According to the Sacramento Bee, reserve forward Kenny Thomas was part of trade talks in late October, when the Kings pursued veteran swingman Desmond Mason. Instead, Mason - who averaged 17.5 points with Milwaukee in the 2004-05 season - was sent from the Bucks to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for center Jamaal Magloire, an unconditional first-round pick in 2006 and cash.

Thomas was the Kings' returning starter until the 11th hour of the preseason, when newly acquired Shareef Abdur-Rahim won the job. Before this season, he had started in 243 of 285 games since the 2001-02 season, and made his preference clear that he's more comfortable in that role.

In four games of coming off the bench, Thomas is off to a slow start, shooting 35.3 percent while averaging 4.5 points and 16 minutes per game. His production is key for a bench that has been as sluggish as any in the league, scoring an average of 17.3 points thus far.