Kings Forward Wants Off the Team!

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        Forward Sasha Vezenkov was a EuroLeague MVP who signed with the Sacramento Kings last summer on a three-year, $19.9 million deal with the final year being a club option. He was originally drafted in 2017 with the 57 overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets however he did not play in the NBA, continuing his international career. They still had his draft rights until trading it to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the James Harden blockbuster deal in 2020. It would then get moved to Sacramento after finalizing an agreement ahead of the 2022 draft. 



        In the summer of 2023, the Kings were able to convince Vezenkov to make the leap from the EuroLeague to the NBA. There were some high expectations for him especially as a three-point shooter. Vezenkov's style resembles Klay Thompson's such as not needing many dribbles to catch fire. It was quite a unique situation, a then 27-year-old rookie. 



        Vezenkov played in 42 games this season and averaged 5.4 points while shooting 44% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists and steals per game. He was quite inconsistent and at some point was in and out of the rotation. His best game was against the Phoenix Suns when he scored a career-high 16 points while shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range, also recording three steals. Vezenkov also dealt with some injuries towards the end of the season but clearly had a hard time adjusting to the league. 



        It's been recently reported by "Eurohoopsnet" that Vezenkov has informed the Kings that he wants to leave the organization. He wants to be traded to a team he sees as a better fit or get bought out from his contract and return to Europe. Vezenkov has two years left on his deal, with the final season being a club option worth up to $6.9 million. It's not simple for the Kings to waive him as his deal is still fully guaranteed for next season but if he comes out and says that he is certain about wanting to return to Europe then an option could be that his contract gets traded to another team that would eat up the rest of his deal. There is still a lot of summertime to go to see how this situation plays out. 
Location: Miami, FL, USA

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