Terence Davis

Terence Davis To Seek $9MM Per Year As RFA?

Kings guard Terence Davis won’t accept his modest $1.9MM qualifying offer in free agency this offseason, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, who reports that Davis is expected to seek a new contract worth in the neighborhood of $9MM annually.

Davis, who signed with the Raptors as an undrafted free agent in 2019, earned a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team a year ago, then was traded to the Kings at the 2021 trade deadline. He played some of the best basketball of his career down the stretch in Sacramento, averaging 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game on .439/.372/.784 shooting in 27 games (21.5 MPG).

Near the end of the season, Davis spoke about a desire to re-sign with the Kings, and the team will have the ability to match any offer he receives, since he’ll be a restricted free agent.

Anderson likens Davis’ situation to that of Grizzlies guard De’Anthony Melton, who reached restricted free agency in 2020 after two NBA seasons. Melton – whose offensive numbers weren’t as strong as Davis’ but whose reputation as a defender is stronger – signed a four-year contract worth just shy of $35MM, without a full guarantee on the fourth year. Based on Anderson’s report, Davis will be looking to match or top that deal.

Although the Kings don’t hold Davis’ full Bird rights, they’ll have his Early Bird rights, giving them the ability to sign him directly to a new contract or to match any offer sheet he signs with another team.

A rival suitor could put pressure on Sacramento by backloading a three- or four-year offer via the Gilbert Arenas provision. However, I’d be surprised if bidding on Davis is that competitive — his track record is limited and the domestic assault allegations he faced earlier in his career may make teams wary of investing significantly in the 24-year-old.

Kings Notes: Walton, King, Sunday’s Game, Reserves

Luke Walton says he’s “very confident” he’ll be retained as the Kings’ head coach, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reports.

Monetary factors may work in Walton’s favor, Anderson notes. He’s reportedly owed $11.5MM over the next two seasons and first-year GM Monte McNair has publicly expressed support for Walton, pointing out the progress made by several key players.

Walton is focused on better results for next season.

“We have an offseason plan put in place from when they’re going to be in Sacramento, and what coaches will be working with them, and what we need them focused on,” Walton said. “Clearly, a big thing for all young players is developing in the weight room as well, but it’s good, after you get a taste of what the NBA is all about, to be able to really fine tune some things in the offseason.”

We have more on the Kings:

Pacific Notes: Haliburton, T. Davis, A. Davis, LeBron, Ibaka

Injuries limited Tyrese Haliburton to 58 games during his rookie season, but he still looks like a major steal in last year’s draft, writes James Ham of NBC Sports California. The Iowa State guard slid all the way to the 12th pick on draft night, delighting the Kings, who had been hoping to get their hands on him.

“We had even been trying to move up and secure him,” general manager Monte McNair said in a recent TV interview. “When he ultimately fell to No. 12, obviously you never know how it will turn out, but in that moment, we were extremely excited. … I think we may have made a record-setting quick call to the league to lock that pick in. Like I said, he’s even exceeded those expectations and we had very high expectations of him through all of our draft prep and everything.”

Haliburton made a strong case for a spot on the All-Rookie team, averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. A hyperextended left knee ended his season early, but Ham states that the Kings are confident he’ll be ready for a full summer program with the team in preparation for next season.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Terence Davis had a short stay in Toronto, but it sounds like he wants to be with the Kings a lot longer, notes Jason Jones of The Athletic. The Raptors traded Davis to Sacramento in March, and he likes his new situation enough that he’s leaning toward re-signing when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer. “It’s definitely looking like that,” Davis said. “It’s looking really good for me. I would say this is some of the best basketball I’ve played in my career, even in college, this is a stretch of some of the best games I’ve played in my entire life.”
  • The Lakers continue to be careful with their stars as the season winds down. According to an ESPN storyAnthony Davis will sit out tonight against the Rockets after experiencing tightness in his left adductor during Tuesday’s game. He will join LeBron James, who announced earlier today that he will delay his return until at least Saturday. James visited an ankle specialist last week, sources told ESPN, and was able to practice Monday without having difficulty with making sharp cuts and jumping.
  • Serge Ibaka has already been listed as out for Thursday’s game, but the Clippers remain hopeful he can return before the regular season ends Sunday, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Ibaka, who has missed the past 29 games with lower back tightness, is traveling with the team on its current road trip.

Pacific Notes: CP3, Suns, Oubre, Kings, Metu

The Suns, who last made the NBA postseason 11 years ago, remain very much in the hunt for the top seed in the Western Conference, as their 41-16 mark puts them just a game-and-a-half behind the 43-15 Jazz. While the ongoing development of several young Phoenix players has been a major factor in the team’s improvement, the offseason arrival of Chris Paul was arguably the key turning point in making the Suns a legitimate contender.

“I don’t have enough time to talk about everything he’s done,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said of Paul, per Royce Young of ESPN. “He’s brought such a — he’s improved the winning mentality. All of our guys want to win. But when you see a guy that has done it from afar and then you look at how he does it, from his diet to the exercise routine he has every day, and then in game when he’s able to be in those situations and really lift the level of our team, it’s pretty cool to watch.”

In addition to impressing Williams, who said he has “story after story” about the impact Paul has had in Phoenix, the veteran point guard has made a lasting impression on his young teammates, including fellow All-Star guard Devin Booker.

“I’m inspired every day. I tell Chris that every day. It’s not something I’m going to take for granted,” Booker said of his Suns’ backcourt mate. “I pick his brain. I listen to him — closely. I watch how he moves, and even when he’s not talking or leading us, I just watch how he goes about his business. There’s so much respect for him and not just from me, but leaguewide and worldwide.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Warriors forward Kelly Oubre made some comments in March suggesting he wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of coming off the bench, but he accepted a reserve role in stride upon his return to action on Monday, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters (video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). Oubre’s role as a sixth man gives the second unit a boost this season and could be a preview of next season’s rotation if the 25-year-old re-signs with Golden State, writes Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area.
  • The Kings have been in a brutal slump this month, but their deadline additions continue to look good, as Delon Wright and Terence Davis played key role in a Sunday win that snapped a nine-game losing streak, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic.
  • Kings big man Chimezie Metu, who missed nearly a month-and-a-half earlier this season due to broken wrist he suffered when he was thrown to the court by Jonas Valanciunas, said he’s not holding a grudge toward the Grizzlies center, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays. “It is frustrating looking back on it at times because who knows what could have happened in those six weeks for myself and what that could have meant for my career or for the team, for the team’s success,” Metu said. “… It’s tough looking back at it. It was tough in the moment, but I hold no hate in my heart for Valanciunas.”

Pacific Notes: T. Davis, Kings, Thompson, Craig

Terence Davis hopes last week’s trade to the Kings will give him a fresh start and help him leave off-the-court issues behind, writes James Ham of NBC Sports. After scoring 27 points Saturday in a narrow loss to the Bucks, Davis addressed the legal matters that arose in October when he was still with the Raptors.

Davis was originally charged with seven counts of domestic violence, but all charges relating to an alleged assault were eventually dropped by the New York District Attorney’s office. He still faces two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal mischief, but those will reportedly dissolve in a year if he avoids further legal trouble.

“When you’re going through something like that, it defines you as a person, as a man, for me, as a father,” Davis said. “I’m just excited to be here, excited to be a part of the Kings. I’m happy man, I’m ready to get to work and continue to work. This is a fresh start for me, man, I just want to take advantage of it.

“As an individual, I’m a tough dude. You know, just having to deal with so much. I haven’t really seen my son in a while. I’m getting kinda teary right now, man, just talking about this situation. I’ve been through a lot. I’m just happy to be here and happy that the Kings welcomed me with open arms.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Kings‘ new additions were noticeable for the energy they brought to Saturday’s game, while the holdovers didn’t seem to provide as much toughness and competitiveness, observes James Jones of The Athletic. The Kings have lost some of their veteran leaders in recent years and they’re hoping to get those qualities from Davis, Maurice Harkless and Delon Wright, who were all acquired at the deadline. “I’m excited about these guys our front office brought in,” coach Luke Walton said. “I think that will, with some more time, will continue to get us there faster. But when they come in, there’s an intensity level they’re playing with. And that’s how it has to be at the start of games, middle of games.”
  • Klay Thompson delivered a message to his Warriors teammates after a 53-point loss Friday night, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. The injured guard talked about the need to uphold the tradition that the franchise has built. “He was just kind of going off about how he missed the game and how it’s just not acceptable to lose this way,” Kent Bazemore said. “He’s fired up, man. It’s hard watching, regardless if you’re playing or not playing.”
  • The Suns acquired Torrey Craig at the deadline, but they were hoping to add him last offseason, coach Monty Williams tells Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Craig said he wanted to sign with Phoenix at the time, but “pretty crazy and pretty wild and unpredictable” things happened and he chose the Bucks instead.

Kings Notes: Wright, Davis, Harkless, Bagley

There was speculation in the weeks leading up to March 25 that the Kings could be major sellers at the trade deadline, with players like Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, and Richaun Holmes frequently mentioned as possible candidates to be on the move.

However, general manager Monte McNair chose another direction, making a series of smaller-scale deals to add talent to the current roster, rather than dealing away established veterans for long-term assets. While Sacramento didn’t go all-in, the team’s deadline deals made clear that the playoffs are still a goal in 2021.

“I think really we saw this year that there were maybe some traditional buy/sell moves, but I think where we categorize ourselves was like, value buyers,” McNair said, per James Ham of NBC Sports California. “We kinda explored all opportunities and this is what came to the forefront.”

As Sean Cunningham of ABC10 tweets, McNair said the Kings entered the deadline hoping to add depth and defense, and he felt like they did that by acquiring Delon Wright, Terence Davis, Maurice Harkless, and Chris Silva.

Here’s more on the Kings:

  • The Kings’ deadline deals are paying dividends so far, with Wright, Davis, and Harkless helping the team extend its winning streak to five games on Monday night in San Antonio, Ham writes for NBC Sports California. “Delon does a great job of making sure our pace is good. TD adds an aggressiveness on both sides of the ball. Moe is just savvy, smart, knows where to be,” center Richaun Holmes said of his new teammates. “Those guys came in ready to fit in and ready to help the team.”
  • Kings big man Marvin Bagley III has remained away from the team while he recovers from his left hand fracture, but he has remained in constant communication with the Kings and the plan is for him to rejoin the club as he gets closer to returning to action, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
  • In case you missed it, an earlier report indicated that Holmes’ price tag in free agency this summer could be upwards of $20MM per year, with Charlotte among the teams expected to challenge Holmes for free agent center.

Raptors Trade Terence Davis To Kings

9:30pm: The Davis deal is official, per an official Kings press release.

“Terence is a talented young player that adds depth and scoring ability to our backcourt,” GM Monte McNair said. “We are excited to see what he brings to Sacramento.”


1:55pm: The Kings and Raptors have agreed to a trade that will send second-year guard Terence Davis to Sacramento in exchange for a future second-round pick, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The second-rounder will be the Grizzlies’ second-rounder that was owed to the Kings in this year’s draft, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets.

Sacramento will need to clear a roster spot for Davis. It must do the same in its reported 2-for-1 deal with Miami that will send Nemanja Bjelica to the Heat for Maurice Harkless and Chris Silva.

The undrafted Davis, who played college ball at Ole Miss, made a surprisingly strong debut for the Raptors last season. He averaged 7.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.6 APG in 16.8 MPG while appearing in 72 regular-season contests. He has been less effective this season in 34 appearances, averaging 6.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 1.1 APG in 14.5 MPG.

The Kings can make him a restricted free agent this offseason by extending a qualifying offer of $2.06MM. They can evaluate how Davis fits into their future plans over the next two months.

Davis had a tumultuous offseason in which he was arrested in New York and had domestic assault charges filed against him. A handful of the seven charges against Davis were dismissed. The judge in the case technically granted an “adjournment in contemplation of dismissal” for criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child, which means those charges will also be dropped as long as the he doesn’t run afoul of the law again for the next year.

Domestic Assault Charges Against Terence Davis Dismissed

11:09am: As Blake Murphy of The Athletic explains (via Twitter), five of the seven charges against Davis were dismissed. The judge in the case technically granted an “adjournment in contemplation of dismissal” for criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child, which means those charges will also be dropped as long as the Raptors guard doesn’t run afoul of the law again for the next year.


10:29am: The New York District Attorney’s office has dismissed the domestic assault charges against Raptors guard Terence Davis, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Those charges stemmed from an October 2020 incident at a Manhattan hotel. Davis’ girlfriend, who visited him at the hotel, alleged that he hit her multiple times after a verbal dispute, then grabbed her phone and broke it. Davis was arrested and faced counts of assault, harassment, and criminal mischief, as well as endangering the welfare of a child, as the woman’s young son was allegedly present.

While Davis won’t face any legal ramifications as a result of those allegations, the NBA and NBPA continue to conduct their own investigation into the matter, as Doug Smith of The Toronto Star tweets. Depending on the outcome of that investigation, the league could discipline the second-year guard, but that’s significantly less likely now that the charges have been dismissed.

A member of the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team in 2019/20, Davis hasn’t played quite as regular a role for the Raptors so far this season. After appearing in all 72 regular season games as a rookie, he has been held out of six contests in 2020/21 and his minutes per game average has dipped from 16.8 to 13.3.

Still, Davis’ offensive numbers (6.5 PPG on .434/.378/.900 shooting) have been respectable, given his limited role, and the team has a slightly better net rating when he plays than when he sits. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors’ Start, Johnson, Thibodeau, Nets

The Raptors are struggling to cope with a slow start, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Fred VanVleet, who opted to re-sign with the club, admits that the 1-5 start has been tough to take.

“This is probably uncharted territory for most of us,” VanVleet said. “Just speaking for myself, I’ve never been a part of something like this. … There’s a boatload of problems and we’ve got to find ways to solve them.”

Pascal Siakam and free agent signee Aron Baynes have performed poorly in the early going.

“I think [Siakam] is gonna work himself back into it a little bit more, and I think we don’t worry about it,” Kyle Lowry said. “We can’t worry about him too much. We’ve got to figure it out and all of us come together.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Stanley Johnson has displaced Matt Thomas in the Raptors’ rotation, Bontemps tweets. Coach Nick Nurse wants more size on the wing and has been disappointed in the play of both Thomas and Terence Davis. Johnson, noted for his defense, played 11 scoreless minutes but contributed two assists and three steals in 11 minutes against Boston on Monday. Davis held his rotation spot, scoring 13 points in 17 minutes. Johnson exercised a $3.8MM player option prior to the season and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
  • Julius Randle has been the Knicks’ top player in their 4-3 start, and he gives plenty of credit to new coach Tom Thibodeau, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Randle said Thibodeau’s attention to detail has created a greater focus. “Thibs every day is on us,” he said. “He’s a great leader for us and given us a game plan we believe in every day and we’re coming into every game focused and locked into the game plan of what we need to do.”
  • The Nets are below .500 and won’t have Kevin Durant for as many as four games. But coach Steve Nash sees a silver lining, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “Plenty to clean up,” Nash said. “It’s early. We can’t lose our minds over it, and we can’t get overly frustrated. … And you know what? It’s good for us. It’s good to get a little tension. We’ve got to get comfortable being uncomfortable, so here we are.”

Raptors Notes: Anunoby, Tampa, Harden, Watson, Davis

After signing a four-year contract extension with the Raptors on Monday, OG Anunoby said that he decided to prioritize long-term security over attempting to maximize his potential earnings with a strong contract year.

Just not knowing what the future holds and just securing something,” Anunoby said in explaining his motivation, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). “Risk, reward… We definitely thought about it. We considered it. We went back and forth, for sure.”

Anunoby, who is already an excellent defender, said on Tuesday that he believes he’s capable of more on offense than he has shown, tweets Lewenberg. If that’s the case, his four-year, $72MM contract could end up being a steal for the Raptors. Either way, the deal won’t prevent the team from opening up enough cap room to pursue an impact player or two during the 2021 offseason, as Lewenberg writes at TSN.ca.

Here’s more on the Raptors: