Rudy Gay (Photo : Twitter)
The NBA trade rumors are heating up and one player has openly stated that he wants to leave his team.
Rudy Gay, who has been a part of trade rumors since the trade deadline last February, has taken the initiative to leave the Sacramento Kings.
According to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee, Gay has requested a trade, but Voisin also shot down the rumored swap with the Pacers' Monta Ellis.
Kings attempting to trade Rudy Gay (per his request), but adamant that they have no interest in Monta Ellis.
— Ailene Voisin (@ailene_voisin) July 8, 2016
Another report from Marc Stein of ESPN has the Kings making Gay available.
"Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay has emerged as one of the most established NBA veterans available via trade, according to league sources. Sources told ESPN that the Kings are actively seeking to move Gay as well as big man Kosta Koufos and guard Ben McLemore," Stein's report stated.
The report also mentioned that the Chicago Bulls are one of the teams that negotiated with the Kings prior to the Bulls landing former Kings' point guard Rajon Rondo and eventually, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.
Before he had the reputation of taking ill-advised shots, Gay was one of the better small forwards in the league. He was chosen to be a part of Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in 2014 where he won a gold medal. He checked in with per game averages 17.2 points and 6.5 rebounds for 70 games with Sacramento.
There is no indication of why Gay allegedly requested a trade but it is speculated that he could be interested in one of the most obvious vacancies in that position. Kevin Durant was one of the best small forwards for the past nine years and his departure left a huge void in Oklahoma City. The Thunder does not have a viable alternative to take over the position (Kyle Singler definitely does not cut it).
To make matters worse, the late decision by Kevin Durant left the Thunder with few alternatives in the free agent market. A trade for Gay seems imperative.
The Thunder could possibly offer shooting guard Andre Roberson and point guard Cameron Payne for Gay. Both of those positions have been filled out by recent trade acquisition Victor Oladipo, so Gay could fit right in the Thunder starting lineup without decimating their bench.
There would be other teams possibly interested in Gay's services like the New Orleans Pelicans or the Atlanta Hawks.
