The Kings have no immediate plans to re-sign Royce White for the rest of season, notes Jonathan Santiago of Cowbell Kingdom (hat tip to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom). Earlier today, we noted that the team had been debating on whether or not to give the 6’8 forward a new contract once his second 10-day deal expired today. With that being said, head coach Michael Malone wouldn’t rule out an eventual return for White in the future:
“The door is not closed…The 10-day has ended, but that doesn’t mean that the relationship has ended for good…I think for him and his future and his career, he has to start amending some of the things that have happened in the past…Everybody here can only speak positively about our time with Royce and as we just mentioned, it doesn’t mean that his time here is over. For right now it is, but I appreciate his hard work.”
Santiago adds that White’s potential future in Sacramento will be up to GM Pete D’Alessandro, who is currently in New York attending personal matters. Malone – who continued to be complimentary in describing White’s stay in Sacramento when speaking with the media – expects D’Alessandro to meet with White and his representation once he returns from that trip.
Though originally drafted by the Rockets in 2012, White hadn’t appeared in an official NBA game until this year with the Kings. The 22-year-old Minneapolis native is yet to register his first career basket as a pro and logged a total of nine minutes over his twenty-day stint in Sacramento.