsk (Ukraine)/USA 3

9 Dominique Johnson G 6-3 195 06/09/87 Azusa Pacific, D-League (Texas)/USA R

16 Jarrod Jones F 6-9 234 05/27/90 Ball State/USA R

10 Lazeric Jones G 6-1 187 08/11/90 UCLA/USA R

31 Rob Kurz F 6-9 232 03/05/85 Notre Dame, SLUC Nancy (France)/USA 2

35 Michael Lee F 6-9 215 06/05/86 St. Bonaventure, BC Donetsk (Ukraine)/USA R

26 Tony Mitchell F 6-6 210 08/07/89 Alabama/USA R

17 James Nunnally G 6-7 205 07/14/90 UC Santa Barbara/USA R

19 Adrian Oliver G 6-4 210 03/31/88 San Jose State, Aris B.C. (Greece)/USA R

0 Thomas Robinson F 6-9 240 03/17/91 Kansas/USA R

45 Edgar Sosa G 6-2 170 01/15/88 Louisville, Sutor Montegranaro (Italy)/Dominican Republic R

33 Hassan Whiteside C 7-0 235 06/13/89 Marshall/USA 2

16 Alex Young G/F 6-6 212 10/17/89 IUPUI/USA R

Well, who knew? When I was asked by KHTK sports talk host Scott Marsh last weekend about Steve Nash, his free agency, and where he would be signing (New York? Toronto? Dallas?), I suggested - and this was a gut reaction - that the best fit was with the Lakers. At the time, the Lakers were not even thought to be a possibility. And then, on Wednesday, the former MVP prodded the Phoenix Suns into facilitating a three-year, $25 million sign-and-trade deal with the Kings' longtime rivals. The Suns receive four draft choices (two firsts and two seconds), but basically, move emotionally into the post-Nash era.

On a personal level, this made perfect sense for Nash, who has an ex-wife and three youngsters who live in Phoenix. L.A. is only an hour flight away. On a professional level, this makes much more sense that Nash signing with the flawed (ballstopping) Knicks, the aging Mavericks, and certainly with the rebuilding Raptors in his native Canada. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak probably has another move in mind, say, to add some youth, but a roster featuring Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and now Nash, is aging, but formidable. The Lakers of 2012-13 could be the Dallas Mavericks - teamwork, unselfishness, incredible ball movement, maturity - of 2010-11.

In the NBA, it's all about today. With Nash (10.7 assists per game last year) running the offense, I suspect there will be considerably less grumbling about Mike Brown's offense.

Things had been pretty quiet in terms of free agency until today when the Kings hosted restricted free agent forward Ryan Anderson.

Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie, as promised, began free agency last Saturday by reaching out Jason Thompson's agent, Leon Rose.

"Our first phone call was to Leon about Jason," Petrie said. "We talked ...and put a proposal in front of him and we've made a number of calls on different players. And today we had lunch with Ryan Anderson. We're continuing to monitor things. Restricted free agency on both sides is a little bit different."

Anderson and Thompson are both restricted.

There's already speculation about whether Anderson (6-10, 240) could play small forward.

"A lot of that depends on who's making the opinion," Petrie said. "He was primarily a four (power forward) in Orlando but he can play some other spots on the perimeter."

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What Anderson would give the Kings is a player that fits into Keith Smart's style. he would give the Kings lineup flexibility, shooting and smarts on the floor.

For a "stretch" power forward, Anderson is a decent rebounder. Surely playing next to Dwight Howard helps with that.

Anderson would be paired with another excellent rebounder and a good passer in DeMarcus Cousins, should he at some point join the Kings.

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The Kings haven't forgotten about Terrence Williams. The swingman who stepped in and became the team's best passer after stops in New Jersey and Houston will have to wait for Thompson's situation to be resolved before the Kings address re-signing him.

Williams said he wanted to make a decision early in free agency. Perhaps he should call Thompson and tell him to hurry up (I kid, I kid).

One Kings who should lobby for Williams' return is Jimmer Fredette. No one was better at setting up Fredette than Williams.

The Kings met with restricted free agent Ryan Anderson of the Orlando Magic Monday.

Anderson was named the NBA's Most Improved Player after posting career highs for 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds for the Magic in his fourth NBA season.

Anderson (6-10, 240) isn't the small forward the Kings are presumed to need, but he would provide outside shooting, which the Kings desperately need after finishing 29th in three-point shooting.

Anderson shot 39.3 percent from beyond the arc last season.

Anderson is a local product. He attended Oak Ridge High School, winning a state championship in 2005 before moving on to Cal. Anderson spent two seasons at Cal before entering the NBA Draft. He was a first-round pick of New Jersey and traded to Orlando after his rookie season.

The Kings' stated priority is to re-sign power forward Jason Thompson. If the Kings sign Anderson to an offer sheet, it would likely mean Thompson is moving on because the Kings drafted another power forward, Thomas Robinson, last week.

What could play into the Kings' favor is the drama involving Dwight Howard. The Magic might not match an offer to Anderson while it sorts out what direction the franchise is going with Howard.