It seems the Dallas Mavericks are just begging to get Kevin Martin.

The Kings continue to insist that Martin is not going to be made available to interested teams before the deadline, but the Mavericks, according to the source, want a call back if that stance changes.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Dallas — reluctant until recently to make Josh Howard available in trade discussions — is prepared to part with the struggling former All-Star swingman in a deal for Martin.

This would seem to be a pretty silly idea for Sacramento, but is there anything Dallas could add to sweeten the pot? IMO not really. The pair of Martin and Tyreke together just simply needs more time to work together.

Last game: Jan 20, Atlanta Hawks 108 – Sacramento Kings 97
Next game: @ Orlando Magic, Jan 22 7:00pm ET

The Kings lose Kevin Martin and go on a winning streak, which looks a lot crazier in print, but moving Evans to his natural position has been a big part of their play recently, along with Jason Thompson turning into a double-double machine. I expect the Kings to try Martin at the small forward position when hes healthy.

The Kings were the second worst defensive team and dont appear to be much better this season. Kevin Martin has missed 52 games the past 2 seasons and must prove he can stay healthy. Rookie Tyreke Evans should greatly approve the Kings athleticism, and provide much needed scoring. The Kings have solid building blocks in the front court with Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson. The Kings should be fun to watch under new coach Paul Westphal’s offensive-friendly attack but it wont equate to wins.

Key Additions: Tyreke Evans, Sergio Rodriguez, Sean May, Omri Casspi

Key Subtractions: Ike Diogu, Cedric Simmons

Projected Starting Lineup: Tyreke Evans/ Kevin Martin/ Andres Nocioni/ Jason Thompson/ Spencer Hawes

Key Reserves: Francisco Garcia, Donte Greene, Beno Udrih, Omri Casspi, Sean May

-Bennice

It’s been an off-season filled with bold move after bold move. At some point during the draft process, it was almost certain that if Ricky Rubio slipped to the fourth pick, he’d be a King, but after a few moves by Rubio that rubbed the franchise the wrong way (making demands, refusing to workout), the Kings too turned on him and turned to Tyreke Evans to run the show in Sac-Town. Evans isn’t a true point guard, in fact, he didn’t even start off playing point guard at Memphis, he converted to the point after Memphis came out of the gates struggling. If he can reform his game to be a true, pass-first point guard then Evans will make for an excellent fit on the Kings roster. Many “experts” blasted the Kings for passing on Rubio and the comparions between Rubio and Evans will remain for quite some time.

Evans wasn’t the only bold move the Kings made this off-season. They opted to hire a coach who hasn’t been a head coach and quite some time in Paul Westphal. While he did have some success back in the 90’s with the Phoenix Suns, it was an interesting hire to say the least. However, if he can get the team to buy into playing defense, it could prove to be an excellent hire,

An abysmal season for the once proud Kings franchise came to an end in mid-April and from that point on, all eyes were on the draft lottery. Sacramento entered Wednesday’s draft lottery with the highest chance to be picking first overall and with all respect to the other candidates, the chance to land Oklahoma’s star big man Blake Griffin.  Things didn’t go as well as the Kings had liked as they slipped all the way to 4th overall, losing not only a shot at Griffin, but Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio, and possibly a shot at Connecticut’s big man in the middle, Hasheem Thabeet. So what’s next for the Kings?

The team went into complete rebuilding mode when they shipped away John Salmons and Brad Miller near the deadline and now with the NBA Draft right around the corner, it’s time for the Kings to get things turned around. With so many holes on the roster, picking the best player on the board should be their prime objective, since it would be less than smart to do draft for need when there are so many needs that have to be addressed this off-season.

By: Dustin Chapman

Transactions

• Selected Jason Thompson 12th overall.

• Selected Sean Singletary 42nd overall.

• Selected Patrick Ewing Jr. 43rd overall.

My reaction was as good as yours: “wow, Jason Thompson at 12?!” Look, Thompson may very well be a good player. If he is, we all look foolish for not realizing this. Until then, Thompson will be considered a real reach at 12.

Sacramento drafted well in the second round, though. Sean Singletary could be one of those long-term surprise picks, and Ewing Jr. has a real chance to stick around in the league with his length, athleticism, and defensive presence.

Grade: C-

Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee reports that Ron Artest and Geoff Petrie are unlikely to find new homes in 2008-2009.

The Kings futures of small forward Ron Artest and basketball president Geoff Petrie appear likely to be extended.

Artest, who can control his free-agency fate this summer, indicated via e-mail late Thursday night he’s not planning to leave Sacramento. Also Thursday, Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said he intends to pick up the 2009-10 contract option for basketball president Geoff Petrie.

Artest – who has until June 30 to exercise an early termination option in his contract for the 2008-09 season – said he and his agent are not plotting to explore free agency.

Although his agent, Mark Stevens, did not return numerous calls for comment, his last public stance has been that Artest is “not likely” to opt out.

“My agent is on a business trip,” Artest wrote. “We have not talked about opting out at all.”

Although Petrie’s contract has one season remaining with a team option for the following campaign, Maloof told The Bee by phone Friday he remains loyal to Petrie and doesn’t want him to go anywhere.

“We’re picking that (option) up,” Maloof said. “Put that in the paper. Whatever his option is, we’re going to pick it up. We think he’s the best.”

According to a league source, Petrie, who has been with the organization in a front-office position since 1994, proved his loyalty to the Kings last week. Atlanta Hawks officials inquired if Petrie was interested in filling the Hawks’ vacant general manager position, but Petrie rejected the overtures. The source requested anonymity because of the private nature of the talks.

Artest’s mental antics on the court and off the court have driven a portion of Kings fans away from the idea of keeping him in purple. However, if there is one thing you can say about the Sacramento Kings’ front line, it’s that they are softer than marshmallows. Ron Artest brings a different mentality and physique up front that the Kings desperately need. It may seem as though he is mentally ill at times, and there is no question that he is a “ball stopper” offensively, but the idea of this team subtracting physical and mental toughness is frightening.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

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