Memphis is shopping Rudy Gay around, seeing if they can find a deal they like — one that gets them under the luxury tax line and helps them start to reshape a roster they know as good but not a contender.
The Raptors want in on these talks, reports Marc Stein at ESPN.Sources told ESPN.com this week that the Raptors -- who tried to make a play for Gay before the 2012 NBA Draft -- remain seriously “interested” in the Grizzlies’ leading scorer and are trying to assemble trade packages to bring the 26-year-old to Toronto after preliminary talks with Memphis.
Among the trade chips that the Raptors are believed to be dangling, in addition to draft considerations, are veteran point guard Jose Calderon (who possesses an expiring contract worth $10.6 million) and young big man Ed Davis.
The Grizzlies will hear worse offers — Calderon is a solid backup guard and Ed Davis has stepped up and played well since Andrea Bargnani went down.
There are also reportedly talks with the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings (the latter of which may include Zach Randolph).
But Memphis can also do better. The real question in what kind of deal Memphis would take is what kind of team they are trying to become — what is the big picture here. You can’t just throw pieces together and expect it to work (see the Lakers), you need to know what style of team you want to build then get role players that fit it.
In the end, this may be a move Memphis makes next summer. A thought Stein echoed.
Word is that the Grizzlies’ new regime is adamant that it won’t merely try to dump salary by dealing Gay in-season if it severely weakens their team in the process… Said another GM: “I think keeping Gay is still on the table for them, too.”
