Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein cleared up a snippet a reporter overheard following the team's loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, when he turned toward rookie Marvin Bagley III to say: “I can’t wait to get out.”
The phrase was misinterpreted as the potential end of WCS in Sac-Town, but the 7-footer soon clarified that the “vibe” wasn’t right that night, and that he just wanted the night of questions to come to an end, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Cauley-Stein had expressed frustration in the past, saying things like: “I’ve still got more skills that haven’t been brought out” and “we don’t take advantage of everything I have” — yet the center remained noncommittal to a return.
“I just want to hoop freely,” Cauley-Stein said. “That’s kind of the biggest thing for me, just going somewhere, whether it’s here or anywhere else, and taking that next evolution to the game where you’re not just a rim runner.”
The Kentucky product was hoping this would be the year to convince the Kings that he's worth an extension of his rookie contract, but while there has been some development, the general feeling is that it hasn't been enough to be a no-brainer.
Bagley's stellar play during his rookie season and rumors of potentially looking into Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic as a potential offseason addition certainly don't bode well for Cauley-Stein.
He seems to have the support of his teammates, who have played a large part in the franchise developing into a borderline playoff candidate.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen this offseason,” Hield said. “Hopefully he’s back with us, but if he has a better opportunity, go take it. I would never stop anybody from taking an opportunity if they feel it’s best for them. So he’s our teammate, we love him and we wish him all the best, but it’s not my decision. It’s management’s decision and it’s his decision.”
When it comes to Cauley-Stein, it will likely be a wait-and-see game, according to how the franchise feels it's best to tackle the offseason. Vucevic is coming off a career-best season and if the Magic make the playoffs, he could likely get offered to remain in Orlando in the near future.
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