On Tuesday, he talked to a couple media outlets, and it's pretty clear that the respect for Sacramento is genuine. In an interview with CBS Sacramento's Steve Large, Petrie heaps praise on Kevin Johnson and everyone involved in the effort to keep the Kings in town.

In an interview with The Bee's Jason Jones, Petrie said he hoped the Kings could stay all along, despite loyalty to the Maloofs.

He told Large that a Maloof called him the night before news broke about the Seattle sale to give him a heads up, but that there was no real involvement of him from that point on. He insinuated that the repeatedly low payrolls and lack of resources offered up by the Maloofs were necessary for the family's financial survival.

Large said Petrie told him he went to the Maloofs early in the season — before the Seattle news — and told them it was time to transition the front office. Whether in Petrie's mind that meant giving the keys to his son and assistant GM Mike Petrie or looking elsewhere is unclear.

After the last few seven years, I feel good for Sacramento Kings basketball that the front office is being refreshed. But I will be sad to see Petrie go. He's been synonymous with the team for two decades. That's a big piece of the Sacramento Kings walking through the exit.