By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings made guard Isaiah Thomas a restricted free agent today extending a qualifying offer to him. By extending the offer to Thomas, the Kings now have the first right of refusal if another team makes a contract offer to the point/shooting guard. It would surprising if Thomas is not pursued by other NBA teams.

Thomas is a three-year veteran who was selected at number 60 in the 2011 NBA Draft. For his career, he has averaged 15.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.03 steals per game. Thomas has started 153 times over the three-year period.

It has reported by multiple sources that the Kings are interested in acquiring a true point guard. If that should happen, the general consensus is Thomas would become the sixth man off the bench – a role he has played before for Sacramento.