Kings trade rumors: Sacramento unlikely to make a deadline move, according to report

The Sacramento Kings' uncertain future in SoCal has limited their ability to make trades in advance of Thursday's NBA trading deadline, set for noon Pacific on Thursday, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. "It's very unlikely we'd move any of our top players at this point," said Geoff Petrie, the team's president of basketball operations.

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At 19-35, the Kings are set to miss the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. Fourth-year guard Tyreke Evans, a former Rookie of the Year, is due for a new contract in the summer, and ordinarily might be in demand via trade. But as Jones reports, "the unsettled ownership situation has put deals on hold." Jonathan Santiago of the Kings blog Cowbell Kingdom reiterated that point on Sunday:

[A] league exec told me the Kings are restricted in any kind of possible trade scenarios. They can't do any deals that add to payroll because of the team's current ownership situation.

Veteran swingman Francisco Garcia, who has spent his entire professional career with the Kings, has an expiring contract worth $6.1 million, according to ShamSports; his $6.4 million team option for the 2013/14 season is likely to be declined. That contract is certainly trade-friendly and dealing him would probably not compromise the Kings' long-term flexibility. But the 31-year-old's limited productivity--he's averaging just 5.3 points and 38.3 percent shooting from the field--doesn't make him attractive to playoff teams looking to upgrade their bench.