The Toronto Raptors are trading Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for multiple players, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Toronto began the season with the goal of making the playoffs, but it’s become clear after 18 games that even in the dismal Eastern Conference, that’s not going to happen with the players on the roster.
So, the Raptors chose to go in a different direction -- one that will rid them of the albatross of a contract that Gay possessed, while giving them greater future flexibility to improve from a talent perspective.
The details are as follows:Rudy Gay is headed to the Kings, league sources tell Yahoo Sports. He has been pulled out of the Raptors lineup for tonight.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 9, 2013
Sacramento will send John Salmons, Vasquez, Patterson and Hayes to the Raptors, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 9, 2013
Along with Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray will be traded to the Kings too, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 9, 2013
On the Kings side, they’re not going to the playoffs either with a record of 5-13 that’s 14th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. It’s a bit of a surprise that they’d include Greivis Vasquez in the deal, considering that he was just acquired this summer, has started all 18 games this season and leads the team in assists. But clearly, management believes Isaiah Thomas is ready to be the team’s starting point guard, and if they’re right he’ll do a similar job at less than half the price.
Gay’s contract includes a player option that will potentially pay him $19.3 million next season. But if he can play more efficiently in Sacramento, there’s at least the possibility that he could opt out of that final year to pursue a longer-term, multi-year deal next summer.
That has to be what the Kings are banking on by making this deal. It’s a strong move by the Raptors that will give them much more roster flexibility in the future; time will tell if the same can be said for the Kings.
Gay is averaging 19.4 points and a career-best 7.4 rebounds this season, but is shooting a career-worst 38.8 percent from the field in 35.5 minutes per contest.
