The Sacramento Kings are closing in on signing former No. 1 overall draft pick Andrea Bargnani, according to league sources.
Sources said the Kings and Bargnani are in advanced discussions on a deal that would send the free-agent forward to the Western Conference for the first time in his career after stints with the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks.
The Kings are looking for additional shooting to surround big man DeMarcus Cousins, and have already imported former NBA 3-point shootout champion and fellow Italian Marco Belinelli in free agency, in addition to the looming signings of Rajon Rondo, Kosta Koufos and Caron Butler.
The Kings have also re-signed swingman Omri Casspi and, of course, selected Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein with the sixth overall pick in last month's draft.
Bargnani has missed 160 games over the past three years with various injuries, but had a productive spell with the Knicks late last season to convince the Kings to extend his NBA career. The 29-year-old has struggled to live up to expectations since the Raptors selected him No. 1 overall in the 2006 draft.