Former KU guard Ben McLemore headed back to Sacramento in two-team trade

By Matt Tait Jul 17, 2018

Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore, looks to pass against Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Jazz won 112-82.

The Memphis Grizzlies are down a Jayhawk and Ben McLemore is headed back to the place where he began his NBA career.

That much became known early Tuesday, when ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported a trade between the two franchises that sends McLemore back to Sacramento — along with forward Deyonta Davis, cash and a 2021 second-round draft pick — for guard Garrett Temple.

McLemore, who has struggled to get his NBA career off the ground since becoming a lottery pick in 2013, averaged just 9.1 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting in 24.5 minutes per game for his career during his four NBA seasons.

Last season — McLemore’s first in Memphis, where he signed a free agent deal following the end of his rookie contract in Sacramento — the former KU guard averaged 7.5 points and shot 42 percent in less than 20 minutes per game over 56 games, 17 of them starts.

Each summer, [when McLemore has returned to Lawrence for various charity events,][1] he has wowed crowds with his athleticism and explosiveness [while discussing that he just needs to find the right fit and get a real chance with a franchise to take his career to the next level.][2]

In four seasons with Sacramento, who made him the No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, McLemore played in 293 games and made 216 starts, but never played more than 32 minutes per game. That total came during the 2014-15 season — his second — when he averaged a career-best 12.1 points per game while starting all 82 contests for the Kings.

McLemore’s return to Sacramento should not feel all that familiar. The Kings have turned over their roster almost completely since he was first drafted there and also have changed coaches and brought in an influx of young talent — including former KU point guard Frank Mason III and recent No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley Jr. — to help inject life into the struggling franchise.

McLemore, in addition to being an added scoring and shooting option on the wing, could be viewed as somewhat of a veteran presence on the young Kings roster.

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/jun/14/tom-keegan-ben-mclemore-still-reaching-stars/
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2017/jun/09/former-ku-standout-ben-mclemore-eager-take-next-st/

David Beaty and Jayhawks maintain presence of new AD not accompanied by additional pressure

Show/Post Comments

Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.