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Kings welcome Mavs with big trade looming

Dec 9, 2013 - 2:44 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Sacramento Kings will look very different soon, but it won't be Monday night when they welcome the Dallas Mavericks to Sleep Train Arena.

According to multiple reports, the Kings have acquired Rudy Gay from the Toronto Raptors. Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray will be headed to the Kings in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Chuck Hayes and Patrick Patterson.

The deal could be made official on Monday as none of the three soon-to-be Kings played in Toronto's Sunday night victory in Los Angeles over the Lakers.

Gay will be on the move for the second straight season. Toronto traded for the 27-year old in late January of last season after he spent the first 6 1/2 seasons of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Gay is averaging 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season but is shooting a career-low 38.8 percent from the floor and turning the ball over at the highest rate of his career.

Vasquez is the biggest name on the move for Sacramento, but he became expendable thanks to the great play of Isaiah Thomas. Vasquez was acquired in the offseason in a sign-and-trade deal with the New Orleans Pelicans that saw Tyreke Evans head south.

The Kings have been active in trades recently, making a second splash less than two weeks after shipping forward Luc Mbah a Moute to Minnesota for former No. 2 pick Derrick Williams in late November.

On the floor, the Kings stopped a six-game slide Saturday night in Utah. Sacramento outlasted the Jazz, 112-102 in overtime. DeMarcus Cousins and Thomas were sensational with 28 and 26 points, respectively.

"We got their bigs in foul trouble," said Kings coach Mike Malone. "We wanted to establish DeMarcus in the post, feed off of him. And in overtime, we went to him almost exclusively with that one play, and he carried us."

The Mavs are coming off a huge win Saturday night in Portland. Monta Ellis made a jumper as the horn sounded to give Dallas a 108-106 victory over the best team in the Western Conference.

"I was born for it. I love that time of the game," Ellis said.

Damian Lillard made a 3-pointer to tie it with 1.9 seconds left, then Ellis poured in his jumper to give the Mavericks their third consecutive victory, including the first two on this four-game road trip.

Ellis finished with 22 points, but Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 28. DeJuan Blair and Jose Calderon both finished with 15 points for a Dallas team that shot 53 percent from the floor and 50 percent from long range.

The Mavs have owned this matchup for years. They've won 23 of the last 26 meetings, including seven of their last nine in Sacramento.