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Center DeMarcus Cousins is emerging as one of the premier players at his position, while 2-guard Ben McLemore figures to step up in his second season.įox Sports analyst Sam Amico felt it was vital to retain both Gay and promising young point guard Isaiah Thomas, who is a free agent this offseason: The Kings have young, legitimate pieces in place to become a playoff contender even in the stacked Western Conference. At the ripe age of 27 and with his best basketball likely in front of him, there is sound logic for Gay to stay in Sacramento beyond the lucrative paycheck. If it doesn't, Gay will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason anyway. Whether staying put pays off in terms of playing for a winning franchise remains to be seen. On Monday, Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro spoke on Gay's decision to opt in (via Jonathan Santiago of Cowbell Kingdom): The free-agent market wasn't guaranteed to pay near that amount.įor a player who has been a journeyman in playing for three different teams in the past three seasons and has never been named to an All-Star squad, finishing this current deal was Gay's best financial route. Gay has been in constant contact with Kings management, and has been impressed with new owner Vivek Ranadive's commitment to constructing a contender, sources said.Ĭonsidering Gay is due over $19.3 million in salary in the final year of his five-year, $82.3 million contract (h/t ), it would have been rather surprising for him to leave that money on the table.
RUDY GAY KINGS FULL
Team management and Gay's agent, Alex Saratsis of Octagon, are expected to re-engage discussions in the near future, sources said.Īfter July 1, the Kings and Gay will be able to negotiate a full four-year contract extension. The re-signing of Gay is a top priority for the Kings. Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay will exercise his $19.3 million contract option for the 2014-15 season, but has tabled extension talks until later this summer, league sources told Yahoo Sports. “He quickly demonstrated consistency both on the court and in the community, and we regard him as a valuable member of our organization moving forward.”Īdrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported on Sunday that Gay chose to accept his 2014-15 campaign player option: “We’re thrilled that Rudy will return to Sacramento next season,” said Kings Chairman and Majority Owner Vivek Ranadivé. Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay has exercised his contract option for the 2014-15 season, General Manager Pete D’Alessandro announced today. The Kings announced on Wednesday that Gay officially accepted his player option: While the organization had the power of persuasion on its side, Gay's future was in his own hands. The Sacramento Kings have struggled to put a respectable NBA product on the floor for much of the past decade, so securing star forward Rudy Gay for next season was a top priority.