The Pelicans rejected a trade proposal from the Kings of Ryan Anderson for Rudy Gay, league sources told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops, a signal that Sacramento is making Gay available. New Orleans has reportedly been listening to offers about Anderson but not shopping him, and coach Alvin Gentry has said it’s unlikely the Pelicans trade him this season. A straight-up exchange of Anderson for Gay trade would move the Pelicans to within $1MM of the luxury tax threshold, so it’s not surprising New Orleans said no. Scotto heard more about Anderson and several other trade candidates, as we’ll summarize here:
- The Pistons are expected to pursue Anderson in free agency, league sources told Scotto. Stan Van Gundy said in October that Anderson, incumbent Pistons power forward Ersan Ilyasova and Kevin Love are in a class by themselves among those who combine effective rebounding and 3-point shooting.
- The Suns, who reportedly engaged in talks with the Pelicans about a swap of Markieff Morris for Anderson, now prefer young players or draft picks in exchange for Morris, Scotto’s league sources say.
- The Clippers are making Josh Smith available for a trade, according to Scotto, essentially a reprise of earlier this season, when Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported the Clips had gauged interest in him. Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers denied that earlier report, however.
- The Rockets have taken Donatas Motiejunas off the trade market, but Terrence Jones remains available, Scotto reports. Houston earlier had talks with Phoenix about a swap of Jones and Corey Brewer for Morris, as Scotto revealed, and those discussions were serious, Marc Stein of ESPN.com later added. Brewer becomes eligible to be traded Friday.
- Scotto adds the Mavericks to list of teams with interest in trading for Timberwolves shooting guard Kevin Martin.
YES! Finally some trade rumors. Dying over here. Lol…
Kings were selling low on gay. I would’ve accepted that right away if I was the Pelicans
I don’t know if I would accept that if I was the Pelicans. They’re looking for long term value back (picks, young players) and also are trying to create floor space for Davis. Anderson and Gordon are just about the only good healthy shooters on the roster, trading away Anderson for a spotty shooter in Gay would be counter-productive. I also don’t think its a coincidence that teams that have traded Gay have done better after moving him (Grizzlies and Raptors).
But lose Anderson for nothing in the offseason?
Definitely wouldn’t consider that selling low. In fact Anderson carries more value because of his expiring contract. Especially in a year where the Cap is projected to jump. Kings would’ve been able to shed Gay and prepare to possibly chase someone in FA.
Gay is a tough guy to fit into a roster. After watching him in Toronto, he needs the offence to run through him to be successful. But if you have another guy that’s a better option with the ball (Lowry, Gasol, Cousins, and theoretically Davis) your offense becomes stagnant due to lack of ball movement.
I think Gay would make a fantastic 6/7th man type – he could easily be a great leader of a 2nd unit that contained outside shooters and low post guys that don’t need the ball in their hands all the time, but I doubt he’s willing to accept a role like that given his age and talent level.
Pelican’s have put themselves in an interesting position. They have close to 30 Million coming off the books after this season. They could theoretically be big players in FA. They boast one of the top players in basketball before his prime age. They will be an interesting landing spot. Not to mention they own their 1st RD pick now and in the future. So although their record is terrible they will at least land a top talent in the draft. Holiday and Evans come off the books next year so they could go after a FA then as well. The only dead contract on their books really is Asik. The direction of the NBA is away from the type of player he is. He makes too much money for a big with limited offensive skills, and a poor FT percentage. Not to mention a guy playing less than 17 minutes a game.
If the Pistons could sign Anderson and resign Jennings we could look very good next year
Reggie , Jennings
KCP , Meeks
Morris , Stanley
Anderson , Ersan
Drummond, Baynes
Lots of shooters and a pretty good bench when healthy, a dream scenario tho
I think they’ll be fine even if Jennings leaves. They have a promising point guard in the D-League with Dinwiddie, and they can always find a low-cost veteran to fill in for another season if he’s not ready.
Even with the rising cap, that’s probably unrealistic because of salaries. Drummond is going to get a max contract, Anderson can probably get $10 million per year or more and Jennings should get a similar pay day as long as he doesn’t suffer another injury.
If the Clippers are willing to move Josh Smith cheaply, the Rockets should definitely get involved, especially if Terrence Jones gets traded. Smith was a complete washout last year with the Pistons and this year with the Clippers, but he was very effective during his time in Houston. He had a chemistry with Dwight Howard that really showed up, especially in the playoffs. And he went to L.A. for less money. He has to be regretting it.