Although bigger things lie on the horizon, the free agency of Darren Collison remains a big question for the Sacramento Kings this offseason.
The 2017 NBA Draft is only a few days away and that has been the focus for the Sacramento Kings for some time now.
While we wait to see what the Kings do in the draft, the decisions they make Thursday will likely give us some indications of the direction they’d like to go in for the rest of the offseason. Of the players currently on the Kings’ roster, no decision will have a bigger impact on what they do this summer than what Darren Collison chooses to do in free agency.
Spending the last three seasons in Sacramento, Collison has been one of the few consistent players the Kings have been able to rely on throughout all the turmoil and dysfunction they’ve experienced in recent memory.
Now with an intriguing summer ahead, Collison appeared on a recent episode of The Kings Insider Podcast with James Ham, touching on all sorts of topics regarding his time in Sacramento and what he’s prioritizing in his free agent decision.
First things first, Collison had this to say on whether a return to Sacramento is a possibility for the 29-year-old, as well as what he thinks of the vision they have in mind for their future:
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"“I think, in the position I’m in, I have to explore everything. Like I said before, some of things that Vlade [Divac] and Peja [Stojakovic] wanted to do with this team, I was all aboard for it. They kind of picked my brain a little bit and I told them what I wanted and that was something that they wanted too.“And that was to have a good locker room, good players and whatever happens after that, happens. So, no, they’re never out of it. These fans, they make it tough for me to say ‘Oh, I never want to come back.’ I do want to come back, if the situation is right. So, I wouldn’t mind coming back.“Of course, I’m going to explore other options as well. That’s because I’m in the position that I’m in. But I think what Sac is doing right now, for this team, what they’re trying to do for the future, I like it. I like the plan, I like what they’re about, I like what they’re trying to do. We’ll see what happens. I just think, if you have a good locker room with good players, anything can happen. Regardless of people saying you’re not going to win or not, anything can happen with those two ingredients.”"
With the Kings angling to take a point guard in the upcoming draft, there’s been some speculation regarding whether a mentor-like role would be of interest to Collison. On the idea of taking a young, rookie point guard under his wing and helping him adjust to the NBA lifestyle, Collison had this to say:
"“That’s something that I’ve always looked forward to, mentoring the younger generation and hopefully they can be better than us. I think regardless of what situation you’re in, whether you’re Steph [Curry], whether you’re Chris Paul, no matter if you’re an All-Star or not, it’s your duty to get players ready for that next level when they’re younger than you.“So regardless of what team I decide to choose, that’s something I’m always going to be looking forward to in mentoring young players. Because I think it’s important. It’s important to the game. If you really love the game, then you’re willing to stick your neck out for these players to get better. So it doesn’t matter. If it’s all for the team, I think that’s how you have success.”"
Of course, taking on that type of role will be a possibility for Collison, no matter if it’s in Sacramento or elsewhere.
From a Kings perspective, Collison’s insight into his upcoming decision is not incredibly illuminating, albeit encouraging to hear. With that being said, the way he fondly looks on the promise of their future — as well as his acceptance and approval of the team’s decision to suddenly go in a different direction following the DeMarcus Cousins trade — is enlightening.
For the time being, the draft will be of the utmost importance for the Kings, considering they have a good chance of rounding out a solid starting five to build and develop for the foreseeable future.
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But less than two weeks separate us from the start of free agency and if his comments are to judge, Collison is at least keeping an open mind on potentially making a return to Sacramento.