The Kings’ curious inclusion of player options for deep reserves is coming back to bite them.
Not only is Quincy Acy opting out for a likely raise, so is Seth Curry.
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
The Kings can and likely will make Curry a restricted free agent by extending a $1,215,696 qualifying offer, so they have more leverage than they do with Acy. But it’ll still likely cost Sacramento more than the qualifying offer, let alone the $1,015,696 minimum salary he was due to make next season, to keep Curry.
Playing a major role in the Kings’ final 11 games, when they rested their top players, Curry averaged 15.2 points on 46.8% shooting – including 48.4% on 3-pointers – and 3.8 assists per game. Small sample? Yes, but Curry looked like he belonged in the NBA. You don’t have to search far to find a successful player with a similar background who was overlooked for much of his life.
How much the Kings will pay Curry could depend on Rajon Rondo, who’s an unrestricted free agent. Sacramento also has Darren Collison under contract. Curry would be a luxury as a third point guard, more of a risk as the primary backup.
With Curry restricted, at least the Kings get a little more time to figure out the position.