I'm going to take a contrarian view and say I like this deal for Sacramento.
If Gay opts out, they save money. If he doesn't, they'll have a $19mm expiring contract next season to try to parlay into an elite player. (The expiring contract won't make such a deal happen by itself, but it has the potential to be a key part of a blockbuster -- which is more than you can say for any of the pieces the Kings sent to Toronto.)
And trading for a chucker with sublime athletic ability who occasionally makes an eye-popping play is a clever way to tank -- because the Kings got the only "name" player in the deal, casual fans (and knucklehead sports writers) will see this as an attempt to improve the team in the short run, and the product on the court might be more entertaining without actually being better.
Now, like so many other teams, the Kings need to hope for those ping-pong balls to bounce their way.
If Gay opts out, they save money. If he doesn't, they'll have a $19mm expiring contract next season to try to parlay into an elite player. (The expiring contract won't make such a deal happen by itself, but it has the potential to be a key part of a blockbuster -- which is more than you can say for any of the pieces the Kings sent to Toronto.)
And trading for a chucker with sublime athletic ability who occasionally makes an eye-popping play is a clever way to tank -- because the Kings got the only "name" player in the deal, casual fans (and knucklehead sports writers) will see this as an attempt to improve the team in the short run, and the product on the court might be more entertaining without actually being better.
Now, like so many other teams, the Kings need to hope for those ping-pong balls to bounce their way.