Fire up the trade machine. The Sacramento Kings are ready to make a deal.
No, DeMarcus Cousins isn’t purportedly back on the chopping block. This time, the Kings' rumor mill is churning out Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore and Kosta Koufos chatter, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein:
Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay has emerged as one of the most established NBA veterans available via trade, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN that the Kings are actively seeking to move Gay as well as big man Kosta Koufos and guard Ben McLemore.
The Chicago Bulls, sources said, are among the teams that engaged with the Kings in exploratory discussions on Gay before the Bulls’ big moves this week to sign Chicago native Dwyane Wade away from the Miami Heat as well as former All-Star guard Rajon Rondo.
First off, what the hell are the Bulls doing?
Secondly, for those who thought the Kings might change their mind or deny these rumors over the course of an entire day, well, they didn’t. Per CSN California’s James Ham:
Continue to hear that the Kings have fielded multiple calls on Gay, Koufos and McLemore. Plenty of interest. Not giving them away for free.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) July 10, 2016
It won’t be too hard to move any of these players. The issue will be getting something or someone of value back in return.
Gay’s $13.3 million salary looks great under the new salary cap, but he has the option of becoming a free agent next summer, when the cap will spike again, a right he’s surely going to exercise. That makes him a glorified expiring contract.
McLemore is still on his rookie scale, but he has fallen short of expectations and will be a restricted free agent at season’s end. Any team that deals for him must be prepared to reinvest in his future.
Koufos might be the easiest to move, since he has two guaranteed years at under $8.4 million a pop left on his deal. He has a player option for 2018-19 worth just over $8.7 million so he could end up being a bargain for three years.
Except Koufos isn’t someone you give up substantial assets for. So unless the Kings are looking for immediate salary relief or perhaps some low-end first-round draft picks, they’ll be hard-pressed to move any combination of these three.
