The Sacramento Kings have been a punchline for some time now. Agents have notoriously steered their clients away from the Kings in recent years, especially in the predraft process. But it seems that tide is shifting, thanks in large part to the addition of Scott Perry to the front office. James Ham has a fantastic report that shows the positive impact Perry is already having.

We’ve seen recent reports in the Sacramento Bee that the Kings were returning to stability and respectability in the front office, but it was easy to dismiss those as puff pieces. They lacked anything specific other than the Kings presenting themselves as being finally stable. And we had those reports partnered with negative insights. In a recent post for ESPN (Insider), Chad Ford shared the following:

But what really makes Ham’s report stand out is the specifics he was able to get on record, specifics that run completely opposite of what any unnamed agent or agents told Ford.

CAA is one of the power agencies in the NBA. That they aren’t steering clients away from Sacramento is huge news. And they weren’t alone. Ham also got similar commitment from former NBA player B.J. Armstrong, who represents Kansas’ Josh Jackson, a player many consider to be a top-5 prospect.

It seems that Perry’s extensive network of relationships is already doing wonders for the Kings and their perception around the league. You may recall that before last year’s draft, the only top-15 prospect to visit Sacramento was Wade Baldwin. All other top prospects avoided the Kings.

The Kings will have a long road ahead in the rebuilding process, but it will be a much easier process if the Kings are no longer the pariahs of the league.