Rudy Gay Rumors | Hoops Rumors

What Grizzlies/Cavs Trade Means For Rudy Gay

January 22nd, 2013 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies and Cavaliers reached an agreement on the first trade of 2013 today, a deal that will send Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby, and a protected 2015 first-rounder to the Cavaliers in exchange for Jon Leuer. With the Grizzlies sending out about $7MM in salary and only taking back Leuer's minimum-salary deal, the move will help get the team below the tax threshold.

Now that the Grizzlies won't have to worry about being a taxpayer this season, one would assume that the Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph trade rumors would die down significantly. As Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweeted earlier today, the Grizzlies are hoping the move increases locker-room morale, with the implication being that Memphis isn't about to shake up its core. However, within the same tweet, Tillery adds that the club also hopes that the deal brings in "real offers" for Gay.

While the likelihood of a Gay trade happening by February 21st may have been reduced today, the possibility shouldn't be dismissed entirely. The Grizzlies still project as a taxpaying team for the two seasons after 2012/13, and with more punitive tax penalties on the way starting next year, I imagine that's a situation new ownership wants to avoid.

What today's Grizzlies/Cavs trade does for Memphis is allow the club to avoid shipping Gay out in a deal that's entirely designed to cut costs. Now that the team no longer has to worry about getting below the tax line this season, it has regained some leverage in further trade talks, and can focus on finding real value rather than simply dumping salary.

With no pressure to make a move this season, I would expect the Grizzlies to hang on to Gay this season and revisit their trade options in the summer. If and when that happens, perhaps a team like the Wizards, a club Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld pegged as the frontrunner for Gay this morning, will make an offer that appeals to the Grizzlies. Washington contracts like Trevor Ariza's or Emeka Okafor's could look much more appealing as trade chips next year, when they're expiring, than they do this season.

Odds & Ends: Andersen, Grizzlies, Lakers, Nash

January 21st, 2013 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Happy Martin Luther King Day to our American readers. For the NBA, the holiday means plenty of afternoon basketball, with Pacers/Grizzlies and Kings/Hornets contests already underway. As we look forward to a few more daytime games, including the Nets and Knicks playing in Madison Square Garden, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:

Although Chris Andersen just signed a 10-day contract with the Heat, the club would like to keep him for the rest of the season if things work out, tweets Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld hears from sources that it would probably be easier for the Grizzlies to find good value on the trade market for Zach Randolph, rather than Rudy Gay. However, Memphis isn't actively looking to move either player at this point, according to Kyler.
Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com points out that, despite not being asked about whether the Lakers need to make a trade or signing, Kobe Bryant made an interesting comment when talking about the team's struggles: "Unless they're going to do something roster-wise, I got to continue to push through it. If this is what we're rolling with, then I can't make excuses. I got to go out there and do my job."
Chris Smith, J.R. Smith's younger brother, would like to return to the Knicks next season once he gets healthy, as he tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Smith was expected to make the team this fall but was waived after suffering a knee injury.
Although Steve Nash seriously considered returning to his home country and signing with the Raptors last summer, Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star argues that Nash wouldn't have been an ideal fit in Toronto.

Amico On Gay, Kings, Millsap, West, Oden

January 20th, 2013 at 8:38am CST by Chuck Myron

The latest piece from Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio is brimming with juicy material, so let's dive right in.

Even though the Grizzlies are reportedly in a "holding pattern" regarding trades, Memphis is still talking to other teams about moving Rudy Gay. The clubs engaged most heavily in those discussions are the Bobcats, Timberwolves, Suns and, more recently, Hawks. Nonetheless, a source tells Amico not to expect a Gay trade until after the All-Star break.
Speaking of holding patterns, that appears to be the current state of any potential Kings sale, Amico writes. Whatever happens, it's "pretty clear" this is the final season for Geoff Petrie as GM. He's in the final year of his deal, and the 64-year-old reportedly wants to retire.
We heard Friday about the Nets' possible interest in Paul Millsap, and Amico confirms Brooklyn, along with the Bucks and Nuggets, are among teams that could make a push for Millsap at the deadline. Most of the teams in that mix would want to offer Millsap an extension immediately upon acquiring him, since he's in the final year of his contract.
Like Millsap, David West is another power forward set to hit the unrestricted free agent market, but the Pacers are confident they can re-sign him, Amico reports. That's why the team is largely ignoring trade offers for him.
Greg Oden hopes to sign with a team around the All-Star break or right after the trade deadline. Interested clubs include the Celtics, Heat, Mavericks and Cavaliers.

Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Redick, Magic

January 19th, 2013 at 7:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Ric Bucher of CSN Bay Area (Sulia link) hears that the trade rumor involving Rudy Gay to the Suns in exchange for Jared Dudley and Michael Beasley was leaked in order to facilitate more offers from around the league. In terms of the Grizzlies dealing Gay for luxury-tax purposes, Bucher notes that the Wizards and Warriors only have trade pieces that would relieve Memphis of the super luxury tax in two years, but not after this season. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from the Association here:

David Baumann of Bright House Sports Network tweets that the Celtics covet J.J. Redick as a possible trade target before February's trade deadline.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel provides a primer of what the Magic front office has to think about heading into next month's deadline. He thinks that GM Rob Hennigan might want to deal for more young players and draft picks while shedding salary, adding that Redick, Glen Davis, Arron Afflalo, Jameer Nelson, and Josh McRoberts are among the team's most tradeable assets. Lastly, Robbins thinks that Orlando is unlikely to part with Nikola Vucevic and that the team has almost no interest in dealing for Rudy Gay.
Noting that Chris Johnson had been a member of Timberwolves' training camp before the season, Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press says that his familiarity with the team provided an advantage during the team's search for help at center.
The recent struggles of Nuggets swingman Andre Iguodala prompted him to admit after today's practice that he's "probably behind the curve" and has had trouble finding his comfort level this season (Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post reports).
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Sulia link) anticipates a quiet trade deadline for the NBA considering a busy offseason that saw 31 deals involving 96 players.
Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld looks at Jeff Teague, one of four players who are guaranteed to remain in Atlanta beyond this season, as a viable long-term investment for the Hawks.

Stein On Heat, Bosh, Gay, Mavs, Smith

January 19th, 2013 at 11:05am CST by Zachary Links

In his Weekend Dime, Marc Stein of ESPN.com runs down his picks for this year's All-Star reserves. On Stein's ballot, the Nets get a representative in Houston, but it's not star point guard Deron Williams, who is barely shooting 40% from the floor. Instead, it's center Brook Lopez who has given the Nets the kind of steady offense that Williams hasn't been able to. Here's more from Stein's column..

No matter how much TNT's Charles Barkley clammors for a major trade in Miami, the Heat just aren't looking for that sort of shake-up. Sources familiar with the club say that they aren't prepared to part with Chris Bosh, not only out of fear of a major change, but because it would make things umcomfortable from a player-relations perspective to break up the star trio.
Sources close to the situation tell Stein that the Mavericks are not among the teams that have expressed interest in Grizzlies' Rudy Gay. The Mavs were previously mentioned as being among the clubs interested in the forward. Meanwhile, we learned yesterday that the Bobcats are aggressively pursuing him.
The "Bank of Cuban" may be reopening its doors in Dallas, but the Mavericks still want to preserve their wiggle room this offseason. That's why even though the Mavs can offer cap relief to teams at the trade deadline, Stein doesn't expect them to take on significant contracts. Instead, they're more likely to trade Vince Carter to a contender that could use an extra shooter, or move Brandan Wright to a team in need of another big man. That could yield them some picks or perhaps allow them to shed even more salary.
While the Hawks could move Josh Smith for an impact player, Stein is skeptical that they would want to sacrifice their cap space this summer.

Odds & Ends: Union, Gay, Magic, West, Adelman

January 18th, 2013 at 11:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's been quite an evening in the NBA, as a third of the nine games on the docket went to overtime. It was also a rare night when both the Wizards and Bobcats recorded wins. As we wait to find out more about trade candidates and the Suns coaching situation tomorrow, here's the rest of the news from around the Association.

A day after the release of a report detailing abuses of power by players union executive director Billy Hunter, Nets star Deron Williams called for changes from "top to bottom" in the organization, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler says the Magic aren't interested in Rudy Gay, but wouldn't be surprised to see the team get involved in a trade that sends Gay elsewhere. Orlando's $17.8MM trade exception allows Orlando to get involved as a middleman, as Kyler points out (All Twitter links).
In a piece that looks back on the Magic's in-season trades from years past, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel argues that Nikola Vucevic has become the team's No. 1 trade chip and urges the front office to hold on to him.
David West won't let his impending free agency distract him from his work with the Pacers, as HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy documents via Sulia.
Wolves coach Rick Adelman won't be returning to the team anytime soon as he continues to tend to his ailing wife, GM David Kahn told reporters, including Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Assistant coach Terry Porter will continue to lead the team in Adelman's stead.

Bobcats ‘Aggressively’ Pursuing Rudy Gay

January 18th, 2013 at 7:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bobcats have shown committment to a slow rebuild after bottoming out with last year's 7-59 debacle, but according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, they're willing to depart from that strategy for the right player. Apparently, basketball president Rod Higgins and GM Rich Cho are convinced Rudy Gay is the sort of guy for whom they'd be willing to change course, as Kyler reports the Bobcats are one of multiple teams "aggressively" pursuing the Grizzlies small forward (Twitter links).

Kyler notes the 'Cats may not have enough to offer Memphis, which makes sense, since Charlotte has only won two games since November. Still, the Grizzlies would primarily be seeking salary cap relief in any deal involving Gay, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors examined earlier this week. The Bobcats would probably have to come up with some combination of draft picks and young players, and with their own likely lottery selection as well as protected first-rounders from the Pistons and Blazers, Charlotte could offer Memphis plenty of draft help. If they're willing to part with either Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, along with perhaps Ramon Sessions or Byron Mullens and a few throw-ins to make the salaries match, that might be enough for a reasonable proposal. Gay has $53.67MM remaining on his deal, including this season, so the Bobcats and just about anyone else would have to give up at least a few key components to bring him on board, as Kyler suggests via Twitter.

Of course, the Grizzlies have no shortage of suitors for Gay. Chad Ford of ESPN.com, in an Insider-only piece, today mentioned the Wizards, Clippers, Magic and Mavs as teams with interest, and other teams have been linked to him as well over the past few weeks. Ford surmises that offers for Gay will be better as the deadline approaches, but ultimately the Grizzlies are in control. It's up to CEO Jason Levien, GM Chris Wallace and the rest of the Grizzlies retooled front office to decide whether it wants to deal with Gay's luxury tax implications now or after the season, and Gay's teammates would prefer that he stays put. The Grizzlies aren't active in talks at the moment, and unless the Bobcats or another team comes up with a truly enticing offer, the Grizzlies players may get their wish of having one more shot at the title together.

Wolves Rumors: Williams, Gay, Roy, Cunningham

January 18th, 2013 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reported yesterday that the Timberwolves are "heavily" shopping Derrick Williams, 2011's second overall pick. In his latest Scoops column, Wolfson shares a few more details on the T-Wolves' trade talks, plus a handful more Wolves-related notes. Let's dive in and round up the highlights….

Within the last week, president David Kahn has transitioned from merely taking phone calls to making them himself. According to Wolfson, Kahn was "aggressively" working the phones this week and was making some progress on a trade. Such a deal would likely involve Williams, and would net Minnesota a big, rather than a wing.
The T-Wolves don't have interest in Portland's J.J. Hickson or Atlanta's Josh Smith.
Minnesota is still weighing whether it makes sense to pursue Rudy Gay. If the Wolves were to make an offer for Gay, it would likely have to include a third team, and would involve Nikola Pekovic.
Brandon Roy's contract may be included in a trade at the deadline for salary purposes.
The Lakers recently inquired on Dante Cunningham, but Cunningham's affordable salary makes the Wolves reluctant to part with him.
According to Wolfson, interest in buying the T-Wolves is "as high as ever." Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley, who confirmed yesterday he has interest in buying another NBA franchise, is said to be kicking the tires on the Wolves.
There's no word yet on whether Andrei Kirilenko is leaning one way or the other on his $10.22MM player option for 2013/14.
Minnesota didn't apply for a disabled player exception for Malcolm Lee. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote on Monday, such an exception wouldn't have provided much flexibility for the club.
According to Wolfson, there's some speculation that the Wolves would like to take over basketball operations of their D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The Skyforce are currently affiliated with the Heat, Magic, and Sixers, as well as the Wolves.
While it's been presumed for some time that Minnesota would be among the clubs interested in Greg Oden, the team hasn't done due diligence on him so far, like some others have.

Conley, Gasol Met With Grizzlies Management

January 17th, 2013 at 7:53pm CST by Sean Highkin

Amid speculation that the Grizzlies are looking to trade Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph, Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer reports (via Twitter) that guard Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol recently met with new owner Robert Pera, where the two players reportedly urged him to keep the team's core together at least through this season.

Herrington also tweets that Grizzlies management knows it has to move either Gay or Randolph to preserve their long-term flexibility and avoid luxury tax penalties. He believes the meeting with Conley and Gasol was simply to take their pulse about the season and roster.

Market For Rudy Gay Dwindling?

January 17th, 2013 at 5:02pm CST by Sean Highkin

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com reports that the interest among teams in trading for Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay is not high, and although Memphis is continuing to shop Gay, the underwhelming offers may force them to wait until the offseason to move him and Zach Randolph.

Kennedy does not expect the Grizzlies to receive a young star or a high-upside rookie in return for Gay, naming Phoenix's Jared Dudley and Orlando's J.J. Redick as two potential players they could expect to land. Although Wizards rookie guard Bradley Beal was briefly discussed as a possible centerpiece for a Gay trade, Washington no longer has any interest in trading him.

Kennedy writes that much of the reluctance of teams to trade for Gay comes from his contract, which pays him $16.4MM this season, $17.8MM in 2013/14, and $19.3MM in 2014/15.