Trey Lyles entered free agency this offseason after spending the past three-and-a-half seasons with the Sacramento Kings. It's September, and with his name still on the market, Lyles decided to take his professional basketball future into his own hands. Several outlets reported on Thursday that Lyles is finalizing a deal with Real Madrid.
The news might not have come entirely out of the blue (again, we're months into free agency), but it's still quite surprising, considering he played 69 games for Sacramento last season. Lyles averaged 6.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, shooting 42% from the field and 34% from three. Those aren't numbers that will get you automatically booted from the NBA.
He was one of the best forward free agent options remaining, but it seems like Lyles favored having an increased role overseas. The deal should also give him more money, as he likely would've signed a veteran's minimum deal if he stayed in the NBA.
Trey Lyles reportedly finalizing a deal to play overseas
The Jazz drafted Lyles with the No. 12 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He spent two seasons in Utah before he was traded to Denver in a package that included the No. 13 pick in the 2017 draft, Donovan Mitchell.
Lyles hopped around from team to team before he landed with the Kings in 2022 as part of a midseason trade. Sacramento is where he had his best stint by far in the NBA, resulting in him re-signing a two-year, $16 million deal as a free agent in 2023.
Even though Lyles hit free agency for a second time since joining the Kings, the belief was that he'd potentially return to Sacramento on a deal that wouldn't be worth $8 million annually, like his previous contract. If not the Kings, with another team. Within a matter of months, Lyles went from an NBA rotation player to leaving the league.
Nothing has been reported yet about the financial terms of Lyles' deal with Real Madrid, or what motivated him to go overseas. He's 29, so you can't rule out an eventual return to the NBA, but he might've already played in his final game. If so, it happened in Sacramento, where Lyles finished with five points, six rebounds, and one assist in the Kings' Play-In loss to the Mavericks.
It was a good run.