The Kings have been trying to trade Rudy Gay for nearly a year now. He's one of the few assets that the team isn't invested in long-term that has trade value, and with Gay able to become a free agent next summer thanks to a player option, there's a timeline on it.
Gay has reportedly made it clear that he wants to go to Miami. An issue there is a lack of tradeable assets for Miami. Even if the bar for return is low, Basketball Insiders reports that the Rockets have expressed interest in Gay:
The problem with trading Gay, who is owed $13.333 million this season, is that the Kings would have to take back some level of salary in the deal and find a team open to taking on Gay in what could be a one-year rental.
The next hurdle is value. League sources say while there are teams that have expressed interest in Gay - most notably the Houston Rockets - getting anything of real value back on what could be a one-year rental at Gay's price tag is hard math to make work.
There is a sense among league insiders that the Kings are not looking for a ton in return for Gay, so that may make finding a deal a little easier even with all the issues surrounding a deal.
Source: NBA AM: Fixing The Sacramento Kings' Culture | Basketball Insiders | NBA Rumors And Basketball News
If the report is accurate, it does make some sense. The Rockets need a better option at power forward, and Gay's versatility makes sense with Mike D'Antoni. Gay excelled, in a career resurgence, under George Karl's fast-pace offense where he played smallball four. The Rockets need a boost in veteran scoring talent at forward, even with the addition of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon in free agency.
However, it does beg the question ... why did they get rid of Terrence Jones then? Jones had issues with both injury and his play, falling out of the rotation last season. Jones has issues, but he also compares well with Gay in production relative to age. Wouldn't it have been worth exploring if Jones, who left on a cheap deal to the Pelicans, could make the most of his considerable talents, instead of pursuing Gay?
But that's where off-court stuff that fans and media don't see comes in. Jones' reputation isn't great for a number of reasons, while teammates absolutely rave about Rudy Gay. He is beloved by his peers. Even though Gay's shot selection on the floor has been nightmarish for most of his career and he's never asserted himself on the boards or on the defensive end to his best capacity, Gay remains popular with teammates, has no injury concerns, and has had the best seasons of his career the past two seasons. (The fact that they came for an abysmal Kings team probably means something, but let's move on.)
If the Rockets can offer something of little to no value and get Gay, it's worth the investment. He could work in D'Antoni's system, as kind of a hyper-athletic Boris Diaw role from his time with Seven Seconds or Less. But one thing remains clear: the Kings have no intention of finishing this season with Rudy Gay on the roster.
