Small Forwards
When veteran Rudy Gay went down with an Achilles tear, many thought the Sacramento Kings playoffs hopes did. The Kings are currently 9th in the Western Conference, but after the Cousins trade, are most likely headed to the lottery yet again.
This doesn’t mean that Gay can’t be serviceable in the future.
While Gay has said he intends to test free agency (and there will be no shortage of suitors despite his injury), I think the Kings should look to retain him.
Gay has played his best basketball in Sacramento. His best season for them came in his first season with the team, as he averaged 21.1 PPG. Before his injury, he was knocking down the long ball at a 37.2% clip to go with 6.2 RPG. Not bad for a 30-year old “volume scorer”. (That’s not all he does).
If Gay departs and/or the Kings don’t offer him a new contract, they could look to lock up the versatile but injury-prone Tyreke Evans.
While Evans has only played as a 2 this year for the Pelicans, he played as a PG with a very nice stretch of play last seasons. He’s also has a 16.6 PPG average for his career, and can play the 1-3 with ease. The only knock against him is that he can’t stay healthy, and this season has done him no favors, only playing in 26 games. When healthy though, he’s a prolific scorer and could help mentor guys like Hield and McLemore.
It should also be noted that Evans averaged 20.1 PPG in his rookie season in Sacramento, when this was the King’s roster.
Just saying.