NBA Trade Deadline 2012: Kings Refocus On Building Around DeMarcus Cousins

The Sacramento Kings are like the Washington Wizards in that they have one clear above-average young player -- DeMarcus Cousins, in this case -- and a whole lot of question marks. But for the Kings -- wait, let me put on these rose-colored glasses -- the spare parts are largely assets, not problems to solve.

Take Tyreke Evans, for example. He's been moved to small forward, and will likely end up back at shooting guard, when the roster is sorted out. When he's not a point guard, his value is far lower -- the point of Tyreke Evans was that he had these massive athletic and physical advantages at point guard. He's still a monster to handle, but doesn't project to be a nightly nightmare matchup for opponents.

There have been murmurs that the Kings could deal Evans if it'd get them a good veteran. But the action on this bet is extraordinarily light; if Evans is dealt, it likely wouldn't be until the offseason or, if an early extension isn't reached by October, the 2013 deadline. More front and center in the 2012 market are J.J. Hickson -- for whom the Kings would be thrilled with a prospect or pick -- or Jason Thompson, who is actually pretty good.

The Kings aren't giving up on Jimmer Fredette, but you'd have to think that he wouldn't be a dealbreaker in the right move; Sacramento just adores Isaiah Thomas and thinks that he can keep it up. Outside of Evans, the team's small foward contingent has been an atrocity exhibition -- John Salmons, Travis Outlaw and Francisco Garcia are the names -- while Donte Greene has played well in limited minutes, he's a low-value guy at this point in his career.