Kings hope to use Hall of Famers, digital tour of new arena to impress Rudy Gay
Sacramento Kings officials are bringing two Hall of Famers to meet forward Rudy Gay on Tuesday in hopes of convincing him to exercise the option in his contract for next season, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Gay has to decide by June 30 whether to exercise a contract option that will pay him $19.3 million next season. Hall of Famers Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, a former Kings star, are expected to join Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, general manager Pete D'Alessandro and head coach Michael Malone when they meet with Gay.
Gay was originally expected to have the meeting in his offseason home of Memphis, but preferred to have it in Sacramento.
When asked recently about his decision process, Gay told Yahoo Sports: "I'm just taking my time. That's all."
If Gay opts into his contract for next season, it could pave the way for future extension talks. During the meetings, the Kings also will have Gay wear a headset with eyewear that will give him a complete virtual digital tour of the inside of the new Kings arena, including the locker room and arena floor. The new Kings arena is expected to open in September 2016.
The Kings acquired Gay from the Toronto Raptors in a seven-player trade on Dec. 9, 2013. He averaged 20.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 55 games for Sacramento last season. The Kings finished 28-54 last season, the third-worst record in the Western Conference.
