NBA Rumors: Sacramento Kings expect to keep Rudy Gay

When the Sacramento Kings traded for forward Rudy Gay earlier in the season, they did so with the intention of keeping him.

Although many believe Gay may want to leave the Kings or that the Kings may not want to dish out a max contract if Gay decides not to exercise his player option, which is worth $19.3 million next season.

However, according to Kings’ general manager Pete D’Alessandro, who spoke with Kings.com, the Kings want to keep Gay.

“Our fans know – I think we’ve been very clear about how we feel about their level of talent,” D’Alessandro said. “I would say with Rudy, I’ve been talking to his agent since the day he arrived. We didn’t trade him to have him for a year, so we’re going to continue meeting with Rudy. One of the things we thought when we did the deal (to acquire) Rudy was it gives him a real chance to not just know our front office, but to know our community. I think he’s really impressed by the community in many ways – because our community really is impressive.”

“At the end of the day, this is a business. A decision needs to be made, and there’s a lot involved, but we’ve made no mistake about it with him, and he knows what our intent is with him.

Gay averaged 20.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season.