National Basketball Association

Why Rudy Gay Will Still Leave The Kings, Even With His Recent Injury

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:49 p.m. ET

Fansided, Rafe Wong/FanSided via A Royal Pain

Are Rudy Gay’s days in a Sacramento Kings uniform over? This article will explain why they probably are.

With the recent season-ending injury (ruptured Achilles) that Rudy Gay suffered a few weeks ago, the indication is that the Kings’ starting forward might decide to stay with the Sacramento franchise for another season.

Because Gay has a player option in his current contract that is worth north of $14 million, it might be smart for the 6’8” forward to exercise that option as he would be earning a solid salary while spending part of next season rehabbing his injury. But in my opinion, I think Rudy still pursues free agency even though he is injured, and there are two reasons why.

1) Rudy Wants To Leave

First off, Rudy Gay has shown his frustration towards the Sacramento Kings. It even came to the point where Gay declared prior to this season that he would explore free agency this upcoming summer, meaning he will likely join another team for his 2017-2018 campaign.

Jan 18, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

So because Rudy Gay, a player that once labeled the Sacramento franchise as “Basketball Hell”, has shown displeasure towards his current team is one reason why I think he will leave the Kings after this season.

2) Generous Market

Most likely Gay will miss part of the 2017-2018 season due to rehabbing his Achilles, meaning that his free agent value has decreased immensely. Because of this unfortunate reality, many think that Gay will stay with the Kings by exercising his player option that will earn him over $14 million next season. But even with the seriousness of his injury, I think Gay will still get a better offer if he does become a free agent.

The NBA market is increasing rapidly where free agents are getting ridiculous paydays. Players like Tristan Thompson, Timothy Mozgov, and Dennis Schroder (players less established than Gay) are making roughly around $16-17 million a year (more than Gay). That type of contract used to be offered solely for franchise-caliber players.

Don’t get me wrong, $14 million is a ton of money, for the average human being. But based on the NBA market today, that type of money is just a decent salary. I do foresee Gay being offered a deal north of what his player option would grant him.

My explanation why? Wesley Matthews, a player that ruptured his Achilles in the middle of the 2014-2015 season, was able to strike a four-year contract worth over $70 million (average $17.5 million per season) with the Dallas Mavericks in a time when the NBA market had a lower salary cap.

So because the NBA salary cap is rising and the fact that Wesley Matthews, a player that endured the same situation that Rudy Gay is facing now, was still able to receive a massive payday is another reason why I think Rudy Gay’s days with the Kings are soon to be over.

Final Thoughts

Even though Rudy Gay recently ruptured his Achilles, I do not believe his injury will interfere with his plans on becoming a free agent this summer.

Based on what has been reported, it seems like Gay is ready for a new environment to play in. Plus the NBA market today is ridiculously high that NBA teams are the paying the average player a salary that would lead to the jaws of NBA greats to drop.

Rudy Gay has been a Sacramento King for the last 3 ½ seasons, and during that time, he has been a valuable asset. In the 223 games that he wore purple, Gay has averaged 19.3 points a game while shooting 46.4% from the floor, solid numbers for a second scoring option.

But even though Gay’s numbers have been good with the Kings, I do believe that his desire to leave his current team and the rising of the average NBA salary will lead to the end of the Rudy Gay experiment in Sacramento.