Fansided

Rudy Gay tells Sacramento Kings he’ll opt out of contract next summer

By Brad Berreman

Mar 18, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) dribbles the ball past Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) dribbles the ball past Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Sacramento Kings are a dysfunctional organization, and Rudy Gay apparently can’t wait to leave.

As the Sacramento Kings continue to vastly underachieve, trade rumors surrounding center DeMarcus Cousins will linger indefinitely. But trade rumors surrounding another veteran, forward Rudy Gay, are also not new and are sure to resurface with the start of the 2016-17 season approaching.

Reports regarding what the Kings would want in a trade for Gay have varied, but it’s pretty clear the asking price has been too high for interested teams. Gay’s contract status, with an option to opt-out after the coming season, has surely affected how he is viewed on the trade market.

Now, we have an additional development in the situation with Gay and the Kings. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Gay has informed the team he’ll exercise his right to opt-out and considers himself unlikely to negotiate a new deal to return to Sacramento.

Gay has some familiarity with new Kings’ head coach Dave Joerger, as the two spent five seasons together with Memphis Grizzlies when Joerger was an assistant there. But that possible relationship may not be able to overcome the dysfunction in the organization, starting with owner Vivek Ranadive, so it’s hardly surprising Gay intends to take the option to leave as soon as he can.

The NBA’s increasing salary cap also makes it a no-brainer for Gay to test the free agent market next summer. He’ll make $13.3 million this season, and his option for 2017-18 is worth $14.26 million. With a healthy, reasonably productive 2016-17 season, Gay could easily be worth $15-$20 million per year on the open market next summer.

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Now that Gay’s intention to opt-out is public knowledge, the Kings’ trade leverage has dropped substantially. That was surely the intent behind it, in order to force the Kings’ hand and bring an order from Ranadive to general manager Vlade Divac to get something in return for Gay. Time will tell if the leverage play from Gay’s camp works, but any team with even remote interest can consider buying-low on him in a trade.

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