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Less than a month after veteran guard Garrett Temple made the decision to stay in Sacramento instead of testing the NBA free agency market, the Kings have traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Kings' 2013 draft pick Ben McLemore returns to Sacramento after a brief stint in Memphis. The team also expects to receive young center Deyonta Davis, a 2021 second round draft pick, and $1.5 million in cash from the Grizzlies in exchange for Temple.
ABC10 spoke exclusively with Temple during the NBA Summer League just days before the Kings made the trade.
"It's good to come back and know where I'm going to be," Temple told ABC10. "We got a great group of young guys...We're going to try to win. But, again, we're young. So guys are going to have to learn on the fly, we're going to continue to have to mentor more on the fly."
Last week, Temple was seen sharing pleasantries with Kings General Manager Vlade Divac and Assistant GM Ken Catanella court side during the Kings vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
"I love Vlade and Ken to death. Great guys, great human beings. I appreciate them giving me the opportunity to play basketball with the Sacramento Kings," Temple told ABC10. "We're trying to put the Kings, you know, get them to that next level in terms of an organization and I want to do whatever I can to continue to help that."
Temple, 32, is coming off his eighth NBA season and the Grizzlies will be his seventh NBA team since 2009. The veteran wing averaged 8.4 points, 1.9 assists, and 2.3 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game last season for Sacramento, starting in 35 of the 65 games he played.
The trade comes after Temple exercised his $8 million player option to remain with the Kings next season, waiting until the NBA's June 29 deadline to make his decision. As the Kings continue to rebuild with young players who are in their first or second NBA seasons, Temple played a key role on the roster as a veteran mentor during his last two seasons in Sacramento.
In addition to his leadership in the Kings' locker room, Temple serves as a member National Basketball Player's Association's (NBPA) executive committee. Last summer, Temple was elected to a three-year term as Vice President of the NBPA, serving under President Chris Paul.
Off the court, Temple took on a leadership role in the greater Sacramento community. In December 2017, Temple adopted Sacramento High School in Oak Park in an effort to inspire and motivate local kids and create positive change in the city he played in. Temple made multiple visits to the Sac High campus to lead discussions with students to tackle tough topics impacting local kids.
In the wake of the officer involved shooting death of Stephon Clark in March, Temple's commitment to community was on display. After protests outside Golden 1 Center forced the Kings vs. Atlanta Hawks game to be delayed, the Kings organization took initiative to assist in the community's healing process. Temple was among the Kings players to team up with the Build.Black.Coalition and Black Lives Matter Sacramento to lead community forums and youth panels in direct response to Clark's fatal shooting and the unrest in the city that followed. He was also among the Kings and Celtics players to participate in Sacramento's in-game PSA promoting "Accountability" saying "we will not stick to sports" in the video response to Clark's death.
The trade leaves Sacramento with $20.5 million in salary cap space while the Grizzlies continue to retool in the offseason.