Bringing in Gay gives Sacramento an entertaining, if not highly volatile starting lineup. More freedom and offensive touches for Valanciunas is the hidden impact of this trade, who was expected to have a breakout season but has mostly been mediocre to this point (9.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game).Īs for the Kings, Gray and Acy average a combined 14 minutes per game and have scored a combined 24 points on the season, so this is really all about Rudy Gay. DeRozan and Gay have been fighting each other for shots (36.3 field goal attempts per game between the two of them), relegating poor Jonas Valanciunas to clean-up duty on the offensive glass. The obvious impact of the Rudy Gay trade for the Raptors has to be turning the reins over to DeMar DeRozan, who is leading Toronto in scoring this season with 21.3 points per game on 43 percent shooting. So the Raptors will be doling out big minutes to a couple of prospects that will likely be auditioning for their next team.
And Chuck Hayes’ minutes (11 per game) have been completely insignificant this season with the Kings. John Salmons is even worse, averaging 5.8 points in the same amount of minutes per game. For reference, Lowry is averaging 14.3 points and 6.6 assists per game this season.Īs for the other players Ujiri added to the roster, Patterson averaged just 6.9 points per game despite playing 24 minutes per game. Vasquez struggled with the Kings this year, averaging just 9.8 points and 5.3 assists per game after posting career-bests with the New Orleans Hornets last season (13.9 points and 9.0 assists per game). It won’t be long before there’s a starting point guard controversy between the helpful Vasquez and the decent Kyle Lowry. None of the players Toronto added to its roster will have too much of an impact this season. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports Masai Ujiri just got another massive contract off the books. Gay’s “shoot first, don’t ask questions ever” approach is the exact kind of “superstar” pedigree that Ujiri’s teams have avoided, as evidenced by magically convincing the New York Knicks to take Bargs this year and even getting a sweet return for the Denver Nuggets on Carmelo Anthony back in 2011. Between moving Andrea Bargnani and this Rudy Gay trade, mastermind wizard general manager Masai Ujiri has cleared out more than $20 million of cap space for the Raptors next season. It’s no surprise that Ujiri decided to pull the trigger on a Rudy Gay trade after all, this is the man who built a 57-win Denver Nuggets team without a single All-Star. The Raptors started the season with the hopes of contending for a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference, but this trade sends them spiraling into full-on tank mode.įor the Raptors, this move is about sacrificing some nightly thrills and highlights for the sake of rebuilding. The Kings started the season in tank mode, but bringing in Gay is an attempt to help Sacramento win games now. So what does this trade do for each team?įor starters, it’s a blatant revelation of both team’s playoff aspirations this year.
#RUDY GAY KINGS HIGHLIGHTS FREE#
Patterson and Vasquez, the two most promising acquisitions form this trade, will be free agents after the 2013-14 season, giving Toronto plenty of freedom to either allow them to walk or resign them (which could be a possibility for Vasquez). The Raptors will receive Grievis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes in return. Gay is averaging 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting a career-low 39 percent from the field. The Raptors, who currently sit at the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference with a 6-12 record, have decided to pull the plug early on the Rudy Gay experiment, sending him to the Kings along with Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray. In a seven player trade, the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors have stated their intentions for the 2013-14 season and for the future. By Gerald Bourguet 8 years ago Follow Tweet