The agent for Kings forward Omri Casspi met with team officials this week, but Casspi denieds that a trade was requested, according to James Ham of CSNBayArea.
Several media outlets reported today that Casspi wants out of Sacramento, but he denied that in a text message sent to CSN. “Zero truth to that,” he wrote. “Zero.”
Casspi, 28, has seen his playing time cut dramatically under new Kings coach Dave Joerger. After starting 21 of 69 games in which he appeared last season and averaging 27.2 minutes per night, Casspi’s minutes have been sliced almost in half.
An injured hip and an illness limited him in training camp, as newcomers Matt Barnes, Anthony Tolliver and Garrett Temple all moved ahead of him in the rotation. Casspi has gotten into just six of the team’s 11 games and is averaging 4.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per night.
Now in his eighth NBA season, Casspi will be a free agent next summer after making $3MM this year. He started his career with the Kings in 2009/10 and rejoined the franchise in 2014/15.
On Friday, there were reports that Sacramento was “open to moving” Willie Cauley-Stein, who has also seen his playing time reduced under Joerger.
Tough being a Kings fan
Getting tougher, that’s for sure