Chisholm sums up reality of any Rudy Gay deal

[Matt52]

If the rumours about Cavs saving money for Lebron for the 2014 season are true then we can count the cavs out of the Gay sweepstakes

The Gay 'sweepstakes' are turning out to be more of a raffle.

[Hotshot]

Rudy Gay is another piece to be added if you are bringing other pieces as well because he himself is not going to make your team a whole lot better right now. If Memphis want Ed, Jose and Ross then its going to be an addition by subtracting and the Raptors will suffer as a result since their team is currently build on a balanced system of players where the two units help each other out.

This is why the deal doesn't make sense at the moment unless Colangelo has more up his sleive, otherwise I wouldn't do it right now and possibly wait untill the summer where Gay stock will likely to drop some more (if he hasn't moved by then) and the Raptors would be in a better position to assess their direction.

[Rapstor4Life]

Im pretty sure within BCs vision of the team and Casey input Demar, Ross and JV are untouchable core pieces he wants to keep around for the next 5 years unless a legit talent allstar is being pitched our way.

When I read the Gay trade thing I could only lol, really I have no problem with how the turnaround has been continuing with the group and building chemistry and moving Bargnani is a good strategy. Save bigger trades or acquisitions come off season when guys like Milsap our free agents this way.

[Miekenstien]

I'm surprised they didn't take the clippers deal. I'd take that deal and then trade bledsoe away as well. get the picks and Caron to man the 3. trade bledsoe for better picks and another backup. probably be teams lined up for a great young guard like him.

[planetmars]

I'm surprised they didn't take the clippers deal. I'd take that deal and then trade bledsoe away as well. get the picks and Caron to man the 3. trade bledsoe for better picks and another backup. probably be teams lined up for a great young guard like him.

One of the Grizzlies biggest competitors are the Clippers in the West. Giving them Gay would be like Toronto trading a franchise player to the Nets.. oh wait that actually happened - never mind.

[Matt52]

Who to believe in it all????

I believe it was Matt Moore who said the price was rising. Well, surprise, here comes another angle to the story:

As the Memphis Grizzlies continue to shop Rudy Gay, it has become clear that teams aren’t exactly lining up to trade for the 26-year-old forward. The Grizzlies have talked to a number of teams and gauged their interest, but most executives aren’t willing to part with significant pieces to acquire Gay. That could be why Memphis has explored other options such as waiting until the offseason to move Gay or trading Zach Randolph instead.

The Grizzlies’ payroll currently sits at $74,127,785, and with the league’s luxury tax threshold at just over $70 million, Memphis is in danger of having to pay the tax.

If the Grizzlies do trade Gay, don’t expect them to acquire a star player or even a high-potential rookie. The more likely scenario is Gay being traded for a package that includes several role players on short, reasonable contracts and possibly a draft pick. That’s why players like Jared Dudley of the Phoenix Suns and J.J. Redick of the Orlando Magic have been mentioned as realistic targets for Memphis. Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards was briefly mentioned as a possibility, but that was quickly shot down, which lines up with the idea that teams aren’t willing to move a star-in-the-making for Gay.

One of the biggest reasons that teams aren’t expressing much interest in Gay is because of his contract. He’s owed $16,460,532 this season and then $17,888,932 and $19,317,326 over the next two seasons. He’ll be one of the highest paid players in the league for the duration of his contract and teams don’t seem to think he’s worth that much money.

It doesn’t help that Gay is having one of the worst seasons of his career. It’s hard to justify paying that much money for a player when his numbers are down across the board. This year, Gay has averaged 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 31.2 from beyond the arc. Those numbers are lower than Gay’s stats over the last two years. The Grizzlies are having success – they currently sit at 24-13 and hold the fourth seed in the Western Conference – but Gay hasn’t been as effective or efficient this year.

Gay’s struggles are why his Player Efficiency Rating is just 14.95, which is below the league average of 15. Gay’s PER hasn’t been that low since his rookie year, when he came off of the bench for half of Memphis’ games and played just 27 minutes per contest. Gay’s PER is just the fifth-best on the Grizzlies and his PER is ranked 140th among all NBA players. In fact, Dudley and Redick both have higher PERs than Gay this season. If you don’t think PER matters, keep in mind that the inventor of PER, John Hollinger, recently joined the Grizzlies’ front office as the team’s vice president of basketball operations.

If a team is trading away significant pieces for Gay and willing to take on his contract, it’s because they believe that he can become a cornerstone of their franchise. The fact that Gay has regressed rather than improved this season is a concern for potential suitors.

The Grizzlies will likely continue to shop Gay and weigh their options over the next month, but finding a trade partner that’s willing to give Memphis the deal that they want before the NBA’s trade deadline on February 21 may be more difficult than expected.

Read more at http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-not...BSrmtO8sWKa.99

[Matt52]

Thinking more about Gay and I really don't see him being traded before deadline.... could be wrong but I can't see it as they have been building this for so long, they really should give it one last shot.

I still like Gay on the Raptors - but not for anything that includes JV or Ross.

Hopefully Raptors can acquire some more assets to entice Memphis draft night or in the summer. Wilson Chandler would be a good start. Any trade for Gay is not going to be equal on talent due to his contract. Chandler would be a nice starting piece for a trade package. I think he regains form and, due to increased PT, it would happen sooner in Toronto. The key, of course, is not giving up too much to get WC.

[NoPropsneeded]

how bout this Matty D? http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=9b5uvt2

[Matt52]

how bout this Matty D? http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=9b5uvt2

In a nano-second.

Not sure how Denver would feel.

Al Harrington thrived in Denver.... maybe AB could too.

[NoPropsneeded]

you could throw in second round pick or arron gray

[NoPropsneeded]

In a nano-second.

Not sure how Denver would feel.

Al Harrington thrived in Denver.... maybe AB could too.

I think its a pretty sweet deal, we could throw in pietrus or gray to sweeten the pot

[planetmars]

I think its a pretty sweet deal, we could throw in pietrus or gray to sweeten the pot

LOL! Would that sweeten the pot or make it bitter?

[phiLLy]

^ lol.

[Hotshot]

I still like Gay on the Raptors - but not for anything that includes JV or Ross.

Why are you so high on Ross?! I mean he's got some nice tools with the dunking, 3 point shot and defence, however his poor handles and inability to create his own shot has limited him & there is a big IF to overcoming all that.

[Rapstor4Life]

handles can be improved and shot creation is just him studying his strengths and weaknesses as a player, hes a rookie only the elite guys come straight out of college and can rack up 20+ a game with just putting the ball in thier hands.

[Bouncepass]

It's a bit early to predict Ross' trajectory, and I don't know how hard he works. However, I tend to think that a Ross-Gay combination works better than a DeRozan-Gay one. It is more balanced on both ends of the floor (and with the salary cap).

[Matt52]

Why are you so high on Ross?! I mean he's got some nice tools with the dunking, 3 point shot and defence, however his poor handles and inability to create his own shot has limited him & there is a big IF to overcoming all that.

That is why.

[Matt52]

I think its a pretty sweet deal, we could throw in pietrus or gray to sweeten the pot

Actually, just realized that if AI picks up his $16.2M option (which would seem likely) the Nuggets are likely going to be a tax team next year. If they made this trade, next year they are not just a tax team, they are deeeeep in the tax. While AB might make sense from a bball perspective, I don't think it would work financially.

[Mediumcore]

It's a bit early to predict Ross' trajectory, and I don't know how hard he works. However, I tend to think that a Ross-Gay combination works better than a DeRozan-Gay one. It is more balanced on both ends of the floor (and with the salary cap).

I agree with the Ross/Gay combination being the one that works better in principle, but the only problem is that Ross is a few years of experience away from being ready to contribute the way DeRozan is now. Not sure if the team would want to take on Gay's salary for the next two years and not be able to maximize wins during that time by putting Ross next to him in the starting line up.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Thinking more about Gay and I really don't see him being traded before deadline.... could be wrong but I can't see it as they have been building this for so long, they really should give it one last shot.

I still like Gay on the Raptors - but not for anything that includes JV or Ross.

Hopefully Raptors can acquire some more assets to entice Memphis draft night or in the summer. Wilson Chandler would be a good start. Any trade for Gay is not going to be equal on talent due to his contract. Chandler would be a nice starting piece for a trade package. I think he regains form and, due to increased PT, it would happen sooner in Toronto. The key, of course, is not giving up too much to get WC.

It's funny you mention that... I had floated a 3-way trade in the offseason that was along these lines:
- Davis/Amir to Denver for Chandler (to backup Faried at PF, and they are set on the wings)
- Calderon & DeRozan & Chandler to Memphis for Gay & Selby (DD & WC effectively replace Gay & Mayo, while Calderon is $10M savings)
- Gay & Selby to Toronto


I worry that Memphis has lost interest in DeRozan because his new contract no longer represents a significant enough savings from Gay.

I fully agree with not giving up Valanciunas or Ross, but would be happy with any other Raptors being on the trade block right now, with improving overall talent level for the long-term being the goal.