NBA Trade Rumors: OKC Thunder Still Interested In Rudy Gay
NBA Trade Rumors: Despite being quiet on the matter as of late, the Oklahoma City Thunder are still interested in trading for Rudy Gay
Quietly, Rudy Gay is having a phenomenal season. Well, phenomenal is a strong word. He’s having a really good season.
Nevertheless, Gay’s trade value probably hasn’t been higher over the last couple years than it’s right now. On the young season, Gay is averaging 21.3 points (career-high) and 6.3 rebounds per game on 48 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent from three-point range – both career highs.
Of course, the question remains: is this a new Rudy Gay or just a hot start? Teams interested in acquiring additional wing help, like the Oklahoma City Thunder, have to be asking themselves that at the moment.
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According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Thunder are still very much interested in acquiring a player like Gay. Whether they decide to move forward with that desire, however, is an entirely different story.
[via ESPN]
They remain interested in bigger wings, including Rudy Gay, sources say, in part because such a player would slide everyone down to their intended spots: Oladipo to the bench, and Andre Roberson back to defending shooting guards.
But you can’t just conjure trades or better shooting. The Thunder have to make do.
On the surface, acquiring Gay would help the Thunder’s depth and lack of three-point shooting. The Thunder, as a team, shoot the long ball at a 34 percent clip, good enough for 18th in the NBA.
Of course, this is all assuming that Gay will continue to shoot the three-ball at a career-high clip. Considering he’s never shot it above 40 percent in any single season, that seems unlikely.
Are the Thunder willing to bet on him? That’s another question that needs to be answered. If all else fails, and if the Thunder do decide to make a move for him, Gay is on an expiring contract (he’ll likely opt out for more money) and he likely won’t cost much in the way of a deadline day trade.
If the OKC Thunder are serious about adding a wing player before the NBA Trade Deadline, Gay is probably their guy. Whether it works out or not is an entirely different question, though. It’s definitely worth the risk, however, especially if Gay’s early numbers are any indication of what’s in store for him the rest of the way.