As the NBA trade rumors continue to pick up, the Sacramento Kings have made Rudy Gay available according to a report.
The claim came from Marc Stein of ESPN who said that the Sacramento Kings have a "conditional willingness" to trade Gay. The condition rests on the Kings getting the type of player that they want in return.
"Sacramento is said to be seeking a quality young player in return if it parts with Gay," Stein wrote. "Or a player they like with at least one year left on his contract after this season, which would give the Kings some insulation against the unpleasant prospect of trading for someone in February who turns around and leaves town in July."
The Sacramento Kings are not a free agent destination so players on long-term contracts are a plus for them. Players on rookie deals are even better since they could only become restricted free agents, giving the Kings some security.
This is why Victor Oladipo would be a good match to what Sacramento is looking for. CBS stated that Oladipo "has a lot of upside who's a great defender and a versatile playmaker."
The Orlando Magic have a lot of young players that they have acquired through the draft and trades. Oladipo currently shares the position with Frenchman Evan Fournier who has been playing well this season. Thus, the Magic might be open to trading one of them.
The only caveat is that 'Dipo is a fairly recent no.2 overall pick (although it was on the 2013 Draft) and the price tag might be steep. CBS anticipates that the Magic may ask for a draft pick.
The scenario has Victor Oladipo and forward Jason Smith moving to Sacramento in exchange for Rudy Gay. The veteran from the University of Connecticut can provide the leadership that the Magic's youth movement need. Gay would have to share time with Tobias Harris and Aaron Gordon and could switch between both forward spots.