He may have publicly said that he will opt out of his contract with the Sacramento Kings after this season, but Rudy Gay is still focused on playing well and doing his job right.

Although he has been named in numerous trade rumors lately, Gay has handled it professionally and made it clear that he wants to contribute to his team. He knows his future is not under his control as long as he is under contract with the Kings.

Per ESPN.com news services:

“I wake up every day and get ready to play the next game. I'm with the Sacramento Kings. I prepare as if I'm going to be with the Sacramento Kings. I have no choice but to work for the Sacramento Kings. All the speculation is B.S. Really, it's out of my control. I'll come here and be with my teammates and act as if I'll be here all year.

“I hear it. I've been traded before. If I came here as if I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't help my teammates. That's a league thing. That's not just me. That's something you don't want a reputation for.”

His current situation may not be the most ideal for him, but credit should be given to Gay as he does not let all the speculation distract him from playing his game. Instead, Gay looks to build on his performance last season with averages of 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 34.0 minutes per game. Not only will Gay be able to help his team win more games by keeping this numbers up, but he'll also help his own stock continue to rise.

Gay's new head coach, Dave Joerger, only had good words for him and did not confirm nor deny any of the trade rumors surrounding the 6-foot-8 forward:

“He's a wonderful human being who's grown as a player and a leader. He likes it here. We all want to win a little bit more. There's going to be rumors. Guys in the last year of contracts, guys 6-8 who can do the things he does [on the court].”

It will be very interesting to see where he'll end up in the future, but at only 30-years-old, Rudy Gay definitely has a lot left in the tank and will generate a fair amount of interest from teams looking for a seasoned veteran and proven scorer.