The Minnesota Timberwolves could swap point guard Ricky Rubio to the Sacramento Kings for Rudy Gay, one of the few names available in the trade market.
It is no secret that the Kings are looking to dealt Gay this offseason after the 29-year-old forward expressed his frustrations over Sacramento's unclear direction. Gay, who has been in the heat of trade talks in the past weeks after expressing his frustrations over the Kings, would be a valuable addition to teams that are looking for a two-way wing.
According to Nick Agar-Johnson of Hashtag Basketball, one possible destination for Gay is the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal that would see Ricky Rubio joining the Kings.
Rubio could be the odd man out in Minny with Zach Lavine expected to earn a larger role at the point guard position and Kris Dunn's arrival as a solid backup to the Slam Dunk champ. While team owner Glen Taylor insisted he does not believe trading Rubio is a "likely possibility," adding a veteran like Gay may convince the Wolves to move the Spanish point guard.
Bringing in Gay would not only provide the Wolves depth at the wing position, but would also give the Tom Thibodeau another veteran presence who could mentor Andrew Wiggins and the team's other young talents. Gay, who averaged 17.2 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the field, would play as a solid contributor off the bench playing behind Wiggins.
Meanwhile, Rubio would give the Kings a talented point guard, whom they could pair with All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins.
The Kings have miserably failed to add a top point guard in the offseason, which may potentially contribute to Cousins' displeasure with the organization. Adding Rubio should make Cousins a happy big man as the two could form one of the deadliest pick-and-roll play in the league.
However, while it would be intriguing to see Rubio dropping dimes and throwing slick passes in Sacramento, it is unlikely the Kings trade Gay to the a rebuilding team. According to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, the Miami Heat are among the teams that "very much appeal" to Gay.
"According to an associate, the Heat is among teams that very much appeal to Sacramento forward Rudy Gay, who has been available in trades. But Miami likely lacks the tradable assets to acquire him if it wanted to and his $14.2 million player option for 2017-18 is worrisome. Players signed this month in free agency cannot be traded until Dec. 15," Jackson wrote.
The only caveat for a deal that would send Gay to South Beach is the lack of the Heat's trade assets to orchestrate such trade. The Wolves, on the other hand, have Rubio at their disposal and a straight swap should work, according to ESPN's trade machine.
It remains to be seen whether the Wolves have a genuine interest in acquiring Gay. But if they see Rubio as an odd fit to their current system, trading for a veteran scorer is worth exploring.