NBA -- Evaluatg Toronto Raptors' tra for Rudy Gay - ESPN

Contents:

• GRA THE TRA: RAPTORS LAND THEIR ANCHISE RNERSTONE RUDY GAY
• GRIZZLI TRA RUDY GAY TO RAPTORS THREE-TEAM AL WH PISTONS
• GRA THE TRA: KGS ACQUIRE RUDY GAY OM RAPTORS HUGE TRA
• REVISG THE RUDY GAY TRA FOR THE RAPTORS: IS WORKG?
• RUDY GAY TRA ANALYSIS: WHY MEMPHIS MA OUT LIKE BANDS
• RUDY GAY TRAD TO RAPTORS
• RUDY GAY TO KGS 7-PLAYER AL
• SOURC: RAPTORS VET RUDY GAY
• THUNR WAIVE RUDY GAY, VETERAN BE FREE AGENT
• RAPTORS TRA TREE: HOW RUDY GAY TURNED TO SERGE IBAKA
• NBA RUMORS: JAM HARN TRA TALKS, JOEL EMBIID, PJ TUCKER, RUDY GAY, LAKERS, WARRRS, BUCKS, MORE
• RUDY GAY TRAD OM RAPTORS TO KGS: REPORTS
• IMPACT OF RUDY GAY TRA OM RAPTORS TO THE KGS
• RAPTORS OFFICIALLY TRA RUDY GAY TO KGS
• RUDY GAY TRA: GOOD OR BAD AL?
• RAPTORS AND KGS AGREE TO TRA FOR RUDY GAY
• STTO’S LATT: TUCKER, GAY, SUMNER, NOEL

GRA THE TRA: RAPTORS LAND THEIR ANCHISE RNERSTONE RUDY GAY

Gradg the rults of the tra of Rudy Gay to Toronto, Ed Davis, Tayshn Prce, and At Daye to Memphis, and Jose Calron to Detro.

Wh the Memphis Grizzli tradg Rudy Gay to Toronto, which sends Jose Calron to Detro and Ed Davis to Memphis as the Pistons send Tayshn Prce and At Daye to Memphis, we exame the rults for all three teams and gra out. Gay is arguably now the bt fenr on the Raptors, but given they're the 25th-ranked team fensive efficiency, we're not sayg much.

It's mostly that the Raptors spent their bt tra chip to get Rudy Gay, which is kd of like breakg open your piggy bank you've been savg for three years to buy the mid-size luxury r. But you jt n't look at this move as anythg but siways, unls Gay is able to blow up and live up to his ntract.

GRIZZLI TRA RUDY GAY TO RAPTORS THREE-TEAM AL WH PISTONS

Year after year, Memphis would hope that this would be the year that Gay would explo, put all together, ph his game further. The 2011 playoff n was the bt thg that has ever happened to the anchise, and is also the worst thg that uld have happened to Gay wh the fans. There will be sad fans Memphis wh Gay gone, but there will also be a rolute belief the team is better, jt whout Gay.

GRA THE TRA: KGS ACQUIRE RUDY GAY OM RAPTORS HUGE TRA

But the Grizzli stead get a veteran who fs very much to what they do, n produce on the perimeter off the dribble (a key piece they need to get return for Gay; the ia that they uld jt get back shooters and bigs put their system limbo), and is an excellent fenr. The Memphis Grizzli have trad forward Rudy Gay to the Toronto Grizzli receive pot guard Jose Calron as part of the al, and routed Calron's $10. In Prce, the Grizzli get a rpected, if not agg, small forward who'll give them nsirable savgs over the $37 ln owed Gay the next two seasons.

Wh the reported tra that the Sacramento Kgs have moved four players to acquire Rudy Gay and two other players om the Toronto Raptors, we're takg a look at all of the movg parts and salary implitns the al. Now Ujiri has moved Andrea Bargnani and Rudy Gay ($60 ln mted over this season and next season bed) exchange for valuable tra assets/role players and a draft pick the tra wh the Knicks.

While mtg $19 ln to the books next year for Gay is a pretty big al for them, they now have a big expirg ntract headg to next season of a very talented player. The key to how much you like this tra for the Kgs is how much you believe Gay is salvageable as an impact player.

REVISG THE RUDY GAY TRA FOR THE RAPTORS: IS WORKG?

It will be tertg to see if he valu Gay as a long-term piece or if he tri to flip him this summer to a ntenr lookg for some "srg punch. And then Colangelo's swan song move was acquirg Rudy Gay and the $37 ln owed to him over the next two seasons.

RUDY GAY TRA ANALYSIS: WHY MEMPHIS MA OUT LIKE BANDS

They were bankg on the player that Gay was supposed to bee and not the unrperformg, overpaid wg player he was wh the Memphis Grizzli at the time of the al. At the time of the tra, I wrote that there were plenty of smart reasons for the Raptors to acquire Rudy Gay. Of the players who played at least 1, 000 mut for the Raptors last season, only Amir Johnson had a higher ratg than Gay, and they were the only players on the team (along wh Kyle Lowry) to have a posive ratg.

The Raptors didn't jt play better once they acquired their new small forward; Rudy Gay also played much better by creasg his shootg percentage by 1. The weren't monster improvements, but showed a ltle b of a new life wh Rudy Gay and his effect on a basketball urt.

RUDY GAY TRAD TO RAPTORS

What we see now Toronto is a team wh a foc-garnerg player on offense Gay -- someone who n grab the attentn of the fense and e his talent as gravy to suck the fenrs his way when he has the ball. From there on, they have to fd the fensive balance we saw two years ago and plementary players steppg up to make the fense pay for givg too much attentn to Gay when he has the ball. And maybe Rudy Gay won't even be volved wh the anizatn a year om now if Ujiri n get someone to take his ntract.

However, looks like the ial move to brg Gay aboard has turned out to be a good start toward changg the steps of the Toronto Raptors.

RUDY GAY TO KGS 7-PLAYER AL

As wh any al the new fislly-nsc NBA, the Rudy Gay tra volvg the Grizzli, Raptors and Pistons n be analyzed om many different angl.

Some might lament the three-team al that sent Gay to the Raptors, Tayshn Prce and Ed Davis to the Grizzli and Jose Calron to the Pistons bee the bt team volved trad s leadg srer for fancial reasons.

As has been mentned before this space, was always a matter of when, not if, the Grizzli would tra Gay, even after a recent tra of Marree Speights and Wayne Ellgton got Memphis unr the luxury-tax thrhold for this year. Gay shot only 31 percent on three-poters this year, and that shortg allowed his fenr to cheat off him to help on Randolph and Gasol the post.

SOURC: RAPTORS VET RUDY GAY

Throw Prce's obv fensive strengths -- he's regrsed sce his glory days of 2004, but he's still at least as good as Gay -- and the Grizzli have clarified their offensive peckg orr while matag or even enhancg their stiflg fense. They got a battle-tted, role-playg small forward that n approximate a lot of Gay's skills and f wh the team's post players.

The Raptors will pay a bed $50 ln next season to Gay, Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Landry Fields next year.

THUNR WAIVE RUDY GAY, VETERAN BE FREE AGENT

Gay has sred on jt 32 percent of his spot-up opportuni and is htg jt 27 percent of his thre the spots.

I know 's pretty drastic, but Gay has thrived at the posn ternatnal play and is certaly jt as big as many stretch 4s.

news servicJan 30, 2013, 05:29 PM ETThe Grizzli, Raptors and Pistons agreed to a six-player tra Wednday that sent star swgman Rudy Gay to Grizzli, the midst of a money-motivated makeover, acquired forward Ed Davis and veteran guard Jose Calron the al that also sent backup center Hamed Haddadi to the Raptors. Memphis then shipped Calron to Detro for At Daye and Tayshn Grizzli also received a 2013 send-round pick om Toronto as part of the Dallas Mavericks, sourc said, were also terted acquirg Calron but were not prepared to surrenr swgman Vce Carter, whom Memphis veted to help fill the void created by Gay's parture. Tradg away Gay also eas a luxury tax h due next season, while ncentratg the team around center Marc Gasol and All-Star forward Zach Randolph.

RAPTORS TRA TREE: HOW RUDY GAY TURNED TO SERGE IBAKA

1 seed San Anton before losg to Oklahoma Cy seven gam the Wtern semifals -- all wh Gay on the bench after needg season-endg shoulr surgery. "They do n the risk of upsettg the chemistry on a tight-kn group, even if there were some qutns of how Gay's srg f wh the ball-domant onturt of Gasol and there may be more als like this one g the new NBA llective bargag agreement negotiated after last year's lockout mak the penalti for exceedg the salary p far more punive, and the system begs earnt next season.

Calron and Davis had both been startg for the Raptors, but they do have Kyle Lowry wag the wgs at pot guard and likely see Gay's srg punch as the key to vltg back to the discsn a medcre Dwane Casey will have to al wh a b of a log jam wh Gay, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Landry Fields and Alan Anrson as wg players wh siar skill gettg a player wh Gay's natural srg talent, even at the expense of partg wh a valued player like Calron, proved too enticg to pass up. Coverg the NBA sce 1995Dec 8, 2013, 07:54 PM ETThe Toronto Raptors have trad Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kgs, the teams announced Monday, ls than 24 hours after they reached an al volv seven players, wh the Kgs sendg John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hay to Toronto exchange for Gay, Aaron Gray and Qucy Acy. It was required to be a large tra to acmodate Gay's salary, which is more than $17 ln this, Gray and Acy will not be uniform when the Kgs host the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.

NBA RUMORS: JAM HARN TRA TALKS, JOEL EMBIID, PJ TUCKER, RUDY GAY, LAKERS, WARRRS, BUCKS, MORE

Sports earlier reported the Raptors are givg up on Gay ls than a year after tradg for him and are sentially offloadg his ntract, which has another year and $20 ln on , for three players who will be ee agents after this Kgs get a high-volume srer Gay and n pair him wh newly acquired forward Derrick Williams the onturt along wh DeMarc Cos. Gay, who was trad last January by the Memphis Grizzli a siar money dump, is one of the hight-paid players the league.

"The tra for Gay was one of the last acts of former Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo, who rigned last summer.

RUDY GAY TRAD OM RAPTORS TO KGS: REPORTS

• Also vered soccer, tennis and the OlympicsThe Memphis Grizzli ntue to field lls om teams terted Rudy Gay and are engaged active tra discsns wh the Toronto Raptors, sourc wh knowledge of the talks told the amework of a workable tra has not yet been tablished, sourc told that Toronto -- known to be perhaps Gay's most termed suor -- has ntued to make a hard ph for the Grizzli, though, mata that last week's luxury-tax-slashg tra wh Cleveland means they no longer feel the same prsure to move Gay or another high-priced player before the NBA's Feb. 21 tra Grizzli CEO Jason Levien told lol reporters late last week that "we really like our team" and that is "more likely than not that we do nothg" terms of breakg up Memphis' marquee foursome of Gay, pot guard Mike Conley, forward Zach Randolph and center Marc sourc say that the Raptors, undnted by that stance, ntue to pursue Gay and also vet Grizzli forward Darrell Arthur. Toronto, sourc said, has ma veteran pot guard Jose Calron and blossomg young forward Ed Davis available as the two rnerston of s teams rema engaged wh the Grizzli as well, as Memphis officials ntue to weigh whether is bt to tra Gay or keep together the re of a team that has ranked among the top four the Wtern talks wh the Raptors do progrs, acrdg to sourc, 's possible that a tra wh Memphis uld expand to clu other teams and players.

1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani all are Boston Celtics, sourc say, are another team that registered exploratory tert Gay before Rajon Rondo's season-endg knee jury.

But makg a tra for Gay would require Boston to part wh Pl Pierce, which is a step that Celtics management might not be ready to take and might not be able to afford sce Gay has two years left on his ntract valued at more $35 ln.

IMPACT OF RUDY GAY TRA OM RAPTORS TO THE KGS

Sourc say that the Grizzli, meanwhile, know Pierce would likely have strong rervatns about leavg Boston for Memphis and aren't sure he uld addrs the var prri they've intified as mts a Gay tra, such as addg pth and youth to the roster as well as balancg out a top-heavy payroll. Sourc told on Sunday night that the wake of Rondo's jury, Boston was more likely to pursue Lowry and his p-iendly ntract than Gay if cis to pursue an -season tra reported Friday that there is no shortage of teams nvced that the Grizzli might still opt to move Gay before the tra adle, pecially the wake of their recent tra wh Cleveland that shed more than $6 ln salary and took the Grizzli unr the luxury-tax Grizzli ach Lnel Holls and var players have publicly lobbied for the right to play out this season wh no dramatic chang to the roster, now that Memphis will not have a luxury-tax bill at season's the long-term view, however, Memphis' management team unr new owner Robert Pera is said to be ncerned about s limed abily to keep improvg the roster and addrs obv ncerns regardg the Grizzli' pth and perimeter shootg. The bulk of Memphis' payroll is tied up four players: Gay, Conley, Randolph and nvce Cleveland to take back rerv Marree Speights, Wayne Ellgton and Josh Selby Tuday's tra, Memphis was forced to surrenr a protected future first-round Grizzli, sourc said, were ncerned about their lack of future first-round picks before that tra and are th believed to be pursug picks as part of any -season al volvg Grizzli uld also elect to rist -season tras and then try to move Gay or Randolph nnectn wh the draft June or durg ee agency July.

RAPTORS OFFICIALLY TRA RUDY GAY TO KGS

NBA Analysis NetworkThe Oklahoma Cy Thunr are waivg veteran small forward Rudy Gay, acrdg to NBA sir Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Gay is now an unrtricted ee agent, assumg he go unclaimed on waivers, which is played for the Utah Jazz last season.

0 assists 1, 120 gam wh the Memphis Grizzli, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kgs, San Anton Spurs and NEWS & RUMORS: Rudy Gay & Oklahoma Cy Thunr UpdatThe Goln State Warrrs uld pursue Gay, acrdg to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. After a recent tra wh Atlanta to grab Usman Gaba, TyTy Washgton and Rudy Gay, Oklahoma Cy is overmted on guaranteed roster slots, ” Slater wrote.

RUDY GAY TRA: GOOD OR BAD AL?

”NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Rudy Gay & Oklahoma Cy Thunr UpdatGoln State trad Jordan Poole to the Washgton Wizards for Chris Pl this summer. It will be tertg to see if Goln State adds Gay to the roster for some forward the latt NBA analysis, breakg news, and sir rmatn? But when, one of Masai Ujiri’s first mov sce takg over the GM job Toronto, the Raptors alt Rudy Gay to Sacramento a massive seven-player al, everythg changed.

Gay had been acquired ls than a year earlier by Ujiri’s precsor, Bryan Colangelo, a last-dch effort to fe a weak roster wh marketable talent. Acknowledgg the fact that Gay was a poor f alongsi DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, Ujiri sent him and the $37 ln remag on his ntract to the Kgs. But sometim you have to get lucky to w, and by unloadg a star-level player (or close to ) Gay and two peripheral piec for four role players, the Raptors set an unknowg urse for the most prospero perd anchise history.

RAPTORS AND KGS AGREE TO TRA FOR RUDY GAY

In the wake of the Gay tra, the Raps had found their inty as a team, the fans reclaimed their voice— lour than had ever been— and DeRozan and Lowry emerged as a bona fi one-two punch worth buildg a team around. So, to sum up, the Raptors trad Rudy Gay and, ultimately, got Patrick Patterson, Lou Williams, Norman Powell, Lus Nogueira and Serge Ibaka return.

STTO’S LATT: TUCKER, GAY, SUMNER, NOEL

Below is the latt tel gathered by HoopsHype on the Harn tra talks and how they uld affect Joel Embiid and PJ Tucker, ee agency updat on Rudy Gay, Edmond Sumner, and Nerlens Noel, along wh not on the Lakers, Warrrs, Bucks, Mavericks, and more on HoopsHype.