Rudy Gay (Photo : Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings are in the thick of NBA trade rumors as they continue to search for a deal involving Rudy Gay.
The Kings were mentioned by Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders as trying to "fix their culture" and to do so, they are attempting to trade "awkward fitting pieces" and also, shipping out the personalities that do not conform with their plan.
With his very public outburst, Rudy Gay has definitely identified himself as one of those personalities. Gay was apparently upset at how the team's front office failed to communicate. An example of that was how they were not informed that coach Mike Malone was fired.
Gay was also not informed that the Kings were trying to trade him, even during the deadline. Since then, Gay has already talked with the Kings' front office and they have a mutual agreement for him to be traded and Kyler confirms that the forward is being shopped.
"For weeks, there has been talk that Kings forward Rudy Gay could be had in trade and that despite his ability to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, there are many around the league who believe the Kings will not only move Gay, but that it could happen before training camp starts."
Trading an impending free agent is no longer as easy as it once was. There are teams that are interested but do not have the trade pieces to pull it off. The Miami Heat is one example. They are capped out and the pieces they can trade are newly signed so they can't be traded until December 15.
Kyler noted that the Houston Rockets have expressed interest in Gay and he would be a good fit in a Mike D'Antoni offense. However, they don't have what the Kings need.
Perhaps the piece they can offer is Donatas Motiejunas via sign and trade since he's still a free agent. But the Kings don't need another big man. Their main needs are point guard and wing scorers.
A three-way trade could be the solution for the Kings and Rockets. The Lakers have Motiejunas on their radar and he has probably erased all the health issues from that rescinded trade with the Pistons. The Lakers can offer Lou Williams in the mix.
In a Real GM proposal, the Rockets will offer Motiejunas and Corey Brewer. Motiejunas will be sent to the Lakers for Lou Williams. Williams and Brewer will be the package sent to the Kings.
The speculative proposal works in principle and it's possible that a variation of that has been considered if talks between the Rockets and Kings have indeed taken place. The Lakers are still waiting for an "opportunistic trade" and has a roster spot open. They are ready to participate in these kinds of transactions.
