Forward Rudy Gay won't be returning to the Kings and will become unrestricted free agent. Rumors also surfaced that center DeMarcus Cousins will likely follow suit.
Gay has informed Sacramento Kings management that he will use his 2017 player option to become an unrestricted free agent, as reported by Yahoo! Sport. Gay waived his $14.3 million player option for the next season and said he wanted to move to the team with a winning attitude.
According to Hoops Habit, Cousins will also leave Sacramento. He had signed a 4-year contract extension with the Kings in 2013. That means by 2018, he will be a free agent.
By far, Kings has never made the playoffs since 2006. Their regular season record last year was 33-49, ranked 10th in the Western Conference.
Despite strong front court players with Cousins and Gay, the team has problem with defense. They ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency from 30 NBA teams, with defensive rating of 106.3.
Furthermore, the team has nine different coaches since 2006. That is one of the main reasons the Kings have never built a solid gameplay.
Cousin never had good relationship with two former coaches, Paul Westphal and George Karl. In 2012, the Kings fired Westphal after a season of tense relationship with Cousins. This season, George Karl was also fired and some suspected the constant disagreements between Karl and Cousins were the reason of his departure.
In his entire six years of NBA career, the 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist only plays for Kings. He averages 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. This is also the highlight of his career as reported by CBS Sports.
As Gay decided to leave the Kings, it is the perfect time for Cousins to look for a better team with a winning attitude. Maybe a team of young players in Toronto that need a strong big man like him.
Watch Top 10 play of DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento from NBA Channel below:
