We all knew that Vince Carter was returning for a 20th NBA season next year, we just didn’t know where he’d be playing.
On Thursday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 40-year-old will be playing with the Sacramento Kings next season after agreeing to a one-year, $8 million deal.
A lot of basketball fans were taken by surprise after they heard the news, because they thought for sure he would want to chase a championship in what could possibly be his last NBA season.
The eight-time NBA All-Star and 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion stated earlier this summer that he would be willing to take a pay cut in order to get a chance to play with the Golden State Warriors, but he also stated that he wasn’t planning on coming off the bench just to chase a title.
“I want to play. For sure. The chasing of the championship thing … I just feel like if I’m 43, 44 … when it gets there and I’m not able to compete at that level and someone still would love to have me on their bench, then maybe,” Carter explained in an interview with NBA TV. “But right now I want to play, I want to contribute. I think I can play in this league. I’m looking to play
some minutes.”
The Sacramento Kings have not made the playoffs or finished above .500 since the 2005-06 season, but Carter is hoping to be a leader on a young team and help them get their NBA career headed down the right path.
As you can probably expect, Carter’s decision to sign with the Kings received some very mixed reviews online.
Vince Carter averaged 6.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in three seasons with the Grizzlies and has a career average of 18.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
