NBA Rumors: Trading Rudy Gay Not the Answer for Memphis Grizzlies

After a season that saw the Grizzlies fall to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, Gay may have officially become available.

From Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD.com:

For the second offseason in a row, Rudy Gay will likely be the subject of trade rumors.

Last summer, Gay’s name repeatedly popped up in trade scenarios after the Memphis Grizzlies advanced to the Conference Semifinals while he was sidelined with a left shoulder injury. While the Grizzlies gauged interest in the small forward, they never seriously considered trading him. The organization wanted to see just how effective the team could be with Gay back in the lineup.

Now, after a disappointing first-round exit to the Los Angeles Clippers in this year’s postseason, the likelihood of a trade involving Gay is much higher. League sources expect Memphis to shop Gay, who is owed $53,666,790 over the next three years. Gay is no longer considered untouchable, and he could be on the move in the next few months if the right offer comes along.

Memphis could believe that since it fared better without Gay during the 2011 postseason campaign, dealing him would be lay the groundwork for a playoff revival, if you will.

And to that I say, what?

It’s true the Grizzlies pulled off an improbable upset of the San Antonio Spurs last year and it’s also true they nearly pulled off the improbable against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the key word in each scenario is “improbable.” Memphis is not better off without Gay, to think otherwise is ignorant.

Without Gay, the Grizzlies have no superstar. Marc Gasol is promising, but doesn’t appear ready, or perhaps even likely, to cross the threshold into superstardom. Mike Conley is both a wealth of potential and inconsistency while Zach Randolph has seen his best days already.

As fascinating as a dynamic as the Denver Nuggets boast, no team, without a clear cut superstar is going to legitimately contend for a title. Gay proved to be the most reliable player in the clutch for Memphis this season, sans the fourth quarter of the playoffs, where they entire team appeared to have checked out.

Gay’s contract, which will pay him more than $50 million over the next three years, may seem steep, but that’s the price you pay for a marketable face of a franchise; the small forward was not only the team’s leading scorer, but also their pillar which to build around.

Sure, without Gay, the Grizzlies will have the repeated opportunity pull of the improbable, but how about toiling with the luxury of becoming a favorite? Many had them pegged to defeat the Clippers, and had they played any kind of inspired basketball in the fourth quarter of any of the four games they lost, that would have probably been the case.

Now is a time for the Grizzlies to reflect and improve, not trade their best player or even entertain the notion of doing so. They barely squeaked into the playoffs without him, but wound up with home court advantage with him. That has to account for something.

Or at least, you would think so.