Have The Sacramento Kings Put Tyreke Evans On The Trading Block?

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But after an inconspicuous tweet last night from Bee columnist and Kings beat writer, Jason Jones, maybe it’s a reality:

"The player the Kings could move if it lands a vet leader type is Tyreke. That’s what I keep hearing"

The tweet fell into an oddly timed window, right before Jimmer Fredette nearly crippled the greater Sacramento area’s internet connection with his scoring barrage, so it didn’t get much hype as one would have assumed – mostly because it was buried in everybody’s timeline. I had multiple followers tweet me with the bewildered “WHAT”, “WHERE” questions so unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on said viewpoint) it didn’t get the attention it normally would have.

So what to make of Jones’ tweet? Well, we know one thing – Jones isn’t one to grasp at pixie dust in the air. If he said it, he’s heard it – and while many of us have suspected that Tyreke Evans might possibly be on the block, to get a semi-confirmation is – well – I’m not sure what to think. Bittersweet, I guess.

Physically, Evans has every tool possible to succeed in this league. More than that, he has the size, the speed and the strength to be a top 10-12 player at his pinnacle. Players with his combination of physical gifts simply don’t come around all that often. No, they’re not as rare as say a skilled big man – but they’re still not easily obtainable. One of the few weak points that Evans currently has from a physical standpoint is his shooting, but as we’ve seen, that’s something that can be fixed over time. No bias here, Evans has everything imaginable to be a premier player in this league – except for one, critical thing. A mental game.

For everything that Tyreke excels in, his basketball IQ has stagnated into it’s current form. When Evans was a rookie, it was understandable. Even in the early parts of last year prior to the injury, while you’d hope it would’ve improved – he was still young and learning on the fly. However, now in his third season and almost zero progression on that front, you have to start looking into the question of will he ever grow in that capacity? That’s not saying he can or can’t, but the question needs to be raised. While he can certainly be an exception to the rule, history tells us that guards begin to flourish in their third season. Granted, Evans did miss a significant portion of his sophomore campaign – but he had all the time in the world to fine tune his game on the mental side. This isn’t a question of improvement in his physical gifts, it’s all mental. Can he do it? Or can’t he?

Geoff Petire has made a lot of tough decisions at the helm of the Kings basketball operations – I’m really questioning if he’s ever found himself in a more difficult one than he’s currently in.

For Evans, any possible move you make right now, you’re selling him at an extreme discount. So – do I think the Kings would move Evans simply to move him? Not at all – I think they’re doing what any respectable franchise would do, keeping their ears open to discussion. Let’s face it – Tyreke Evans is going to get expensive in two seasons. More than that, if you’re trying to get any type of value from him, he’s going to need to moved somewhat soon. Either that, or you’re going to ride out the storm and hope he comes around to the player we all hope he can be. It’s the ultimate roll of the dice.

At times, Tyreke may seem so far away from being that elite talent – but he’s really so close. The potential for Evans is through the roof, but as we’ve all seen so many times – potential is a dirty, dirty word and many dreams have shattered because of it.

So Geoff, all I can say is good luck.

I hope you give one good blow to those dice before you roll.