Should Kings give qualifying offer to Terence Davis?

The Sacramento Kings have five players who will be up for new contracts this offseason. One of those five is guard Terence Davis.

General manager Monte McNair acquired Davis from the Toronto Raptors for a future second-round pick at the NBA trade deadline, and the move paid immediate dividends.

Davis played in 27 games for the Kings following the trade and averaged 11.1 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 37.2 percent from the 3-point line. Davis earned the trust of head coach Luke Walton and his staff, and he was given some extra responsibility once De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton went down late in the season.

The 24-year-old played the best basketball of his career down the stretch and helped Sacramento stay in the hunt for a play-in spot until the end of the season. Davis averaged 17.6 points over the final eight contests and showcased why he could fit the organization moving forward.

Davis is a restricted free agent whose qualifying offer will be a one-year deal worth $1.86 million, per Spotrac. Once the NBA Finals wrap up, McNair will have until Aug. 2 to give Davis his qualifying offer. If Davis signs that offer, he will be on a guaranteed one-year deal for the 2021-22 season.

McNair has preached about maintaining financial flexibility since being hired as the general manager, and re-signing Davis will help do that. It is far more likely that Davis will negotiate a deal at a higher number, and his play has earned that.

Davis had some success while with the Raptors. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team last season. Since joining the Kings, he provided an offensive spark when coming off the bench.

Another aspect that can’t be overlooked is Davis’ contributions on the defensive end. Sacramento had the worst defensive rating in league history, but things got better since McNair traded for Davis, Moe Harkless and Delon Wright at the deadline. The Kings’ defensive rating improved by 3.7 points per 100 possessions after acquiring the trio.

Davis’ 110.8 defensive rating was tops among Sacramento players who averaged more than 20 minutes per game. He helped tighten up the perimeter defense and did a good job of routinely staying in front of his man.

One area Davis will have to improve on is overall shooting. He shot 43.9 percent from the field, which was slightly below the league average. Davis only made 22.2 percent of his shot attempts from between 3 and 10 feet, something that will have to improve next season.

For his part, Davis would love to be back with the Kings next season. He told Jason Jones of The Athletic that he has enjoyed his brief time in Sacramento and would like to return.

“It’s definitely looking like that,” Davis said. “When asked about the idea of returning to Sacramento. “It’s looking really good for me. I would say this is some of the best basketball I’ve played in my career, even in college. This is a stretch of some of the best games I’ve played in my entire life.”

Do you think Davis would be a good fit with the Kings next season?