SACRAMENTO-
The Sacramento Kings held a press conference on Wednesday after team practice to officially announce Rudy Gay’s multi-year contract extension.
The Kings did not announce the terms of the contract, but according to Yahoo Sports, Gay will make $40 million over the next three years. This means he is taking a substantial pay cut, as this season he will make a total of $19.3 million.
Trading for Rudy Gay, as well as signing him to this extension, are some of the several big changes the current Kings ownership group has made to the team’s line-up. There are only two players, DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson, currently on the team’s roster who were on the Kings when Vivek Ranadivé bought the team in May of 2013.
“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.”
Rudy Gay is in his 9th NBA season after being drafted 8th overall by the Memphis Grizzles in the 2006 NBA draft. Following six and a half seasons in Memphis, Gay had a short stint in Toronto before being traded to the Sacramento Kings. Since joining the Kings, Gay’s shooting percentage has been the highest of his career, along with career highs in free throw percentage and assists per game. Gay has appeared in 66 games for the Kings, averaging over 20 points and 5 rebounds per game.
“I feel blessed to be in this situation,” said Gay. “I’m grateful for the confidence the Kings have shown in my abilities and appreciate the way Sacramento and its passionate fans have embraced me and my family from day one. The future is bright for this franchise, and I’m thrilled to play a role in helping the organization succeed on the court and in the community.”
“Ensuring Rudy will remain a member of the Kings’ family is tremendous news for our organization, our fans and the community as a whole,” said D’Alessandro. “This announcement also underscores an unwavering commitment by Vivek Ranadivé to continue building a team that will reestablish a winning tradition in Sacramento.”
The Kings, 6-5, will be hosting the 8-3 Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at Sleep Train Arena, their first game of the season against an Eastern Conference team.
