In Rudy Gay’s recent interview that highlighted all of his problems with the Sacramento Kings, he specifically mentioned the roles of Paul Pierce and Jamal Crawford for the Los Angeles Clippers when discussing his search for stability.
Rudy Gay has been mentioned alongside the Los Angeles Clippers recently due to absurd trade rumors and nothing more. Blake Griffin going to Boston was a popular idea for Celtics fans, especially as the bulk of the Clippers’ supposed return would be Gay in a three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings. Unsurprisingly, that idea fizzled out when a little logic sunk in for people to realize that trading a superstar like Griffin for Gay isn’t exactly a move the Clippers are dying to make to save their future.
However, the notion that Gay could (maybe) somehow find his way to the Clippers hasn’t completely disappeared, at least among fans.
In an insightful interview with Blake Ellington of Sactown Royalty, Gay couldn’t have made the woeful situation of the Kings organization much clearer. We all know the issues, from Vlade Divac in the front office, to their bizarre selection of Georgios Papagiannis as the 13th pick in this year’s draft, to the trouble with constant coaching changes. There’s no stability and there are problems across the board, making the Kings the NBA’s most dysfunctional franchise.
Gay didn’t hold back when discussing such issues. By admitting that he doesn’t know what the team’s direction is to saying that he doesn’t even know who their new players are, Gay’s answers summed up the Kings in worrying fashion.
One such topic that came up was what he’s looking for in his career. Now approaching his 11th season, Gay wants stability and he wants to know where his team is headed, which clearly isn’t the Kings when you read his answers. He mentioned his wish to find stability, and specifically referenced two members of the Clippers when doing so:
"At this point in your career, what are you looking for as a player?Stability. I feel like I still have a lot of years left. With stability, look at people like Jamal Crawford, look at people like Paul Pierce, a lot of people. When they have that stability and they know what their worth is for a team and what their job is for a team, how they can work on that and play for that team."
Why did Gay have the Clippers on his mind? Why recognize Crawford and Pierce’s stability and how they fit a certain role in Los Angeles?
On one hand, Gay just thought of such examples off the top of his head to make a point. Which, in all honesty, is most likely the case.
On the other hand, as speculators and Clippers fans may suggest, Gay mentioned the team and the two veterans because the Clippers can offer the kind of stability that he’s looking for.
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Yes, Gay has flaws with shot selection, three-point shooting and defense at times, but there’s no doubt he’d still be the Clippers’ top offensive option at small forward if he found his way onto the team. He averaged 17.2 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting last season, upping his accuracy from 16-22 feet to 41.6 percent and shooting at his career average of 34.4 percent from three.
However, the obvious issue remains as to how the Clippers would even get Gay in the first place. They don’t have anything to offer in a trade as that Blake Griffin scenario is never going to happen, so their best bet is if the Kings decide to buyout Gay’s $13.33 million contract for 2016-17.
The trade interest in him seems fairly minimal right now. Even though he hasn’t demanded a trade, his unhappiness is clear from this recent interview and there have been reports that the Kings have been actively looking to trade him for months.
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If the market for Gay doesn’t improve, the chance of landing a notable return for him will only decrease along with his value. Again, his frustration only hurts his value further as teams know Gay and Sacramento are ready to part ways.
Providing the Kings can’t find a trade partner and are eager enough to look in a new direction and part with his $13.33 million salary (which is hardly expensive in today’s market), there’s a small chance for a buyout, similar to that of Joe Johnson‘s from the Brooklyn Nets last season. Of course, he was in a different position with a far heavier $24.89 million pay check for 2015-16.
Right now, there’s only a small chance for a Gay buyout. We haven’t heard any more about his future outside of this interview and we don’t know any more about the Kings’ plans. As is clearer than ever, their plans generally make no sense, anyway.
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If Gay does somehow wind up as a free agent, the Clippers would be wise to go after him. The problem there, of course, is whether he’s actually interested and willing to take a minimum deal.