The Rudy Gay sweepstakes may be heating up.
Speaking about the Sacramento Kings forward’s availability on a recent episode of The Vertical Podcast, Adrian Wojnarowski noted that the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder have all shown interest in acquiring his services.
Here’s the transcription via NESN.com:
“There’s no question Oklahoma City. Indiana has had interest in him,” Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski said on his recent podcast. “Houston has had some peripheral interest. I don’t think they have the pieces to trade.”
Gay has been considered available ever since he made known his intention to leave Sacramento this summer. He has a player option worth nearly $14.3 million he is expected to decline, giving him leverage over the Kings leading up to the trade deadline.
But that also makes it difficult to gauge his value. He is shooting better than 45 percent from the field and knocking down almost 35 percent of his triples while playing for a Kings team that doesn’t generate a ton of quality shots. That will appeal to better teams, such as the Pacers, Rockets and Thunder, who can offer him more open looks off the catch.
Interested suitors, however, won’t mortgage the farm for an imminent flight risk. Nor will they pony up significant assets just to have the right to offer Gay the most cash this July. He won’t command max money like some of his peers, and there won’t be as much cap space floating around relative to last year. But his next contract could land him in excess of $16 to $18 million per year in the new fiscal climate. That’s a hefty investment.
Still, don’t expect the Kings to hold onto to him past the trade deadline. Their playoff hopes are fading fast, if not already extinguished, and selling low on him should still garner a low-end pick or prospect. The Thunder can build offers around a pick and Alex Abrines; the Pacers have Glenn Robinson III and then Rodney Stuckey’s salary to make contracts match; and the Rockets can build a package around a pick and/or K.J. McDaniels, in addition to Corey Brewer’s deal.
Not one of those offers sounds especially appealing, so maybe the Kings can find more elsewhere. Either way, it would still be surprising to see Gay finish the season in Sacramento.
