NBA Trade & Free Agency News 2013: Sacramento Kings Planning To Pull Off Sign-and-Trade Deal For Timofey Mozgov

The Sacramento Kings are reportedly trying to work out a sign-and-trade deal that would help them land Timofey Mozgov, a league insider reported on Saturday.

The Kings are set to acquire the Russian big man but they don't have enough cap room to sign Mozgov to a reasonable contract. Apparently, the only way to pull this off is via sign-and-trade deal, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

With this dilemma, there is a possibility the Kings could use veteran shooting guard John Salmons as a trade chip to make this work. Salmons, who averaged 8.8 points and 3.0 assists last season, has two years and $7.5 million left in his contract. However, the team can buy out the remaining year of Salmons' contract for only $1 million.

The Kings are planning to use Mozgov as a backup for starting center DeMarcus Cousins or play alongside with him to form a solid frontcourt duo. On the other hand, the Nuggets could also use Salmons as a nice off-the-bench scorer, which is the role previously assumed by Corey Brewer, who signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets will likely make a wait-and-see approach with regards to handling Omer Asik's situation. Asik, who has two years and $20 million remaining in his current deal, has demanded a trade right after the Rockets signed Dwight Howard.

However, many basketball followers think the Rockets will keep Asik into the 2013-2012 season and may decide the center's future before the trade deadline in February.