The Sacramento Kings looked as if they were on their way to Seattle as the NBA tried to shift a professional team back to the Pacific Northwest, but after a last-minute reprieve, the team is staying and now they have a new general manager to right the ship and one move could be to try and trade point guard Tyreke Evans, as he is a restricted free agent this summer.
According to ESPN.com, the Kings have hired Pete D'Alessandro as their new general manager after he spent time with Denver and they originally released the news over the weekend. The team has a new ownership group and new coach in Mike Malone and after taking over the team, a new GM was put in place for Geoff Petrie, who was the top decision maker for the team since the mid-90's. Evans will be one of the biggest decisions for the new GM, as will the future of DeMarcus Cousins.
D'Alessandro previously served as executive vice president of basketball operations in Denver and the team is coming off of one of its best years after winning 57 games. D'Alessandro brings a nice wining pedigree to the Kings and he comes in to try and improve a franchise that has not finished with a winning record for seven years and was just 28-54 last season.
The team has some talent in DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans, but they will have to worry about the former rookie of the year as a restricted free agent and depending on whether another team gives him an offer, they may have no choice but to match it. Cousins led the team in scoring and rebounding and while he has some attitude issues, a new coach could be exactly what he needs.
The Kings need improvement in nearly every area and the team ranked 30th in points allowed with 105 per game while ranking 25th in both rebounding and assists per game. The team was ranked 10th in scoring though and that could still be a strength going forward and could get even better depending on who the team signs and drafts this offseason.
