For the second time in less than a year, small forward Rudy Gay has been traded as part of a seven-player deal . As reported by their teams Monday, the Toronto Raptors traded Gay, center Aaron Gray, and small forward Quincy Acy to the Sacramento Kings for point guard Greivis Vasquez, small forward John Salmons, and power forwards Chuck Hayes and Patrick Patterson.
Toronto General Manager Masai Ujiri appears to be completely cleaning house after ridding the Raptors of approximately $60 million in salary in the past six months with the trades of Gay and Andrea Bargnani.
Gay and his salaries of $17.8 million this year and $19.3 million dollars next year were thought to be untradable. While Gay had been scoring over 19 points per game this season, his less than 39% shooting and nearly 19 shots per game average were not helping Toronto win many games. In addition, Toronto receives three expiring contracts and Hayes’ contract expires next season. Vasquez may also help Toronto at point.
Despite the obvious advantages for Toronto, Sacramento fans may be happy to have rid themselves of the underperforming John Salmons and hope that the change of scenery helps Gay. By moving Vasquez, Sacramento can also field a lineup with guards Isaiah Thomas and Ben McLemore, center DeMarcus Cousins and newly acquired forwards Gay and Derrick Williams. The new Kings lineup may not play much defense, but they should be able to run and score.
New Kings owner Vivek Ranadive may be trying to create some buzz for his attention-starved 5-13 Kings. Only time will tell if this trade ultimately benefits Sacramento. But, the NBA has definitely been put on notice that Toronto is in a major rebuilding process in time for the talent-rich 2014 draft.
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