Rudy Gay has been mentioned in NBA trade rumors all summer, and now a new team has emerged as a suitor for his services: the New York Knicks .
According to Hall of Fame Magazine , the Knicks are not finished making offseason moves, and they have begun to target Gay , the talented Sacramento Kings forward. The Knicks feel they need a bench upgrade, and Rudy Gay would give New York’s second unit a big offensive lift.
NBA Rumor: Knicks trading for Rudy Gay? https://t.co/s8J9AiOWNQ via @SportsBlog
— Anirudh Subramanian (@AnirudhSubrama1) July 26, 2016
The Knicks have made a splash in the free agency market this summer, signing Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings. Prior to the start of free agency, New York made a trade with Chicago for star point guard Derrick Rose. The Knicks’ roster rebuild has gone according to plan so far, but they are continuing to explore their options in an effort to further strengthen the team.
Rudy Gay is being shopped around the league as the Kings try to move beyond their disappointing 2015-16 season. There has been rumored interest in Gay from a number of NBA teams, but none of those deals have gone through. The New York Knicks have a legitimate opportunity to acquire Gay from Sacramento, and he could be the final piece of a roster overhaul intended to get the Knicks not only into the playoffs but into title contention.
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Bleacher Report details that Rudy Gay was never a good fit with the Kings and that the high-scoring forward is still being made available via the trade market. It seems that Sacramento has not heard an offer they like as of yet, but the Knicks could change that.
“Gay was an odd fit from the start with the team, never meshing well with Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins. Now the former is gone and the latter only has two years left on his deal, meaning the front office has an eye on the clock as it attempts to impress him with a rebuild.”
Rudy Gay opens up about his frustrations with the Kings in an interview with @sactownroyalty https://t.co/fUmgxY7l2O pic.twitter.com/IorwgS0gBN
— SB Nation NBA ? (@SBNationNBA) July 26, 2016
Rudy Gay has been in the NBA for 10 years, joining the league as the No. 8 overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets, but he never played there as he was traded to Memphis two weeks after the draft. Gay has been an outstanding scorer in the NBA and a solid rebounder from the small forward position.
Gay averaged a career-high 21.1 points per game in 2014-15 for the Kings and followed that up with per-game averages of 17.2 points and 6.5 rebounds this past season in Sacramento. The six-foot-eight, 230-pounder carries career averages of 18.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest. By any measure, Gay is a quality offensive player who could anchor the Knicks’ bench and perform well as a starter if needed.
The New York Knicks have made major upgrades to their roster after missing the playoffs with a poor 32-50 regular season record last year. The Knicks’ fan base is excited, and expectations are higher than they have been in New York for many years. The team has added former NBA All-Stars Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to their starting lineup, as well as some nice complimentary players to join holdovers Carmelo Anthony (another NBA All-Star) and 2015-16 rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis.
In the NBA, trade rumors are rampant at this time of year. However, the Knicks have been very aggressive in their pursuit of talent this offseason and are now said to be looking squarely at Rudy Gay as their next big-time acquisition. Do you think Rudy Gay could be the last piece to the Knicks’ championship puzzle?
[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]