http://0rz.tw/YQ2m9

The Kings certainly aren't acting like a team trying to trade Tyreke Evans.

Unlike last season when Evans spent much of the summer in Southern California
working out, Evans has been in Sacramento working out with basketball
president Geoff Petrie and other Kings staff.

Rumors persist involving Evans being traded, the latest being another
proposed deal sending him to Houston that no one in our outside of the Kings
has validated the proposed deal.

So, Evans is still a King that is working out with his boss.

Petrie is the man that would be trading Evans. Not that Petrie still couldn't
decide to move Evans, but his personal involvement with Evans indicates he is
invested in seeing Evans progress.

A lot of the work is on Evans' jump shot and working on the midrange game
(jumpers, pull-up shots, floaters) that has been slow to develop in Evans'
first three seasons.

I'm also told Evans is in good shape (no extended vacationing) and that he's
making progress with his jump shot.

Of course, none of these developments matter in June, but it is progress.

Evans finished the season at small forward, but was never fully comfortable
playing off the ball.

Privately, some within the Kings believe the move to small forward was a
necessary step for Evans to reach his full potential.

The fact is Evans cannot play with the ball all the time. And in order to
enhance Evans' view of the game, coach Keith Smart wanted Evans to see the
game from a new perspective.

There were times where Evans was clearly unhappy about the move (almost
always after he had a bad game).

How he handles it going forward will decide his future with the Kings,
assuming he's not traded.

Evans is eligible for a contract extension but the Kings won't sign him to
one, preferring to let this season play out.

And even after some struggles the last two seasons I'm told there are still
as many as 11 teams that expressed interest in Evans, so he does have value.

For now, Evans will play his fourth season out as a King.