The Sacramento Kings are clearing salary cap space for a massive veteran free agent overhaul. The Kings sent power forwards Carl Landry and Jason Thompson to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, and threw in Nik Stauskas to do it, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Stauskas, the No. 8 pick in the 2014 draft, was the incentive for Philadelphia to take on the other two players.
The Kings reportedly are targeting Rajon Rondo, Monta Ellis and Wes Matthews, according to Marc Stein of ESPN and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Kings paid a heavy price to clear this salary. It includes major draft compensation:
Sixers will receive a protected 1st-round pick from the Kings, and swap rights w/ Sacto in the 1st round of two other drafts, sources say.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 2, 2015
Saric is not in the Kings-Sixers deal, sources say. Philly receives top-10 protected SAC pick 2 years after SAC's obligation to CHI expires
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 2, 2015
The Kings are in win-now mode under owner Vivek Ranadive and coach George Karl. After rampant speculation that the team could move star center DeMarcus Cousins because of a rift with Karl, the Kings appear like they're trying to patch things up by adding a wave of veteran talent.
Rondo has been tied to Sacramento for months, and it sounds like it will be a one-year contract. Ellis has been courted by the Pacers, while Matthews is being courted by the Mavericks and Raptors, among others.