The Sacramento Kings engaged in extension talks with Rudy Gay before he left for Spain for the 2014 FIBA World Cup. But Gay decided to opt-in with his current contract that will pay him $19 million this coming season, which means he will become a free agent next summer. The Kings though, are determined to keep Gay according to Jason Jones:
The Kings want Gay beyond this season. Had Gay left, the plan was to aggressively pursue a trade for a small forward.
Gay meshed well with promising center DeMarcus Cousins last season and this may have been the primary reason why the Kings want to resign him long-term. Before he got traded to the Kings, Gay had the most inefficient basketball of his career with the Toronto Raptors - he shot 41.1 percent with the Raptors and averaged 17.6 shots to average 19.5 points. With the Kings, Gay took less shots (15.3 per game) while putting up 20.1 points and 3.1 assists.
Both Gay and Cousins also played together for Team USA which won Gold Medal in the FIBA World Cup and their chemistry has surely entered a whole new level after the tournament. Team USA often played Gay at the power forward and Cousins at center - which worked great wonders for the national team - to create spacing and speed and the Kings could utilize the same lethal combo this coming season.
But the Sacramento Kings and Rudy Gay still have to agree on a new deal if they want to see a formidable Gay-Cousins combo in their front court beyond this season. Both parties have until June 30 to hammer a new contract, although Gay has always maintained publicly that he can see a future with the Kings.
"You play in NBA cities and you expect Sacramento to be like L.A. or the bay," Gay said per Cowbell Kingdom. "It's not. It's its own little thing. It's a family city and that's what I'm growing to be - more of a family person."
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