With breaking news arriving before the Raptors game in Los Angeles that Rudy Gay was the main piece of a trade between the Kings and the Raptors, the Raptors finally found a suitor for their unwanted athletic wing.
ESPN have confirmed that in exchange for Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy, the Raptors will receive John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes.
This is the move that new Raptors GM, Masai Ujiri, has been trying to make since he started in Toronto and he has finally found a team willing to accept Gay’s giant contract ($17.8mil this season and a player option for $19.3mil in 2014-15).
Rudy was not having the best season prior to the trade – 38.8% FG% and a 15.9 PER with one of the highest usage rates in the NBA – this contributed to the Raptors horrible 6-12 record.
So will a change of scenery be enough to turn his game around and revive him into the player the Grizzlies thought they were getting when they signed him to his massive five year, $82mil deal in 2010?
If I had to choose a trade location for Gay that would give him an opportunity to shine, the Sacramento Kings would not be high on the list.
Team chemistry has been a problem in the last few years under any coach and the core group is young and have lingering question marks over their maturity.
Given Gay’s unorthodox leadership attempts in Toronto like his ban on stats sheets in the locker room post game I don’t really see him being the missing piece to pull this franchise into line.
While the Kings get an upgrade over John Salmons at the SF position, they lose a starting quality PG in Vasquez – although Isaiah Thomas was going to start sooner or later – and now have to decide on a suitable backup PG between Jimmer Fredette and Ray McCallum.
With two high usage players that like to have the ball in their hands (DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas) and role players that aren’t exactly known for their willingness to pass (Marcus Thornton and Derrick Williams) what will Rudy Gay’s role be in the new look Kings line-up?
Defensively he will be able to guard the wing like previous Kings players (Salmons, Evans, Outlaw) couldn’t so that should improve their abysmal defence (ranked 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions).
The worry comes on the offensive end given his love of long range jump shots and the accompanying low FG% that comes with it (41% over the last two seasons).
Unless he develops his game to be more like Andre Iguodala and include more passing I don’t see the Kings as a great fit for Rudy and things have the potential to get uglier for the Kings (if that is possible) if Cousins doesn’t like Gay taking some of his shots.
This reeks of a new owner being impatient soon after buying a franchise and trading for a player that: a) on face value isn’t worth the contract, and b) doesn’t fit with their current roster.
The verdict won’t be ready for this one until the end of the season but early indications are not good for the Kings.
Roarers, how do you evaluate the trade and who do you think got the better deal?
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
Making hay while the sun shines. Wait until Gay arrives and does his thing.
Brent Ford
Roar Guru
Everyone saying Sac town is screwed. Thomas has started the first quarter like a house on fire!
mushi
Guest
But that doesn’t make sense as even assuming they dump valuable contracts to avoid luxury tax you’d need to think Gay is about 75% likely to opt out for that to be a sensible rationale. If they really believe those odds I will take some of that action. The fact is the kings sold someone a do over on a horrible contract and got nothing in return. The whole point of franchises like the kings getting cap space isn’t to try and lure the big free agent, because in their situation of location, chemistry and success makes that difficult, its to use the space to extract value from teams that mismanaged their cap. That they couldn’t get a draft pick or even the right to swap picks out of their best asset (cap space) is a massive failure.
Tony Loedi
Roar Guru
The kings are basically gambling that he opts out. And if he doesn't well the Kings didn't really have that much cap room this offseason anyway, so they were no chance of picking up anyone good in free agency anyway. All it means is they wait another year and then get the massive cap room. Look the Raptors did well but I don't think its all doom and gloom for Sacramento.
mushi
Guest
Two problems with that Well they don’t really unload 20m in salary because what they sent across had only 7m of guaranteed salary for that year in the form of Hayes. Plus you need to factor in the Vasquez QO which is probably worth about 3m in salary you don’t have to pay a rotation/starting level point guard. The second is that surely Gay doesn’t opt out. Unless he knows he’s getting a career ending injury next year there just isn’t any way he’ll make back that money. Most teams seem him as a bit of an on court cancer, not because he’s unpleasant but because you can’t run a functional offence whilst giving him looks.
astro
Guest
There is no way on earth Rudy declines $19mil for next year. He was basically shopped to the entire league by the Raps, and only the Kings took him on.
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
Not many players would leave $20mil on the table, especially when they are still young and will have plenty of teams willing to overpay them when they become free agents.
Tony Loedi
Roar Guru
I don't know its that bad of a deal. Gay might not pick up the player option, instead searching for a more long term deal. If thats the case then the Kings have just unloaded about $20 million of salary they can use in this years STACKED free agency field.
mushi
Guest
Isaiah Thomas must be kicking himself that he can't get involved
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
I think the Raptors were really sad that the Knicks and Nets don't have any first round draft picks left to trade. Rudy seems like the kind of high priced under performing "star" they love to cripple their future for.
mushi
Guest
"he will be able to guard the wing like previous Kings players (Salmons, Evans, Outlaw) couldn’t" The key word is here is "able" sure he's able to but he hasn't been willing to for some time. Who ever gets rid of the middling efficiency offense stopper that doesn't play D but gets mid teen millions wins the trade. They could have gotten a pack of gummi bears and a used ticket stub to The Phantom Menace and the raptors would be better off.