Willie Cauley-Stein 's latest story suggests that the Sacramento Kings held him back from potentially achieving what he could have.
During the 2015 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings selected Willie Cauley-Stein with the No. 6 overall pick. The big man was expected to develop into a long-term solution at the five for the organisation.
However, in 2019, at the end of his rookie deal, he joined the Golden State Warriors as a free agent. The big man then bounced to a couple more teams before he was effectively out of the league by 2022.
And while Cauley-Stein never exactly panned out, things could have been different for the Kentucky alum. And his recent story isn't a great look for the Kings franchise, either.
Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
The NBA is a business, and there have historically been some complaints from players about teams managing their minutes to avoid paying them incentives in contracts.
It's a practice that is largely frowned upon. And Cauley-Stein recently told a story which was similar, albeit his was about assurances related to a new contract with the team.
"I'm playing the best basketball I've ever played in my life, averaging damn near 13 points, eight rebounds, a block, a steal," Cauley-Stein said on the Run Your Race podcast. "I'm all over the place.
"I'm locked in more than I've ever been locked in. There would be games where I'm in the fourth quarter and I've got 17 points and six or seven rebounds, and they're not playing me in the fourth quarter.
"The whole time they're telling me, 'If you're a double-double guy, you're going to make $80 million. We're going to give you $80 million.' But then they don't play me in the fourth quarter where I can't get the double-double."
Based on the rest of Cauley-Stein's career, most fans would agree that not paying him $80 million was the best move. But if this story is completely true, it is hard not to sympathise with the player either.
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