Ray McCallum was traded to the San Antonio Spurs shortly after midnight eastern time. ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting the Sacramento Kings will receive a second round pick in return.
Sources say San Antonio has agreed to a trade a future second-round pick to Sacramento for Ray McCallum to replace Cory Joseph
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 9, 2015
While the trade may come as a surprise to many Kings fans, it doesn’t shock me. Clearly this move shows McCallum wasn’t a player in the future plans of the organization. With his contract not being guaranteed for 2015 and his free agency coming next summer, moving him for an asset isn’t the worst idea.
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McCallum did show flashes during his two seasons in Sacramento. He would come on at the end of the season when his minutes were greatly increased in addition to his role. This past April, McCallum saw his minutes increased to 33.4. With that playing time he averaged 12.7 points, 4.6 rebound and 4.2 assists.
Those numbers would do enough to show promise and get us Kings fans excited. It was very similar to the way his production increased in his rookie season. With the addition of Rajon Rondo however, to go with Darren Collison the potential for him to have a consistent role was likely not there. Rondo and Collison will likely take most if not all the minutes at the guard spot.
For McCallum, this could be a great thing for his career. He will get a chance to fill a role vacated by Patty Mills. The San Antonio Spurs often turn these kinds of players into guys that get nice paydays. Corey Joseph and Danny Green nod in agreement.
Green was a guy who was barely staying in the NBA in Cleveland and now is an excellent wing defender that shoots well from behind the arc. He leveraged a four-year, $45 million deal to stay in San Antonio. Many believe that his deal is a bargain for the Spurs. Enough about the Spurs.
What does this trade mean for the team we care about? In the short-term this likely means the return of Andre Miller. Not only does Coach George Karl value Miller as a vet who knows his system, but Miller can hopefully get all of the new players on the same page. He can be a coach on the floor and in practice. He also played well after coming to Sacramento at the trade deadline in a deal for Ramon Sessions.
There is one other scenario that could play out. If the Kings continue to move pieces such as Eric Moreland, a deal for Josh Smith could be in the works. Rudy Gay did hint at the potential on his Snapchat recently.
Rudy Gay is Recruiting Josh Smith to the Sacramento Kings, According to His Snapchat http://t.co/2r3OyL98AR pic.twitter.com/cuzl6L5vLD
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) July 5, 2015
I wish nothing but the best to Ray McCallum and hope he flourishes in San Antonio. While this trade isn’t what we want at the moment, it could make the team better for this season, which seems to be the goal of the organization at this moment.