Here we go again with Carl Landry. It has been a rough ride with Landry since he joined the Sacramento Kings. His time in Sacramento thus far has been plagued by injury and ineffectiveness. He inked a four-year, $26 million deal with the Kings, after playing well in a reserve role for the Golden State Warriors in the 2012-2013 season — appearing in 81 games.
In his first season back with the Sacramento Kings, he was only able to play 18 games. Landry was able to suit up for 71 games last season, which was a marked improvement. However, at the end of the season Landry injured his wrist. This injury cost him five games and hampered his play as the season finished up.
Sir Charles In Charge
News has now surfaced that Landry will need surgery on his ailing wrist. This surgery will have Landry out four to five months as he recovers. The proposed time table will potentially keep him out for the start of the season. This news will be frustrating for Kings fans. Teams like to avoid surgery if possible, hoping the injury will heal on its own. Unfortunately, with surgery now being in the cards, patience is now key.
This is a huge blow for the Kings, for multiple reasons. They have the potential to shuffle their roster this offseason and Landry is a piece that could have made a ton of sense to move. With George Karl taking over, Landry seemed to be a player that did not make sense to keep as part of the core moving forward despite the Kings paying him like he was.
The Kings are rumored to be interested in acquiring a new point guard — some names that could make sense are Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings, and Kyle Lowry. Moving a contract like Landry’s may help the Kings feel better about sending away their sixth overall pick for talent. Now a potential deal would likely have to include Jason Thompson to make the deal work.
Moving the focus from the upcoming offseason to the 2015-2016 season, potentially not having Landry could hurt the Kings as well. Assuming Landry is on the roster, the Kings will need to find a way for him to make a positive impact on a nightly basis. Omri Casspi and Derrick Williams are currently free agents and their return to the Kings is uncertain at best. Landry will likely need to fill some of those minutes. The pressure to add front court depth has intensified with this injury.
Moving Landry during the season, who is set to make $6.75 million each of the next two seasons, will prove to be a major task. If a team were willing to take on his contract, they would likely need draft compensation, a young asset, or would have to take a bad contract in return.
The Landry news is another hurdle the Kings will need to clear this offseason as they push to be a playoff team heading into their new arena in 2016.
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