April 22, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette (7) scores on a lay up during the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

Did the Kings listen to trade offers for Jimmer Fredette in the recent past? Sure – why wouldn’t they? As a front office, it’s your job to listen – but listening doesn’t mean you’re unhappy with a player or even open to moving them outside of a perfect deal.

And that brings me to a nugget dropped by Fox Sports’ Sam Amico yesterday evening when he brought up Jimmer and the Oklahoma City Thunder:

Speaking of Kings, Jimmer Fredette would love to go someplace where someone other than just DeMarcus Cousins will pass him the ball. Thunder would love to pry Fredette away from Kings as replacement for Derek Fisher. Kevin Durant is a Jimmer fan.

Amico’s in-tune with the NBA rumor mill and although he’s certainly had his whiffs, there are plenty of less believable, bigger name reporters out there. That said, this appears to be more speculation on Amico’s part than any actual rumor.

With a hefty payroll and little tradeable assets outside of their core, a move for Fredette would appear unlikely even if the Kings were interested – which I highly doubt they are.

Credit: Sacramento Bee

From arena issues and possible relocation (and eventual for Seattle) to the fun loving, successful playground style of the current Oklahoma City Thunder, the Sacramento franchise finds themselves in the heart of the NBA Finals despite finishing with a near league worst record. At their peaks, both squads are paired with fun-loving MVP talents in non-major markets, breeding a fun, beautiful style of basketball to a fan base rivaled as the best in the league. Watching the Thunder in the playoffs, you could close your eyes and almost hear the cowbells….

I’m not the only one who thinks so – Mike Wise of the Washington Post also brought up the glory year Kings as the pioneers for the Thunder’s success:

Instead, in the middle of the Midwest, at the start of this high-octane showdown between the NBA MVP and the league’s leading scorer, something is clearly happening — the result of a tectonic shift that began at the start of this decade in, of course, Northern California.

Remember when Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac and their offensively gifted teammates became the world’s stop-and-pop, church-league team, making the Kings’ jerseys the hottest seller in the NBA, handing so many big-market, beaucoup-TV-bucks franchises their lunch with a beautiful brand of basketball that focused on, of all things, moving the ball to the open man?

Yeah, well, meet the Sacramento Kings — the next millennium.

As Wise points out, the Kings (and now Thunder) made it cool to play in perceived NBA waste-lands. Bright lights can gleam on any subject, assuming you point them there. Despite the heartbreak for those in Seattle, it’s great to see a fan base like Oklahoma City rewarded with such a fun and beautiful product as King fans know so well. And in watching the Thunder, you get that sense of nostalgia in the back of your basketball heart.

It’s a great feeling and it’s why I love this game.