You make some interesting points, but the one that seems to jump out is that ideas should be explored:

…in a couple of years … once the Brad and K9 contracts expire.

If the team waits until those contracts are off the books, then how would they match salaries for a high priced, disgruntled star (a la KG, Gasol, Shuttleworth)?

I’m not suggesting that a deal should/needs to happen soon, but If a trade is to be made, it will likely need to be before 2010. If the Kings wait until afterwards, then they’re more likely going to go the FA route than trade for a star, because the only large contracts will be Martin, Garcia, & Udrih . . . and other than Martin nothing above $7M. The team could do a Camby or J-Rich type of trade using capspace, but that will likely only net a role player, and not a “star”.

and I was not suggeting this trade will happen anytime soon. I was just trying to point out that it will most likley happen down the road and that we will need to part with one (or more) of these youngsters we so optimistically talk about. One thing to remember thought is that those young players that Minny got were not all proven so their trade value was all based on potential. Also, don’t forget how important the Theo Rattlif contract was in that KG trade and we got a couple of those type of contracts right now

I also agree with smgmatt that if a trade happens it will be before 2010

The odds of Sacramento signing one of the big FA’s in 2010 is somewhere below slim and above none.

If the Kings trade for one of these players before they hit the market, then they’ll be able to offer more money than anyone else via Bird Rights. This is (arguably) how Webber was retained, when he had publicly stated that he didn’t want to be here. Without trading Richmond, Webber never comes to Sacramento as a FA.

So to answer your question, the Kings probably can’t sign Amare as a FA, and would probably have to “blow up the young core in the meantime”. If there were going to be less teams with cap space in 2010 then the Kings would have a shot, but there are simply too many teams positioning themselves for the 2010 FA class.

The Kings will need to trade for a #1 guy, or else they will likely sign (and overpay) a #2 or #3 guy.

and don’t buy into the Miller trade talks this season either. The Kings are going to get the necessary punch this off-season/mid-season with Miller/K-9 trades to moron GMs who believe they can compete on the open market of 2010. The Kings on the other hand can’t compete just like the A’s can’t compete when someone decides to fly into town to check out the neighborhood. I mean, what do you show a potential free agent in Oakland? Rafeal Furcal, here is Lake Merit, in that apartment building the leader of the Black Panthers used to snort coke and shoot machine guns out the window of the penthouse. In Sacto- let me show you how close the suburbs are to the stadium- you have both a Walmart and a Target within walking distance and 12 Starbucks to choose from. Make sure that if you by a house, you use half your salary to insure it because your home will be an estimated 35’ under water if the levies break.

21 mill in expiring contracts are going to be worth 3- 1st round picks this off-season, mark my words. Let’s pray that K-Mart gets back on track, Garcia is our 6 man, Hawes and Thompson develop into a starting 4-5 combo for the next decade and the Kings are left to fill the small forward and point guard positions through the draft and trading Miller and K-9.

…players like Boozer & Brand have demonstrated that an all-star caliber player will leave his current team to chase the money.

These were not MAX players, so other teams could offer more. The 2010 FAs that everyone is drooling over will all be getting MAX deals, so the team that has their Bird Rights will be the team they go to if they’re “chasing the money”.

not the rule and a great collection of coaching (Carlisle, Brown) – this team even flubbed the #2 pick in one of the strongest drafts in memory. They lost their coach and lost their mojo and then poof! they were down – where they are winding down with more promise then proof they mimic an old tire – ineffectively patched whle they continue to lose tread as the lose air.

The rest of the champions have star power to spare. I agree the Kings need at least one healthy reliable impact player, probably two.

I think the 5 – as I’m not sure Hawes and JT aren’t both 4s who can play the 5.

Think Thabeet??

He could be a real stopper in the middle, Hawes is a scorer, JT is…well, we’ll see, he’s promising.

Build from the interior out.

I don’t think there is a drastic need to be filled on the roster currently, and considering our looming draft picks and cap space I think you can ride it out with the existing talent.

Obviously, if a no-brainer deal comes along for Petrie, he should do what he needs to do. But it wouldn’t bother me at all if he’s just an observer for the time being.