The Sacramento Kings have agreed with Darren Collison on a fully guaranteed, three-year, $16 million deal, according to LA Times beat reporter Brad Turner.
Darren Collison agrees to 3-year, $16 million deal with Sacramento Kings
The Los Angeles Clippers’ backup point guard will move north to join DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Free agent guard Darren Collison agrees to 3 year, $16 milion deal with Sacramento, sources, leaving the Clippers.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) July 3, 2014 Collison finished last season on the Clippers averaging 11.4 points, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. With Chris Paul battling a shoulder injury, head coach Doc Rivers relied on Collison not only to spell his All-Star point guard but to replace him in the lineup for the month of January and into the first week of February.
Kings intend to create room for Collison's non-taxpayer mid-level deal by waiving and stretching a player, source says.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) July 3, 2014 Sacramento, who is over the cap after Rudy Gay opted into the final year of his contract, will need to make room for Collison's deal. According to CBS Sports' Ken Berger, the Kings will waive one player to clear space for Collison.
How Collison fits in with the Kings is still a bit of a mystery. The deal is for him to come in and be the starting point guard, according to USA Today's Sam Amick. Collison is known more as a defender than anything, and it's unsure what the Kings plan to do with restricted free agent and second-leading scorer Isaiah Thomas. After Collison's deal, Sacramento can use the stretch provision, which allows teams to waive a player and extend his salary out over three seasons for cap purposes, to clear space to match an offer for Thomas.
Thomas is likely to garner serious attention from teams in need of a starting guard, and signing Collison is nothing if insurance against a hefty offer sheet.
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