On Wednesday, Yahoo! Sports reported that the Maloof family was in talks to sell the Sacramento Kings to a Seattle-based ownership group led by investor Chris Hansen. While the status of the deal is still up in the air, Grantland's Zach Lowe examines how the potential sale could affect the Kings' willingness to make trades as the deadline approaches.

Lowe writes that executives around the league believe the Kings will still be willing trade partners, despite the complications that may arise in the event of an ownership transfer. He believes there is a unanimous belief within the organization that DeMarcus Cousins, despite his recent troubles, is considered off-limits in any trade discussions.

The three players beyond Cousins that Lowe points to as potential pieces the Kings could move are Tyreke Evans, Jason Thompson, and Francisco Garcia. Lowe suggests that these and other players could be turned into a package for Rudy Gay.

Lowe also speculates about the status of Evans, who is headed to restricted free agency after the 2012/13 season. He writes that Evans may have a similar experience in free agency to that of O.J. Mayo, who signed a two-year contract with the Mavericks when no long-term deal presented itself.

In his Thursday morning edition of A to Z at USA Today, Sam Amick speaks to Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob about his team's first-half success and looks into the Kings' decision to pass on Damian Lillard last June, among other topics. Let's dive right in and check out what Amick has for us....

• Asked about the possibility of making a trade to further upgrade the Warriors' lineup, Lacob tells Amick that the club is taking things one game at a time for now, and that if Andrew Bogut comes back healthy before the deadline, "it's sort of like you made a trade." Still, Golden State intends to be opportunistic, so if a potential deal arises, the team will certainly consider it.
• Lacob also praised the work of GM Bob Myers, singling out the signings of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry as moves that have made a big impact so far.
• Lacob expects it'll be another year and a half before the Warriors "get all the approvals" for their eventual move to San Francisco.
• While the Knicks are happy to have Amare Stoudemire back in the rotation, Amick suggests Iman Shumpert is the player New York needs more right now. The young guard tells Amick that he expects to return in "January or February."
• According to Amick, one reason why the Kings drafted Thomas Robinson over Lillard at No. 5 overall last June was the front office's uncertainty about whether ownership would be willing to pony up the money for a long-term deal for Jason Thompson. While Sacramento was happy to land Robinson, who was viewed as a safe selection, there was also "strong support" for Lillard among the front office and scouting staff.
• Amick notes that the Celtics and Jazz are two teams worth keeping an eye on as the trade deadline approaches. In the past, Boston has been aggressive about adding future pieces even when the team has been winning, which it's not doing right now. As for Utah, the Jazz have a number of expiring contracts and other assets and could be sellers if they continue to play sub-.500 ball.

Most players that signed new contracts over the summer will become eligible to be traded as of this coming Saturday, so Grantland's Zach Lowe took the opportunity to take a look around the league at some potential trade candidates. Here are a few of the highlights from Lowe's piece:

• Even though the Rockets didn't expect to land Jeremy Lin this summer, and didn't expect to acquire another star ballhandler in James Harden, it's still "extremely unlikely" that they'd move Lin.
• There's no indication that the Hornets would consider dealing Ryan Anderson, who Lowe clarifies (via Twitter) becomes trade-eligible this month rather than next month, as we'd previously thought.
• Teams around the league are eyeing the Suns to see if they can extract some value there, but Phoenix almost certainly won't move Goran Dragic and can't trade amnesty pickup Luis Scola. Lowe also notes that "you can count on zero hands" the number of clubs interested in acquiring Michael Beasley.
• It's not out of the question that Courtney Lee could become a trade candidate if the Celtics are seeking a big man.
• Jason Thompson is "coveted around the league" due to his reasonable long-term salary, and is blocking Thomas Robinson in Sacramento, so the Kings could attempt to gauge his value.
• The Mavericks may be a buyer rather than a seller, but they'll be wary of adding any salary that would affect their cap flexibility next summer.
• The Sixers will be in the market for a big man once trade talks pick up.
• Rival executives are wondering if it's too early for GM Neil Olshey and the Trail Blazers to explore the trade market for LaMarcus Aldridge.

While most players' contracts include annual raises, or at the very least, identical annual salaries, Steve Novak's new contract with the Knicks is a little different, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports explains (Twitter link). Novak's deal starts at a little over $4MM, dips to below $3.5MM by 2014/15, then rises back up to $3.75MM for 2015/16. The unusual structure of the deal provides the Knicks a small amount of savings in the years when the rest of the team's roster will get extremely expensive.

Deeks shared a number of other contract details from around the league, via Twitter, so let's round them up....

• The Spurs' deal with Danny Green is for three fully-guaranteed years and $11,287,500, with no options.
• Andre Miller will earn $5MM in each of the next two seasons with the Nuggets. The third year of his deal is partially guaranteed for $2MM of $4.625MM.

Earlier updates:

• Jason Thompson's five-year deal with the Kings is worth $30,187,500, though year five is only partially guaranteed for $2.65MM.
• According to Deeks, the previously reported figures for Ersan Ilyasova are a little high -- his deal with the Bucks is worth $40MM over five years. The first four years are guaranteed at $7.9MM each, then year five is partially guaranteed for just $400K of $8.4MM.
• Jamal Crawford received the full mid-level for four years from the Clippers, but the final two years of the contract are only guaranteed for $1.5MM each.
• Marcus Camby's contract with the Knicks, $13,151,319 over three years, descends in value, with just $1,025,890 of $4,177,208 guaranteed in the third season.
• Every first-round pick to sign so far has received the full 120% of the rookie scale.
• DeShawn Stevenson will earn $2,240,450 in each year of his three-year deal with the Hawks, though only the first season is guaranteed.
• Kyle Singler's fully-guaranteed deal with the Pistons is worth $3,135,000 over three years, with no options, while Victor Claver's deal with the Trail Blazers is also fully guaranteed and will pay him $4MM over three years.
• Jason Kidd (Knicks; three years, $9.09MM), Ian Mahinmi (Pacers; four years, $16MM), and Gerald Green (Pacers; three years, $10.5MM) all received fully-guaranteed contracts with no option years.
• The Nets' agreement with Reggie Evans is worth $5,086,905 over three years, and is fully guaranteed.
• Hasheem Thabeet's contract with the Thunder appears to be for more than the minimum salary. Deeks pegs the value at three years and $3.65MM, though only the first year and $500K of year two are guaranteed. Oklahoma City will be using either a portion of their mid-level or bi-annual exception for that deal.
• I would guess Thabeet's deal will come out of the MLE, since the Thunder are also using a portion of the mid-level on Hollis Thompson, who signed a three-year minimum-salary contract. Only $75K is guaranteed, however.
• Doron Lamb received a three-year, minimum-salary deal from the Bucks, with the third year nonguaranteed.

The Kings and Jason Thompson have agreed to terms, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. It's a multi-year deal worth $6MM per season, Jones tweets, while the precise length of the contract remains unclear The two sides had been close to an agreement earlier today, so the move comes as little surprise. The move will become official after the moratorium on signing ends Wednesday.

Geoff Petrie, the team's president of basketball operations, indicated the Kings aren't done dealing in the wake of the Thompson agreement and missing out on Ryan Anderson, who agreed today to go to the Hornets in a sign-and-trade. 

Restricted free agent Jason Thompson is close to reaching an agreement with the Kings to remain with the team, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). The former first round pick averaged 9.1 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 64 games for the Kings during the 2011/12 season. Thompson, 26 later this month, earned $3MM last season with Sacramento.

The power forward had been taking a wait-and-see approach with the Kings as the franchise drafted Thomas Robinson in June and pursued Magic big man Ryan Anderson as recently as last week. Regardless, Kings president Geoff Petrie reiterated his stance that re-signing Thompson was the team's top priority and could foresee Anderson playing small forward if he signed with Sacramento.

8:40pm: Petrie reiterated to Jones that Thompson remains his top priority, saying the team has made him an offer and added that he can envision Anderson sliding over to play small forward for the team (Sulia link).

7:32pm: The Kings met with restricted free agent Ryan Anderson today, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Jones opines the three-point sharpshooter, who attended high school in the Sacramento area, would make sense for the Kings (Twitter link). With Anderson in town and Thomas Robinson, another power forward, arriving through the draft, Jason Thompson is taking a "wait-and-see" approach to re-signing with the Kings.

Kings president Geoff Petrie said re-signing Thompson would be the team's top priority in free agency, but it appears they at least have a Plan B in place. The two players represent a contrast in styles, as Thompson took only two three-pointers last year while Anderson won the league's Most Improved Player Award in great measure because of his 39.3% three-point shooting. Anderson averaged 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last year while Thompson put up 9.1 PPG and 6.9 RPG.

Anderson and the Magic expressed mutual admiration in the spring, but that was when GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy were in place, and much has changed for the Magic since then, with new GM Rob Hennigan in place. If the Magic deal Dwight Howard, they may want to rebuild and might be reluctant to match an offer for Anderson, Jones says (Sulia link).

Another NBA draft is in the books, and once again, we're reminded that no matter how many draft rumors we read, and how many mock drafts we run through, we have no idea what will happen on draft night. While the latest version of Hoops Rumors' own mock draft looked okay a couple days ago, you can count our accurate picks on one hand. Be sure to check out the complete draft results for a rundown of every pick and trade from Thursday night, but with the draft behind us, we're looking ahead to free agency. Here are a few post-draft odds and ends from around the Association:

• Reports continue to suggest the Raptors will be major players in the Steve Nash sweepstakes, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that Toronto will make a "hard push" for the point guard.
• Although they didn't make a big splash on draft night, the Lakers will continue to explore major deals, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times. "We'll try to hit a home run," said GM Mitch Kupchak. "We always try to hit a home run."
• Kings president Geoff Petrie says Jason Thompson is still the club's top priority in free agency, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
• Bulls GM Gar Forman insists Chicago wasn't "actively shopping" Luol Deng and other core pieces this month, writes Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com.
• The Rockets will be targeting centers in free agency, GM Daryl Morey tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

June 25th: The Kings have officially extended a qualifying offer to Thompson, tweets Jones.

March 20th: The Kings will extend a qualifying offer to Jason Thompson at season's end, president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter).

Thompson, the 12th overall pick in 2008, is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. If and when the Kings officially extend him a qualifying offer, he'll have the option to accept the one-year contract ($4.13MM) and become an unrestricted agent in the summer of 2013. It's more likely he'll explore his options in restricted free agency, with the Kings having the opportunity to match any multiyear offer he receives.

Thompson's play was one reason Sacramento felt comfortable buying out J.J. Hickson, Jones adds. Playing in every one of the Kings' 45 games this season, the 25-year-old big man has averaged 8.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and has a .527 FG% in 24.3 MPG.

Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee sat down for a Q&A with Geoff Petrie, president of basketball operations for the Kings, and discussed a number of topics. Here are the highlights of the two-part interview:

• Restricted free agent power forward Jason Thompson is "somebody we will definitely give the qualifying offer to and look to re-sign," Petrie says.
• The team will look to make roster changes that add interior defense, three-point shooting and offensive efficiency this summer.
• The draft lottery will help decide how the team allocates its resources with regard to free agents. The Kings currently sit in the fifth slot, with a 7.6% chance of grabbing the No. 1 pick.
• The deepest positions in the draft are power forward and center, Petrie believes, and he says the team will not pick a player from overseas in the first round.
• With the team already about $15MM under the cap and no plans to spend major money in the offseason, Petrie says there's no pressing need to use the amnesty clause.
• It's been hard to assess second-year center Hassan Whiteside, who's been limited to only 19 career NBA games in large part because of injuries. His minimum-salary deal becomes guaranteed for next season if he's not waived by July 15. Petrie said the team will work with him over the summer, so that seems like a sign they'll keep him around.
• Petrie has one year left on his contract, and was noncommittal when asked how much longer he would stay in his position. "I honestly don't think about that," he said. "I think about next year and what we do. Whatever the future holds after that, personally or collectively, I really don't spend much time pondering that."