Rudy Gay appears open to staying in Sacramento beyond this season, making it even more unlikely the Sacramento Kings trade him.
Gay becomes an unrestricted free agent in July, leading some to speculate a trade could happen before the February deadline. Others, including Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, see Gay as one of the few untouchables on the Kings' roster, despite his impending free agency. The logic behind trading Gay is, "Why let him walk for free in July and get nothing?"
His latest comments, though, indicated he would be open to staying in Sacramento long-term, giving the Kings' front office more reason to believe they have a legitimate shot of signing Gay to a new deal this summer.
"I'm enjoying California, NoCal. It's cool," Gay said Monday, via The Bee. "It's not as bad as I thought it was. You play in NBA cities and you expect Sacramento to be like L.A. or the Bay, but 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."
Gay also said his representatives and the team have discussed a new contract, but he doesn't plan on becoming involved in the negotiations until much later.
"We started (negotiations) before I went to Spain with the USA team, stopped and haven't picked up yet," he said. "It's something that I really don't need over my head right now. I'm trying to make this team better and also be better myself. And I didn't need it over there. That's something that I think will handle itself. ...
"I'm not going to get involved until it's near the end, or both sides feel it needs to happen. Then I'll make my decision."
Gay stands to make the most money by re-signing with the Kings as a free agent in the summer. He's also likely holding off making a decision until he sees how Sacramento plays this year, and in what direction the team heads.
