Gay is on record now offering ample warning of his future intentions.Ī trade offers Gay the chance to negotiate a new deal using his Bird rights in 2017.
Gay’s revelation to the Kings appears to illustrate his unwillingness to leverage the organization to inflate competing offers against Sacramento in free agency, a play that has become a popular negotiating tool for agents the past two summers. What’s more, teams unsure of whether they can re-sign Gay may consider a deal near the February trade deadline as too limited of a window to have Gay. Teams with the ability to create salary cap space will likely become reluctant to trade assets in a deal for Gay when there’s an option of simply waiting until free agency to sign him. The deeper into the season the Kings wait to move Gay, the greater the risk of losing out on the best possible return for him. Gay, 30, holds a $14.3 million player option for the 2017-18 season. Nevertheless, Sacramento hasn’t ruled out trading Gay, but the team wants to compete for the playoffs, and team officials believe there are few, if any, deals available that could offer them short-term value on Gay, sources said.Īs a player who could become a one-year rental, teams seem unwilling to give up significant packages of players and draft picks for Gay. Some teams have been unclear with what exactly Sacramento wants in return, and others say the asking price is too unreasonable. Several teams have engaged the Kings in trade talks, but teams say those conversations have yet to find traction. So far, Sacramento has shown no inclination to move Gay without a substantial package in return, league sources told The Vertical. He will be 28 next August and in line for one more major long-term deal.Gay’s pledge to the Kings’ ownership and front office that he’s strongly leaning against re-signing with Sacramento is a declaration that could increase pressure on the organization to trade Gay sooner rather than later. It is unlikely that he will opt out, but you never know. Gay is under contract for next season at a robust $19.3 million, but he has an early termination clause that allows him to walk away from the final year. He is also filling up the stat sheet, averaging 1.6 steals, 1.3 blocks and 2.2 assists in 35.5 minutes per game. While not an incredible defender, Gay is a very solid rebounder for a small forward, averaging 7.4 per game this season for the Raptors and nearly six a game for his career. Ziller explores usage rate and its correlation to shooting percentage for Gay.
For a deeper look into his struggles, make sure to give our friend Tom Ziller a read this morning on the subject over at SBNation. Gay has struggled with his shot this season, shooting just 38.8 percent from the field, but he is a career 44.7 percent shooter over his seven years in the league. At 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, Gay is the most talented player the Kings have had on the wing since the Ron Artest/ Peja Stojakovic days. Best known for his six-plus seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Gay is a volume-scoring small forward with elite athleticism. The 27-year-old former University of Connecticut star is moving for the second time in less than a year. Who are Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy? But they are also sending a message that the new Sacramento Kings organization is willing to gamble and spend money to improve the product on the floor.
On its face, the Kings are really dealing three rotational players for one extremely talented player. No official announcement has been made yet, but an NBA source has confirmed to Cowbell Kingdom that a deal has been agreed to in principle, pending physicals.
For the second time in less than two weeks, it appears that the Sacramento Kings have pulled off a major roster-changing trade, sending Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes to the Toronto Raptors for Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy.