The Sacramento Kings hope to be able to re-sign restricted free agent forward Darius Songalia and should find out soon if they will be able to do so.

Kings GM Geoff Petrie and Songalia's agent, Mark Bartelstein hope to work out a deal.

"I think things have been heating up with Darius," Bartelstein said. "I've been talking to Geoff and we've agreed to keep talking and find out where we are. Darius has to make a decision in a day or two because it's important to some of the teams we're talking to.

"It's not a situation where you have a restricted free agent who is looking to get out of a bad situation. Darius loves it in Sacramento, and Geoff has made it clear the Kings would like to have him back. It's going to come down to budget issues for the Kings."

Roger Montgomery, Maurice Evans' agent, said Saturday the Kings have not aggressively attempted to retain his client.

"Based on their recent acquisitions," Montgomery said, "I would have to infer the Kings are not really into re-signing Maurice. They have not been proactive pre-Bonzi Wells and post-Bonzi Wells. So I'm led to infer they have other plans that don't include Maurice."

The Timberwolves, Spurs, Pistons and Sonics all appear interested in Evans.

Bonzi Wells is a Sacramento King.

The Grizzlies exercised an $8 million team option Friday and agreed to trade Wells to Sacramento in a three-team deal involving the Utah Jazz, NBA sources confirmed.

The deal won?t be announced until the NBA?s moratorium is lifted because of a delay in finalizing the collective bargaining agreement.

Wells, though, will go to Sacramento for guard Bobby Jackson while the Kings will send Greg Ostertag to Utah.

The Jazz also will send forward Curtis Borchardt, and guards Raul Lopez and Kirk Snyder to Memphis.

The 29-year-old Wells was considered the best guard available now that Ray Allen, Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Larry Hughes and Cuttino Mobley have agreed in principle to sign new deals.

The Grizzles also had more than cursory conversations with Boston, Dallas, Washington, Detroit and Utah.

Griz president Jerry West has shopped for deals since Wells was unceremoniously and inexplicably removed from the team during the playoffs. The team also is seeking to move guard Jason Williams and would like to consummate a sign-and-trade deal with free agent guard Earl Watson.

Speculation that the NBA will extend a moratorium on signing free agents from Friday to next month will not affect Bonzi Wells's contract status, according to the Grizzly guard's agent.

League sources indicated Tuesday that the collective bargaining agreement won't be finalized this week and the delay could prevent teams from signing free-agent contracts until Aug. 1.

The Grizzlies and Wells agreed to extend the deadline for deciding on an $8 million team option to coincide with ratification of the CBA. That was supposed to happen by Friday.

But Wells will either have the option picked up with a trade on the table or become an unrestricted free agent by the weekend.

Wells is not interested in prolonging the process beyond Friday.

"We expect a resolution," said William Phillips, who Wells retained as his agent following the season. "At the end of the day, Bonzi will be fine. The closer we get to the 22nd, the more serious the discussions get."

At least seven teams have expressed interest in Wells. The Grizzles have had more than cursory conversations with Boston, Dallas, Washington, Sacramento, Detroit, Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers regarding Wells.

Amid speculation that they are close to reaching an agreement with Cuttino Mobley on terms of a five-year contract, the Clippers also are believed to have made an offer to free-agent forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Abdur-Rahim's agent, Aaron Goodwin, did not return phone calls but told the New York Post this week that the Clippers were interested in his client, who has averaged 19.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in nine NBA seasons.

Abdur-Rahim, who will turn 29 on Dec. 11, reportedly also is being wooed by the Kings, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards.

The former Cal star reportedly turned down a five-year, $47-million offer from the Bucks, money the Bucks used to outbid the Clippers for Simmons.

With the Portland Trail Blazers last season, Abdur-Rahim made $14.6 million. But he is expected to take a substantial pay cut, perhaps agreeing to the mid-level exception, which last season was about $5.3 million.

The Denver Nuggets elected not to complete a sign-and-trade deal that would send Nene to the Kings for Cuttino Mobley. So it appears Kings free-agent shooting guard is bound for the Los Angeles Clippers.

"That's what I'm hearing," Nuggets coach George Karl said Tuesday at the Vegas Summer League.

Indications are Mobley will get a five-year deal worth about $42 million plus incentives.

Players can't sign until July 22.

Mobley opted out of a contract making $6.4 million next season, and his new deal should start at just over $7 million. But Mobley apparently wanted even more.

"He told me he wanted $50 million (over five years)," said Karl, who recently spoke to Mobley on the phone. "My gut says that we like Nene. We like our team. Why break up the nucleus unless we definitely know it's going to be better?"

Danny Ainge said yesterday that he's found discussions about a sign-and-trade deal for Antoine Walker very interesting. That's because he's heard of them only through the media and Internet.

There have been reports of trade talk between the Celtics and Sacramento, Houston and now New York. But all the words have apparently been generated in print only.

``I've had no conversations,'' Ainge said. ``I have not had one conversation with anybody about Antoine. Not one.''

The Nets got good news when Shareef Abdur-Rahim turned down a $47 million pact to join the Milwaukee Bucks, according to his agent.
Aaron Goodwin said yesterday his client still is searching for the best possible deal and ideal situation. Milwaukee, meanwhile, will give its five-year, $47 million offer to the Clippers' Bobby Simmons.

Sacramento, San Antonio and Miami can - like the Nets - offer Abdur-Rahim their mid-level exception worth roughly $5 million. But unlike those teams, the Nets can offer Portland their trade exception, worth nearly $5 million, in a sign-and-trade for Abdur-Rahim.

The exception is attractive for capped out teams and can be packaged with cash and or draft picks. The Nets likely will have to execute a sign-and-trade to land Abdur-Rahim since it would allow him to sign a six-year contract worth up to $38 million. That is a year and $10 million more than teams can offer the 6-9 power forward through the mid-level exception.

The Kings apparently have decided to try to upgrade their power-forward position and have discussed a sign-and-trade deal with free-agent forward Antoine Walker's agent.
Walker, who will turn 29 on Aug. 12, played for the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics last season.

Agent Mark Bartelstein called the 6-foot-10 Walker one of the league's top 20 players.

"I spoke with (Kings president of basketball operations) Geoff (Petrie) and explored some sign-and-trade possibilities," said the Chicago-based Bartelstein, who played a role in the sign-and-trade, three-team deal that brought Brad Miller to the Kings in July 2003. "I'll throw out a couple of ideas and try to get the teams talking. I did that in the Miller deal."

It's not known whom the Kings would send to Boston.

After losing out on retaining the services of Bobby Simmons, Jerry Crowe of the L.A. Times writes that the L.A. Clippers are now turning their attention to Sacramento free agent Cuttino Mobley.

Mobley, who made 43.9% of his three-point shots last season to rank third in the NBA, might be a better fit with the Clippers' other projected starters ? Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Chris Kaman and Shaun Livingston ? and would enable Maggette to move back to small forward, his more natural position. The Clippers last season ranked last in the NBA in three-point shots made and attempted.

Mobley, who made $5.9 million last season, might also require a lesser financial commitment than Simmons, whose open-market value was higher than the Clippers had imagined.

Mobley has attracted attention from other teams, however, including the Denver Nuggets.