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Sacramento Kings swingman Rudy Gay is bound to find a new place to play come the trade deadline, given of course that team management would like to get some assets in exchange for their wing scorer.
Among the teams to have shown interest in the UConn product have been the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Houston Rockets — all teams with playoff hopes, fine-tuning their squads in order to make a deep playoff run.
“The one player who is going to have to move between now and the trade deadline is Rudy Gay,” said Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical in his podcast. “I don't think the Kings can make the same mistake New Orleans made last year with Ryan Anderson. Ryan Anderson was pretty clear he was not going to re-sign there and they lost him for nothing. Especially for a team so devoid of assets, they couldn't let him walk for nothing.”
Though we've seen more surprising management decisions from the Kings, it would be sensible for Gay and the team to let him go elsewhere while getting some players to build around.
“Oklahoma City got down to the wire before Cameron Payne‘s injury (trading for Gay),” said Wojnarowski. “There's no question Oklahoma City. Indiana has had interest in him. Houston has had some peripheral interest. I don't think they have the pieces to trade.”
A Thunder lineup with Gay could be really intriguing, especially since the team needs that reliable second scorer to pair with Westbrook as they eventually shift Victor Oladipo to a bench role.
While there's interest in Indiana, another small forward wouldn't make a great fit with the likes of Paul George and C.J. Miles manning the wing, and with Monta Ellis‘ trade value taking a considerable dip due to his performance, the situation seems a lot less likely.
The Kings are reportedly looking for a point guard and Jeff Teague will most likely not be up for trade discussions.
The Rockets have loaded themselves with assets this offseason with the additions of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson, and as long as they keep producing, it is unlikely for them to make a move.
Regardless of the team, Rudy Gay will likely wear a new uniform come February or March and should be able to help a team with his scoring punch and rebounding as a multi-faceted forward.
