How does this deal shape the team for the future?
“Well, one of the goals that we wanted to try and do is to further reduce our future salary cap liability for next year and the potential for that is in this trade. With Nocioni, we get a proven player that I think can come in and be productive for us. And (we’ll) get a look at some of the other players that will be free agents and make a decision on them going forward.”

What does Andrés Nocioni bring to this Kings roster?
“I think certainly Nocioni is going to bring a lot of energy and competitiveness and fire to the floor. He’s been a productive player in Chicago and has been very popular there in general. And I think he’ll add a competitive presence out there on the floor and with our team. I talked to him today and he said, ‘I went to the gym today and I’m ready to go. Just tell me when you want me here.’ So that’s sort of who he is.”

Has the trade deadline this year been dictated by the economic climate of the country right now?
“I think there’s an element of that, just in the sense that let’s face it -- most everybody’s business, to one extent or another and the current economic environment that we have, has been somewhat affected. And that’s already been pretty well documented with most of the major sports leagues as well. There’s an element of that in some of the things teams are trying to do, whether it’s about the rest of this season or future seasons. And sometimes when you get into that kind of situation, you can have incompatible priorities in the short term. But everybody has their own individual situations to deal with.”

Can you remember a time where the outside world has had an impact on the NBA like it’s had right now?
“I really don’t. I’m not saying that it’s necessarily a crisis. It’s a fact of life. The newspaper business is being affected, the advertising business is being affected (and) the entertainment business in general (is being affected). We’re in the middle of a contraction here.”

Is there a possibility of more deals coming within the next 24 hours?
“We’re still talking to other teams about various things. I don’t know that it would be of the magnitude of the number of players or the amount of overall salary that was involved in this trade. But there’s still a possibility.”