The Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings are headlining the NBA trade rumors nowadays after a proposed deal is in the works between them. And the centerpiece player in this rumored deal is none other than power forward Rudy Gay.
Gay has been in numerous trade rumors for the past few months after he publicly announces last season that he is not happy with the team and wants to be traded. The same sentiment is also being felt by teammate DeMarcus Cousins who is also always been mentioned in many rumor mills. New reports are now saying that Gay might end up with a new team this season.
According to ChattSportsNet, after successfully acquiring guard Jerami Grant from the Philadelphia 76ers, the Thunder is locking its eyes to one more player on its list, Rudy Gay. The acquisition of Grant is part of a plan to replace Cameron Payne, who suffered a foot injury last September. And now, the Thunder is willing to trade Payne to the Kings in exchange for Gay.
In acquiring Grant, the Thunder release forward Ersan Ilyasova to the Sixers. Now they are chasing Gay in order to fill in Ilyasova spot as per stated in the report. Gay will be a perfect replacement for Ilyasova as both players have the same skill set but Gay is more dependable than Ilyasova.
Having Gay playing alongside Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter makes the Thunder roster a potent one. This will also give some scare to other contender teams like the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and even the defending champs Cleveland Cavaliers.
More on NBA trade rumors, as reported by Parent Herald, the arrival of Gay in the Thunder also gives them a good substitute to Kevin Durant who left the team last summer. Gay could also relieve some burden to Westbrook who is currently anchoring the offense of the team. Gay is currently averaging 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in five games with the Kings this season.
Will the Sacramento Kings finally release Rudy Gay to the Oklahoma City Thunder?
