Thornton has a decision to make?

Shortly after my post yesterday, Sacramento Kings restricted free agent Marcus Thornton posted this cryptic message to his Twitter account:

I’m sure the Kings are hoping Marcus “think(s) this all the way thru” as well.  Thornton came to the Kings at the trade deadline in a deal for Carl Landry.  After a very solid rookie season, Thornton struggled to get minutes in his second season with the New Orleans Hornets.  Once a member of the Kings, the 6′-4″ scorer out of LSU lit the NBA on fire, averaging 21.3 points, 3.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 27 games with his new club.

By all accounts, the Kings intend to keep Thornton and start him alongside former rookie of the year Tyreke Evans.  With the NBA on lockout, Thornton might be inferring with this tweet that he is considering chasing money abroad.  Depending on the landing spot and the length of the contract, this decision could have a major impact on the Sacramento Kings’ plans for this coming season … if there is a season.

Thornton made $762,195 last season, which by NBA standards is pennies.  With a huge raise expected in either Sacramento or elsewhere in the league, it is hard to imagine Thornton locking himself into a long term deal overseas, or for that matter, risking injuries.  Like he said – “gotta think this thing all the way thru.”