Sacramento Kings wing Garrett Temple has a player option to return next season. Continue reading to find out more about his decision.
The Sacramento Kings enter the offseason with a young rebuilding roster intact, but that does not mean free agency decisions are not upcoming. The Kings finished with 27 victories this season and a full 20 games behind the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The roster needs some work, but the team appears to be trending up. Next year will be about progress as the organization builds towards a playoff return in the near future.
Temple to return?
Today, we will focus on a contract decision that the Kings organization does not have the choice to make. Garrett Temple has an $8 million player option for next season. The Sacramento organization values Temple’s leadership and defensive abilities, so they are not against the 31-year-old agreeing to return next season. Temple has also done a ton of community outreach in his two years in the California capital. Below is a Tweet from Jason Jones regarding Temple’s upcoming decision.
After the game Garrett Temple said he hadn't decided on whether to pick up his player option for next season but said he would be happy to return to the Kings. Liked his role this season, believes he can still play 3-4 more seasons, too. Kings love having Temple here, too.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) April 12, 2018
Let us now examine some factors that are likely to play a role in Temple’s decision. Then, I will make my prediction on his decision before sharing some final thoughts. Without further ado, let us jump right into it.
Temple’s choice goes beyond the court
Temple is an excellent role player who had arguably his two best seasons during his current contract with the Kings, but his decision has a lot to do with off the court implications as well. He has won the Oscar Robertson Triple-Double award in two consecutive seasons. Temple joins Corliss Williamson as the only other player to do so. The award goes to the King who demonstrates the best both on and off the court. Temple also is active in the community and just a leader of this young team in every sense of the word. You can read more about his social efforts here via the Kings official website.
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That bond with the Sacramento community could be a significant factor in Temple’s decision. Yes, he could make similar efforts in any NBA city, but there is a comfort in knowing your surroundings. The relationships are already in place in Sacramento, and he could look at it is unfinished business in many ways. I believe Temple wants to be with the Kings to continue to lead this young team and his off-court activism as well. He has eight million other reasons to stay, but his leadership roles may be the deciding factor.
What to expect on the open market
The money and stability of a longer-term contract can always be reasons to change teams. If Temple accepts his option, he has, in essence, a one-year $8 million deal with the Kings. They could extend his contract, but that seems unlikely until after next season. The question becomes what can Temple get on the open market? Let us try to answer that inquiry.
Temple turns 32 on May 8, but should still have a few productive years left in the league. He signed a three-year $24 million deal with the Kings in 2016, so there is that precedent.
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A look at last year’s market shows a mixed bag for wing players over 30 years old. Kyle Korver at age 36 snagged a three-year deal worth $22 million from Cleveland, but players like Jodie Meeks (two-years $7 million) and Nick Young (one-year $5.2 million) are making less than Temple’s player option over the length of their contract. Jamal Crawford (two-years $8.9 million) did better, and P.J. Tucker knocked it out of the park securing four-years and $32 million from the Rockets. One could argue Temple is more on par with Meeks and Swaggy P, but it depends on what a team is willing to pay for leadership. I would say it is about a coin flip gamble that Temple gets more $8 million and he is likely looking at a one or two year contract on the open market.
Desire to play for a contender
The desire to chase a ring usually increases as a player advances in age. Men like Temple who have yet to earn that illustrious ring often are willing to take less money in hopes of achieving that goal. David West has done so each of the past two seasons if you are searching for an example. Temple knows staying with the Kings next season eliminates him from title contention. He is also only 32. As an eight-year veteran in the league, his career is more than half over, but it is also not going to be his final season. I would venture that Temple has three to five more productive seasons in him. Giving up $8 million to play for the veteran minimum on the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets does not seem like something Temple will do at age 32.
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Ideally, Temple would like to leave this option open, though. He will want another player option in year two or three of any deal to potentially chase a ring as the sun sets on his NBA career. The guaranteed money and options are something to monitor if another multi-year deal presents itself at some point this offseason.
Verdict
Garrett Temple returns to the Sacramento Kings next season. I would not be shocked to see the team give him a multi-year deal. They value his leadership and off court contributions too much to let him leave. Temple also likely knows that he isn’t getting more than $8 million to play next season and he enjoys the city and team. The fit seems to be there. Expect Temple to agree to play on his player option if a longer-term contract from Sacramento is not on the table before the deadline.
Temple will man the wing next season with the combination of Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Justin Jackson. I suspect the Kings add other combo forward in the draft or free agency to complete this grouping. That will depend a lot on if they move up in the lottery and who is available when Sacramento selects in June. Stay tuned as this storyline gets resolved and for plenty more offseason moves the Kings will make this summer.
Next: Why Buddy Hield will be the Sixth Man of the Year soon
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