NBA Trade Deadline 2012: The One Trade the Sacramento Kings Must Make

KINGS TRADE: Jimmer Fredette, JJ Hickson and Jason Thompson 

NETS TRADE: Brook Lopez, Johan Petro and Shawne Williams

The Sacramento Kings may not have the best record in the NBA, but there is not much doubt that they seem to have one of the best futures in the league. 

DeMarcus "Bad Attitude" Cousins looks like he will become a bona fide super star in the league, while guards Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton look like sure things to become at least marginal stars.

And second-round pick, rookie guard Isaiah Thomas, may be the steal of the 2011 draft.

Jimmer Fredette—not Isaiah Thomas—was, of course, the Kings' first-round pick. However, Fredette has found it difficult to get playing time in Sacramento and has taken a back seat to Thomas when it comes to minutes.

Jimmer still has great trade value, however, as he is a knock-down shooter on a super-cheap rookie contract and should only get better as he learns the game and adapts to NBA defenses.

The Kings' one area of weakness is their frontcourt, and trading Jimmer could be the best way turn that weakness into a strength. DeMarcus Cousins is a beast, no doubt about that, but he is more suited to playing power forward than center.

If the Kings are able to acquire a true and legit star center to pair with Cousins, their frontcourt will give defenses as many headaches as their smallish and super-fast backcourt does. The Kings will consequently be well on their way to being a playoff team.

Brook Lopez is a true, legit center that has averaged 19.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game over the past three seasons. Lopez is also a career 50.4 percent shooter who shoots just a shade under 80 percent from the foul line, which is extremely rare for a 7'0" center.

Lopez would complement DeMarcus Cousins well, and the two would form a dynamic frontcourt duo in the Western Conference.

If the Kings are wise, they will make use of Jimmer Fredette's relatively high current trade value and use him to acquire Brook Lopez while he is still available. I also believe that Jimmer alone will not be enough to acquire Lopez in a trade.

However, if the Kings were willing to trade the expiring contracts of JJ Hickson and Jason Thompson—two players they may lose in free agency next year anyways—and take back the Nets' Johan Petro and Shawne Williams, it would be enough to get a deal done.

As for the Nets, if they are truly dedicated to doing whatever it takes to entice Dwight Howard to play in Brooklyn next season, this trade would be a great start.

Dumping the salaries of Johan Petro and Shawne Williams while acquiring long-range marksman Jimmer Fredette for Lopez, a player they will probably lose in free agency anyway, would be a shrewd move indeed.

This is a deal that both the Nets' and Kings' general managers may not have even considered yet, but they should both pull the trigger on this deal.