Kings guard Garrett Temple will exercise his player option to return to the Kings, he told The Bee in a text message.

Temple will earn $8 million in the third and final year of his contract, putting Sacramento approximately $17 million under the projected salary cap of $101 million.

Temple is the Kings’ best defender and a trusted veteran voice in the locker room where most of the players have less than four years of experience.

In his eighth season, he averaged a career-high 8.4 points along with 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

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