In part, that is likely because the Kings still hope to compete for the playoffs this coming season behind a core led by DeMarcus Cousins, Gay, Willie Cauley-Stein, Arron Afflalo and Ben McLemore.
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Gay also isn’t expected to renegotiate a deal with the team, meaning he’s ready to bounce from Sacramento.
Kings want something insane for Gay? Making this known will only hurt Gay’s trade value, so the Kings would be wise to move him sooner rather than later if they don’t want to let him walk for nothing.
Gay, who holds a $14.3 million player option for 2017-18, played in 70 games last season and averaged 17.2 points, his lowest average since his rookie campaign. By declining that option, it seems common knowledge that Gay will try to fish for something bigger, again possible because of the rising National Basketball Association salary cap. But Wojnarowski believes Gay will command a much higher salary in free agency, especially if he can orchestrate a sign-and-trade. With Kevin Durant gone, the Thunder are lacking wing support and scoring sock which make Gay a flawless fit if it can be pulled off. The clock starts now until the February trade deadline which could be a rocky couple of months for both Gay and the Kings.
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Gay still, even at 30, has the untapped potential of a solid player, provided he can find a team that doesn’t need him as their primary scorer and a coach that can get him to work his tail off as a small-ball power forward.
