Kings' Rudy Gay: MRI confirms full tear of Achilles

An MRI on Thursday confirmed Gay suffered a fully torn left Achilles' tendon during Wednesday's 106-100 loss to the Pacers, Sean Cunningham of ABC 10 in Sacramento (KXTV) reports. Gay will undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the 2016-17 season.

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The MRI confirmed the Kings' worst fears after Gay had to be carried off the court Wednesday. The forward, who was averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 three-pointers in 33.8 minutes per game, will undergo surgery in the coming days, and is expected to face a lengthy recovery that could stretch into the beginning of next season. The injury is particularly troublesome given Gay's status as a potential free agent this summer, and while he indicated prior to the season he planned to decline his $14.3 million player option for 2017-18, those plans may have changed now. The Kings and Gay will cross that bridge once the summer arrives, but in the immediate future, the likes of Matt Barnes and Anthony Tolliver figure to be in line for increased minutes, as will Omri Casspi (calf) once he returns action.