Rudy Gay, Kings Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

Last December, the Sacramento Kings became Rudy Gay's third team in less than a calendar year. Rejuvenated in Sacramento, Gay ensured he'll be sticking around long-term by signing a three-year, $40 million extension.

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Wednesday, Dec. 19

Kings Make Extension Official

The Kings made Gay's deal official via the team's website:

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The Sacramento Kings have signed veteran forward Rudy Gay to a multi-year contract extension, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

“I am very excited to announce that Rudy Gay will be a part of the Kings for the long term,” said Kings Owner Vivek Ranadivé. “He is an immensely talented player who is critical to our team on and off the court, and he is a significant reason why things are changing in Sacramento. Players as talented as Rudy have their choice on where to play. He is committed to making the Kings great again and we are committed to his success. I am looking forward to seeing a sea of No. 8 jerseys filling the seats of the new arena."

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Gay Reportedly Agrees to Three-Year Extension

The deal was first reported by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, who notes Gay will have a player option for the 2017-18 NBA season. Gay was playing out the final season of a five-year, $82 million contract he originally signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.   

That deal became roundly mocked in basketball circles when Gay, who at the time regularly flashed All-Star potential, stagnated and struggled to fit in next to Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies then traded him to Toronto for an ill-fated 51-game stretch before another deal to Sacramento became mutually beneficial for both parties.

Matt Moore of CBS Sports weighed in on the news:

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Kings reach three-year extension with Rudy Gay http://t.co/XqwBAuQ4Fv Really good value. Everything's coming up Kings.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) November 16, 2014"

Gay, a top option along with DeMarcus Cousins, is off to the best start of his career. He's averaging 22.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game—both career highs—on 44.8 percent shooting. The Kings' offensive efficiency rating is plus-29.4 with Gay on the floor this season, per Basketball Reference. Though they've started a nasty habit of blowing big leads, Sacramento's 6-4 start has some talking about the Kings as a potential spoiler for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

“He’s so talented offensively that his challenge is to be more than a one-dimensional player, not just a scorer,” Kings coach Michael Malone told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “He has the ability to create for himself, create for his teammates, and he’s going to draw a crowd."   

Keeping Gay, especially at that relatively moderate price, is a no-brainer. It will look even better when the new television deal kicks in and sends the salary cap skyrocketing, though it's possible Gay will only play one season under that deal. 

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