The Houston Rockets are expected to make a strong push in the coming days for Rudy Gay, who's currently at the center of trade rumors following reports that he's no longer interested in extending his tenure with the Sacramento Kings.
The Rockets have been one of the teams that express strong interest in the versatile swingman. According to Hoops Rumors, Gay's ability to play the small forward and power forward position (as a stretch-forward) piques the curiosity of Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni.
Hoops Rumors writer Luke Adams stated the Rockets, who are expected to use a fast-paced, small-ball offensive scheme under D'Antoni, will likely reach out the Kings' front office in hope of hammering a deal for Gay.
"The Rockets have been among the teams linked to Gay over the last few months, so if Sacramento gets serious about moving the UConn product, Houston could be a team to watch. Considering Gay is likely to explore the free agent market in 2017 though, teams poised to have significant cap room next summer may prefer to try to land him at that point, rather than giving up pieces in a trade."
The 30-year old Gay played 70 games last season, averaging 17.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in 34 minutes per contest. He made 46 percent of his shots from the field, including 34 percent outside the rainbow territory.
Gay, who is already playing with his third NBA team, has reportedly grown frustrated with the direction the Kings are taking. Last season, the Kings bombed out of playoff contention with a 33-49 record despite adding former All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo into the mix and the continued domination of DeMarcus Cousins as arguably the no.1 big man in the league.
The Rockets are already over the cap but could Corey Brewer or Trevor Ariza plus some young talents and draft picks to sweeten their package. Gay will earn $13 million for this coming season and has player option worth $14M for the 2017-18 season.