According to Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News, the Kings will sign guard-forward Antoine Wright, who holds career averages of 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game, to a one-year contract. Rather than bring in another temporary stopgap, or risk a repeat of the failed Desmond Mason experiment -- 13 points scored in five games before his release early last season — Sacramento decided to take a chance on the talented but underachieving 26-year-old swingman.
With Donté Greene and Omri Casspi poised to compete for the starting small forward position, and a healthy Francisco Garcia serving as the top reserve, Wright isn't likely to see a lot of playing time. While he still has the potential to develop into a solid defender and a crafty offensive wing player, he's yet to find a niche in the NBA. He will essentially fill the role that Ime Udoka, who's now highly unlikely to return, and to a lesser extent, Dominic McGuire, shared in the latter stages of last season.
At 6'7" Wright has the size and quickness to effectively play both shooting guard and small forward, and brings an aggressive defensive reputation — note that such a compliment is usually reserved for players who can't shoot a lick — even if it doesn't show up in his statistics (0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per 36 minutes). He's shown brief flashes of being a productive role player, putting up 10.2 points (45% FG, 38% 3PT) in 10 starts in 2009-10, and rebounded well for a guard (4.9 per 36 minutes) — higher than Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, and Vince Carter.
Not surprisingly, however, there are good reasons why the 15th overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft has played on three teams in five seasons and remained unsigned in late July. It's hard to envision a breakout campaign when Wright's per-36-minute statistics have remained virtually unchanged over the last three years, and he's shown minimal offensive ability (10.2 points per 36) over the course of his career.
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