by Charlie O. Mallonee

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical is reporting that Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay has told the front office he will opt out of the last year of his three-year contract and not return to the Kings in 2017. There are probably two major reasons for Gay letting this be known now before the start of the season.

First, Gay was upset during the off-season because of a lack of communication from the Kings about the direction of the team and about the rumors he was on the trading block. There has been a new rumor floating in the NBA social media-sphere about a possible Rudy Gay trade almost weekly since just before the NBA Draft.

When Gay went public about his frustration about the lack of communication from the Kings, Vlade Divac – vice president of basketball operations and general manger for Sacramento – said, “He knows my number.” Not exactly what you would call a warm and caring response to the concerns of one your starting five players.

Second, Rudy Gay at $14.3-million in 2017 is a bargain basement contract. With the large salary cap increase in 2016 and another major increase expected in 2017, an experienced player with Gay’s skills can expect to earn well above $14.3-million per year. At age 30, Gay can probably sign a three-year deal with a one-year team option given his age but with a healthy raise included in that contract.

The fact is that any trade for Gay will need to happen before the start of the season. With an opt-out clause, any team that would trade for Gay would want to get full value out of him knowing he may be a one and done player. however given the right situation, a trade could lead to a long-term relationship for Gay and a new team.

The problem is executing a trade for Gay is that Sacramento wants a “Kings” ransom for the small forward. Teams are interested in obtaining Gay’s services but the Kings are asking too much in return for a trade to happen.

The question becomes do you want to go into the season with a key player that is disenchanted and wants out of town? How does that help you rebuild your team and get to the playoffs? The fact is it does not get you to where you want to go. If the Kings are not committed to Rudy Gay, then they need to make the best deal for him they can make. The last thing Sacramento needs is an unhappy starter that they need to depend on for production in order to become a winning team.