NBA Rumors: Change of Scenery Would Be Best Thing for Tyreke Evans and Kings

It's time for Tyreke Evans and the Sacramento Kings to go their separate ways, for nothing has changed in the more than three years they've been together.

Evans wasn't given a contract extension this past offseason and is set to become a restricted free agent following the 2012-13 season—and an unrestricted one the following year.

As Alex Kennedy of USA Today's HoopWorld.com notes, that lack of commitment to Evans, coupled with some rumblings that he could be available this past summer, doesn't bode well for a long-term future in Sacramento for the 2009-10 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Speaking of that Rookie of the Year award, Evans today is a completely different player today than he was only three short years ago.

As a rookie, Evans would fearlessly attack the basket, converting shots at the rim and drawing contact that would send him to the line nearly seven times per game. This year, he's barely getting to the line three times a game.

He's being asked to play off of the ball and out on the wing more than ever before, which results in him relying far too much on a jump shot, a move that has seemingly robbed him of his desire to attack the basket.

Evans is averaging a career-low six shots per game at the rim, according to HoopsData.com, and a career-low 11.8 points per game.

Simply put, Tyreke Evans is, for lack of a better term, wasting away in Sacramento while the Kings continue to try and figure out what direction the team is going in, both on and off the court.

For all of his issues, however, Evans is only 23 years old. He's proven that when he's able to play to his strengths, he can be a dynamic player in the league.

He still has value around the NBA, and the Kings would be wise to capitalize on that sooner rather than later so that both parties can take the next steps in their respective development.