The Kings added 2nd round picks Sean Singletary and Patrick Ewing Jr. in the trade with the Rockets with Ron Artest. The Kings liked Singletary but neither he nor Ewing were going to get much playing time this season. This tells you how bad the Kings wanted to rid themselves of Artest by throwing a couple of young players into the trade with him.

The Kings have traded G/F Ron Artest to the Rockets for guard Bobby Jackson, forward Donte’ Greene and a future 1st round draft pick. The trade won’t become official until August 14th as Greene can’t be traded until then. This is a good trade for the Kings as getting Artest out of the clubhouse should improve team morale. Artest played in 57 games (54 starts) last season for the Kings and he averaged 38.1 minutes, 20.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Those are big numbers to replace and the Kings have high hopes for Greeene who is the centerpiece of this deal. Greene can handle either forward position and he had a great year as a freshman at Syracuse. Greene is 6′11″, 226 pounds and he’s a player. The Kings were fortunate to get their hands on him as he could be a starter in the NBA as soon as this year. Greene played in 35 games (all starts) at Syracuse and he averaged 17.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocked shots per game. He plays hard on both ends of the basketball court and a lot of teams will be upset that they passed on him down the road. 35-year old guard Bobby Jackson returns to Sacramento where he was a fan favorite and he should give them 15-20 solid minutes per night off the bench. Jackson played in 72 games (5 starts) last season for the Hornets and Rockets and he averaged 19.6 minutes, 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Jackson has had a long, productive NBA career and he hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down yet. Jackson has now played in 684 games (133 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 22.4 minutes, 10.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. The Kings also got a first round pick in this deal and that is the icing on the cake. Good riddance Ron Artest.

The Kings went with name recognition here as Ewing was not much of a player in college. He does have a lot of experience and he is used to coming off of the bench so he might be able to give the Kings some quality minutes off the bench. He is 6′8″, 240 pounds but he’s not really a banger under the boards. Ewing played in 127 games (26 starts) in his career at Georgetown and Indiana and he averaged 4.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Don’t expect much out of him.

The Kings wanted a point guard capable of backing up Beno Udrih this season and Singletary could be that guy. Singletary is a little on the small side at 6′0″, 185 pounds but he’s a mature player at 22 years old. Singletary played in 123 games (all starts) at Virginia and he averaged 16.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Look for him to be a solid backup as a rookie and maybe more down the road.

The Sacramento Kings might have been reaching a little bit with the selection of Thompson in the first round of the NBA Draft but they needed someone tough around the basket and he fits the bill. Thompson is 6′11″, 250 pounds and he has a lot of college experience to draw on. Thompson played in 122 games (112 starts) at Rider and he averaged 16.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Thompson’s game is in the paint as he shot 52.6% from the floor in his college years. Thompson has a lot of upside but the Kings will likely be patient with him in 2008-09.