Should The Sacramento Kings Trade 5th Pick For Rudy Gay Or Andre Iguodala?

While the Sacramento Kings probably don’t have any qualms about the talent that will be available to them at the fifth selection in the 2012 NBA Draft, another rookie, especially one needing a few years of experience isn’t exactly the key to a quickly improved squad, something the Kings front office appears to desire.

Multiple reports in the past few days have acknowledged the availability of players like Memphis’ Rudy Gay or Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala, both of whom play a position of need for the Kings but may find difficulty meshing with the Kings current roster.

Financially, with the Kings being far under the salary cap, they could easily adsorb either of the contracts if the two respective sides could come to an agreement from a talent standpoint, but would the Kings want to?

Gay’s Contract:

12-13: $16,460,538

13-14: $17,888,931

14-15: $19,317,325 (player option)

Iguodala’s Contract:

12-13: $14,718,250 (up to another $750,000 in unlikely incentives)

13-14: $15,904,750 (up to another $750,000 in unlikely incentives, also a player option year)

With both players, you run into some risks, on and off floor. While both are near/border-line All-Star talent, they’re not franchise players despite being paid in a similar capacity. Gay’s the safer bet in terms of contractual length, but also more expensive. Iguodala on the other hand is a year cheaper if the move doesn’t work out, but also is a risk to leave at season end (or in two years, assuming he exercises his player option). One could assume Iguodala would be the “cheaper” and more obtainable of the two talents in a trade, though neither player is going to be sent out with a clearance price tag attached to them.

For the Kings, getting a player of either’s caliber wont happen via free agency, so bringing in higher quality talent will be done by trade, but is it a risk worth taking? Are the Kings better off holding onto the fifth pick? Do they try to move Tyreke Evans in a trade, while keeping the fifth pick, or is it in their best interest to hang onto Evans and the fifth pick? Lots of questions, little answers – so that’s where you come in. Put yourself in the shoes of Geoff Petrie – make the call…