While we’ll have to wait and see how Gay’s future with the Kings unfolds, how this affects the Kings, both on and off the court, is a bigger question entirely.
REGRADING RUDY GAY TRADE FREE
With that being said, it appears that Gay, who could be an unrestricted free agent next summer as he holds a player option for the 2017-18 season, might not belong in Sacramento, at least beyond next season. “I can’t say since Monday stuff has changed, but I just feel like we have a little bit of time to start changing things.” “I have talked to Vlade,” Gay said from his Nike Skills Academy at Hardwood Palace in Rocklin. Since then, Gay’s name has continued to be a part of rumors, with the Houston Rockets (according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders) and the Miami Heat (according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) emerging as teams that have a reported interest in him.Īdditionally, there’s been a dialogue between Gay and the team, specifically Kings general manager Vlade Divac, that has seemingly calmed the rocky waters a bit as Gay said in an interview with Sean Cunningham of KXTV:
Needless to say, Gay’s damning comments certainly caused a stir, raising speculation over whether his days in Sacramento are numbered. In the interview, Gay laid out his frustrations regarding being a part of the trade rumors, the team’s lack of direction and a general lack of communication between him and the Kings front office. That talk, along with numerous other factors, has clearly gotten to Gay and it showed in his interview with Blake Ellington of Sactown Royalty that was published a few weeks ago.
Gay’s name has been a part of trade rumors for a good portion of the summer now and it’s ranged from reputable sources from the likes of Marc Stein of to Kings insiders like James Ham of. Sure, DeMarcus Cousins‘ draft night tweets and the firestorm it caused shortly after might be the first thing that comes to mind, but a better example of this is the intriguing situation involving small forward Rudy Gay. However, the Kings haven’t been totally steadfast in trying to put their old ways behind them.
Whether this year’s draft pans out in a positive way remains to be seen for the Kings, but it could add to their process of becoming a perennial competitor as long as they are able to put their incoming rookies on the right path towards positive development. Arron Afflalo, Matt Barnes) as well as find players that have been historically great locker room guys like Anthony Tolliver and Garrett Temple. It would be a stretch to say that has been realized based on their moves in free agency, but the Kings have done a fine job of finding players that help in the short-term (i.e. By Jordan Treske 5 years ago Follow Tweetīetween his public dissatisfaction and his name being included in many trade rumors, signs are pointing towards a change for Rudy Gay in the near future.įor the Sacramento Kings, this summer has been about trying to start fresh.īetween the hiring of head coach Dave Joerger, bolstering their front office, revitalizing the team’s brand and the opening of their new arena, the Golden 1 Center, the timing couldn’t have been more right for the Kings to put their own special kind of dysfunction behind them, starting with making the right kind of moves this offseason.