NBA: Former Most Improved Player Not Ready To Call It Quits

At 38, Zach Randolph believes he has some left in the tank. The NBA Most Improved Player back in 2014 admits that retirement crossed his mind although he is not closing the doors on his basketball career.

“I’ve been working on some things, just really trying to see what I want to do with the next part of my life. I’ve been thinking about hanging it up and seeing what’s going on and what I want to do in the next phase of my life. I ain’t retired yet,” Randolph said in an interview with David Cobb of the Commercial Appeal.

At 6-foot-9, Randolph could still be of use to teams in need of a banger who can operate well inside. But there are questions on how fit and ready Randolph is right now. Last season, he spent more time on the bench with the Sacramento Kings.

The franchise opted to give their young players more exposure as the Kings opted to rebuild and move forward. The 19th overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft would eventually be shipped to the Dallas Mavericks for Harrison Barnes. He was waived not long after.

Before he was grounded by the Kings, Randolph had decent numbers to show. He averaged 14.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and owned a 47-percent clip in 59 games. He could still be a reliable player off the bench for teams looking to add toughness to their frontline. However, his lack of quickness and inability to play good defense could be gray areas.

According to a previous article back in June, Randolph was keeping himself in shape and the understanding was that the two-time NBA All-Star wants another shot at playing pro ball. So far, lady luck has not smiled on the Michigan State product and all he can do right now is wait.

The best Randolph can hope for is a bench role. Whichever team takes him in will also expect him to mentor the young players moving forward. There are a lot of teams who could use someone like Z-Bo who is likely to get a veteran's minimum. If he gets shunned, playing overseas could be an option.