Rudy Gay seems to have purchased some property and has been residing on the trade block for quite some time now. That constant possibility of being dealt along with playing for a dysfunctional organization like the Kings has seemed to wear on the 30-year-old small forward.
Gay made it no secret to Kings management that he plans to opt out of his final year and $14.3 million contract after the 2016-17 season and is highly unlikely to re-sign with the Kings.
Rudy Gay reportedly tells Kings he likely won't return next season.https://t.co/33IPXFk0R9
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) September 19, 2016
You can read between the lines the not so subtle message Rudy Gay is sending to the Kings here: I am not happy, I don’t want to be here, you should trade me.
Of course to no one’s surprise, the Kings are not phased by Gay’s stance and owner Vivek Ranadive believes he can convince Gay to change his mind during the season.
Report: Kings owner Vivek Ranadive thinks he can change Rudy Gay’s mind https://t.co/3jedMjjlet
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) September 19, 2016
It would be interesting to gauge the trade market for Gay should the Kings engage teams or take potential calls from other teams. Gay has always been a talented and athletic scorer but doesn’t score his points in a particularly efficient way and has always been a minus defender in spite of his natural athleticism. With today’s NBA salary cap he is no longer an overpaid player but he is not seen by many as a player who helps a team win games. I expect the Kings and Gay to ride it out before he enters free agency on the wrong side of 30 in 2017.
Gay averaged 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season and has averaged 18.4 points in his career in 10 NBA seasons.
