Rudy Gay has decided to exercise his $19.3 million player option with the Sacramento Kings for the 2014-15 season to avoid costless agency this summer. The decision has not been made public yet, but Gay’s choice to opt in is brilliant since he would probably not make that much money signing elsewhere.
The Sacramento Kings were adamant on keeping Rudy Gay, and they got their wish. The Kings have been working on giving Gay a contract extension and have until October 31st to do so. Right now, extension talks have been placed on hold but a deal will eventually get done. The Kings plan to add three more years to Gay’s current deal.
Sacramento acquired Rudy Gay from the Toronto Raptors mid-way through the season in a blockbuster deal involving seven players. Gay was criticized in Toronto for his inefficient shooting percentage. However, he averaged 20.1 points on 48.2% shooting in a Kings uniform and has fit in adequately with DeMarcus Cousins. Nonetheless, the Kings will still need to make more moves to overcome their struggles. They only went 22-40 with Rudy Gay, but their new owners are willing to spend to strengthen the roster.
Sacramento’s next order of business will be to retain Isaiah Thomas, who will become a restricted costless agent on July 1st. Thomas had a breakout year as he averaged 20.3 points and 6.3 assists per game.