The Sacramento Kings may have made a play for New Orleans Pelicans forward and Sacramento native Ryan Anderson.
The Kings offered veteran forward Rudy Gay in a straight swap for Anderson, but were rebuffed by the Pelicans front office, according to Sheridan Hoops. The report also states that Sacramento has made Gay available on the open market, but that may not be the case.
Sources have downplayed Gay’s availabilty, telling CSNCalifornia.com that describing him as “on the block” is an inaccurate depiction. The Kings, as all teams this time of year, are willing to listen on many fronts if they feel it makes the team better. But Gay is not actively being shopped.
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Gay has strong relationships with both DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. He helped recruit Rondo to the team this summer and the two have been close for years. Gay’s numbers are down this season, but he attributes that to him making adjustments to a completely new team around him.
“It’s been tough at times,” Gay said earlier this week. “But for the betterment of the team, I think everybody has to sacrifice.”
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Gay is under contract next season with the Kings at $13.3 million and he has a player option for the 2017-18 season that will pay him $14.3 million. The 29-year-old is Sacramento’s second leading scorer this season, averaging 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 46.1 percent from the field.
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Anderson, 27, would make an interesting pairing next to DeMarcus Cousins. One of the premiere stretch fours in the league, he very well may be a target of the Kings in the offseason.
The Oak Ridge High standout has made it known in the past that he would love to play for his hometown team. But he is considered one of the jewels of a soft free-agent class when most teams in the league will have truckloads to spend.
New Orleans has resisted trading Anderson in the past, but with his impending free agency on the horizon and the team struggling at 12-26 on the season, it might be time for them gauge his worth on the trade market.