It seems that Drew Gooden is the final “casualty” of the Amnesty Clause this offseason, which puts the veteran big man on the amnesty waivers for the time being. Unlikely to be too picky about his next destination, there’s a chance the Sacramento Kings become his team in 2013-2014.
The Kings sorely need a backup big man, even if it’s someone like Gooden, who played only 16 times last season. He completed only three seasons off his $32 million, 5-year deal he signed with the Bucks, which was considered by most a bad deal the moment it was signed.
Injuries, and simply preferring to promote the younger generation has pushed Gooden to the edge of the rotation, averaging only 9.4 minutes a night last season, scoring 3.3 points per game. However, most believe there’s still more basketball than what he showed last season, and his number from the first two seasons with the Bucks are closer to what he can bring to the floor each night.
The Kings have DeMarcus Cousins as their starting center, and that’s about it. Jason Thompson, Carl Landry and Patrick Patterson are the team’s power forwards, but the Kings need someone to back Cousins up from the bench. While Gooden is a lot more useful as a power forward, he has done a decent job for the Bucks at center as well, and if it’s not for more than 10-15 minutes a night, it shouldn’t be too damaging to the Kings.
Sacramento are in play for a number of big men at the moment, with Gooden presumably a last resort option, hoping that his Northern California roots mean he won’t mind playing for them. Their top two options at the moment are Greg Oden and Marcus Camby, but most believe that both players would prefer playing for a playoff-bound team, a contender most likely, and the Kings don’t fall into that category, meaning they might have to settle for Gooden.