JaVale McGee Reportedly Opted to Sign With Kings Over Pacific Rival

The three-time NBA champion's connections to Sacramento may have been the ultimate factor in deciding his future.

Over the summer, the Sacramento Kings made stabilizing moves for the future of their franchise, along with some great additions to last year's record-breaking team. The most recent of those additions is signing former Dallas Mavericks big man JaVale McGee - locking up another big man in the battle for the backup to All-Star C Domantas Sabonis.

While it is likely that we see McGee average more minutes off the bench than other possible suitors such as Alex Len, Nerlens Noel, or Neemias Queta, what McGee brings, regardless of game time, is his championship and league experience. McGee is a three-time NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, entering his 16th NBA season.

While McGee eventually joined the Kings after his waiving, there was also interest floating from the Warriors, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. JaVale's choice to join the Kings over the Warriors could be for several reasons, but one of the largest is Kings head coach Mike Brown.

Mike Brown was a former assistant for the Golden State Warriors, where he spent six seasons and won three championships from 2016-2022. The pre-established rapport between Brown and McGee seemingly played a role in the player's choice of Sacramento over the Bay Area.

.@javalemcgee hopped fresh off the plane and headed straight to see his new teammates 🤝👑 pic.twitter.com/9o8djIDedp

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) September 7, 2023

The move may have been questionable to Kings fans initially due to the rather large number of centers currently on the roster, but it makes a bunch of sense for the organization to bring in a respectable veteran to guide this young team to their ultimate goal.

The Kings pushed the Warriors to seven games in their first playoff appearance in 16 seasons and will only improve as their young core begins to enter their prime years As for the Warriors, their timeline remains on a ticking clock built on the backs of aging star talent.

McGee sees more potential with the Kings over the next few years, electing to take on a heftier challenge in the later stages of his career rather than returning to San Francisco for a curtain call.

---

Follow Inside The Kings on Facebook and X.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!