The Sacramento Kings have been involved in the rumor mill as of late, with Ben McLemore and Rudy Gay being mentioned as potential trade pieces.
Kings general manager Vlade Divac has now made it clear, however, that he does not intend to move either player any time soon.
It was recently reported that the Kings had turned down a trade that would have sent McLemore to the Milwaukee Bucks, in exchange for point guard Michael Carter-Williams. Striking down that deal indicates that the organization wanted to keep the the 23-year-old for the long-term.
“You’re going to receive a lot of calls, you’re going to make a lot of calls,” Divac told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “We’re very happy with Ben (McLemore), the way he’s progressing this summer. He’s a very young player that we like a lot, so we’re going to keep him.”
When asked about his plans for Gay, Divac suggested that he sees the 30-year-old as an integral part of the current roster:
“Rudy is a tremendous talent, he’s somebody that’s beautiful to watch the way he plays,” Divac said. “We think Rudy is a big part of this team to be successful, so we decide to go with him. If he decides to stay next year, that’s great. If he decides to leave, that’s fine. But we want to make sure we compete this year.”
It could just be all talk, and if the right deal is offered, you never know if Divac could pull the trigger on a trade. For now though, it seems Gay and McLemore are safe in Sacramento.
During the 2015-16 season, Gay averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while McLemore put up 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
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