Why have the Kings made so many trades with Houston?
Is it because George Maloof Sr. once owned the team?
A news report stated the front office was not happy with the deal. Did the Maloofs sell TRob and Cisco's expiring for a couple extra million bucks?
I really don't think the owners are the ones that worked this deal out, so any connection between the Maloofs and Houston wouldn't matter at all.
I think Petrie and Morey probably have a good relationship and are able to get deals worked out and done better than some other folks.
Also, there have been rumors that the Kings front office isn't terribly aggressive (maybe even lazy), so if you have someone you deal well with and have a reasonable deal with that person quickly, then a front office that isn't aggressive wouldn't go looking for a better offer.
It sounds like the Maloofs told Petrie they needed cash and to make a move that saved them money this season. Presumably that directive also included instructions not to severely hurt the team or move any of the main players so as not to screw the team up for the future owners (the Seattle group was told of the trade ahead of time).
So Petrie makes some calls (or returns them) from places like Philadelphia or Houston that he deals with a lot, and Houston loves Robinson so they say they'll send cash and take on Garcia's deal to save Sac money this season. Petrie figures putting Patterson with Cousins will make Boogie happier, and the rest is mostly filler. Not a very good trade, but not devastating to the team and gets the Maloofs a couple million dollars extra right now.
Obviously it sucks for everybody that the Maloofs are broke and need the money so badly that they are going to give up on Robinson so quickly. But in a few months they should be out of owning the team one way or another, so we just have to hold on until then and be happy that the team's best players didn't get sent away, too.
