Rudy Gay Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rudy Gay Expects To Be Healthy To Start 2017/18

January 27th, 2017 at 9:48pm CST by Milo Taibi

According to a team-issued statement, Kings forward Rudy Gay underwent successful surgery to repair a torn left Achilles’ tendon at The Hospital of Special Surgery in New York on Monday.

“Dr. [Martin] O’Malley did an exceptional job and I am truly thankful for him and his team,” Gay said. “I am expected to make a full and complete recovery within the next few weeks and plan to resume on court activities by early summer. I am 100% committed to returning stronger than ever and will work extremely hard to get there.”

Dr. O’Malley provides an optimistic recovery timeframe for Gay, stating that “it is anticipated that he will be able to participate in training camp and be ready to play at the start of next season.” Of course, it’s not yet clear where Gay will be playing next season — the veteran forward has made no secret of his intention to opt out after 2016/17, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported in September.

Gay, who has a player option of $14.26MM available for 2017/18, will look to prove his health to prospective suitors. The 30-year-old’s season came to a premature end after he averaged 18.7 points through 30 games.

Kings Rumors: Ranadive, Cousins, Gay, Westbrook

January 26th, 2017 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Sources with “intimate knowledge” of the Kings insist that team owner Vivek Ranadive won’t entertain the prospect of trading DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Arnovitz writes in a lengthy and entertaining feature piece for ESPN.com. That’s something we’ve heard before, and comes as little surprise, considering the Kings and Cousins are reportedly on track for an offseason contract extension.

Arnovitz’s piece features many more fascinating tidbits about Cousins and about the Kings’ franchise though, many of which we haven’t heard before. The entire story is worth checking out, but we’ll round up a few of the highlights right here:

Although Ranadive insists that the only major player personnel decisions he has made were the ones to trade for Rudy Gay and to not hang onto Cousins, Arnovitz writes that “not a single league source for this story outside of Sacramento said that ultimate authority resides anywhere but with Ranadive.”
Arnovitz hears from one NBA insider that Ranadive told him “some months back” that he’d like to assemble a big three in Sacramento, with Russell Westbrook joining Cousins and Gay. It’s not clear if that declaration was made prior to Westbrook signing his extension with the Thunder, but either way, it seems extremely unlikely that the OKC star would end up with the Kings. Gay also seems likely to depart in free agency this summer, though Ranadive remains unconvinced of that, per Arnovitz.
Members of front offices that have dealt with the Kings say that Sacramento’s front office structure is confusing to navigate, according to Arnovitz. “There’s just so much ambiguity about how the decision-making process works [in Sacramento] and what information actually gets back to whom,” said one rival executive. By way of example, Arnovitz cites one Kings source who says that during the 2015 draft, there were as many as five team owners in the draft room, including one who was trying to make a side deal for a second-round pick.
One league source tells Arnovitz that Ranadive has an “unhealthy fixation on the Warriors,” having previously been a part of Golden State’s ownership group.
According to Arnovitz, communication between Cousins and Kings’ executives has sometimes created problems. Sources tell Arnovitz that Cousins was assured that George Karl wouldn’t be hired as the team’s head coach in 2015. Cousins was later told in February 2016 that the team was going to fire Karl that day, but it ultimately didn’t happen until two months later.
Be sure to check out Arnovitz’s full story for many more tidbits about Cousins and the Kings.

Heat Notes: Waiters, Bosh, Gay

January 25th, 2017 at 6:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat are open to keeping Dion Waiters long-term and the shooting guard, who holds a player option worth $3MM for next season, feels like he’s finally found a home in the league, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.

“Everything, the organization, my teammates, my coach, of course [Pat Riley],” he said. “I feel right at home. Like I said before, when I signed, it wasn’t ever about the money. It was about the opportunity and just having a place you could call home, the enjoyment, and having fun. It’s been good. It’s just been consistent love. I’m happy for the opportunity and I’m just happy to be here.”

Here’s more from Miami:

Chris Bosh hasn’t definitively decided to resume his basketball career, but the idea of playing alongside Dwyane Wade or LeBron James appeals to him, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Jackson hears that Bosh, who suffers from blood clotting, has not been working toward a comeback this season. Bosh reached out to the Players Association last season in an attempt to force the Heat to allow him to play, but he has not reached out to the union for that kind of help this season, a source tells Jackson. Jackson also hears that the big man isn’t responding to some of the union’s calls.
The Heat remain interested in Rudy Gay as a second-tier free agent should the team not be able to sign a star, Jackson writes in the same piece. Jackson notes that Gay, who ruptured his Achilles earlier this month, “loves the idea” of playing for Miami.
Udonis Haslem will make $4MM in the final year of his contract, but he wants to sign a new deal with the Heat during the offseason, as he tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “My body still feels good,” Haslem said. “I plan on being around at least another year after this year.”
The MRI on Tyler Johnson‘s shoulder came back negative and the Heat are not expected to request a roster exception from the league, Winderman relays in a separate piece. Johnson has missed the team’s last two games because of the sprained shoulder.

Pacific Notes: Gay, Joerger, Griffin, Warriors

January 22nd, 2017 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rudy Gay will have surgery Monday to fix a torn Achilles tendon, the Kings announced on their website. The procedure will be performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and Gay will be out for the remainder of the season. The injury may affect the free agent market, as Gay had planned to opt out of his $14,263,566 deal for next season.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Garrett Temple has taken Gay’s spot in the starting lineup for now, but long-term decisions may not be made until next month, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. If the Kings continue losing and slip out of the playoff race, coach Dave Joerger may elect to give more minutes to younger players. Rookie guard Malachi Richardson was used in the first half Saturday for the first time all season. “Just be a buncha different dudes running in and out of there,” Joerger said. “Trying to find something that fits as you go through it.”
Blake Griffin plans to be ready for the Clippers game Tuesday at Philadelphia, relays Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Griffin has missed 17 games since undergoing minor knee surgery December 20th. “It’s as close as I can be, I think,” Griffin said Saturday. “It was good to get some contact in yesterday. So it’s good to get some like real work in besides just running and shooting. It’s kind of up to them.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is using seven low-salaried big men in a rotation at center, writes Anthony Slater of The San Jose Mercury News. Zaza Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney, James Michael McAdoo, Anderson Varejao and Damian Jones are all getting minutes at the position, depending on the matchup.

Pacific Notes: Ingram, Tucker, Russell

January 21st, 2017 at 11:55am CST by Austin Kent

No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram has made great progress over the course of his first three months in the NBA, writes Bill Oram of the Orange County Register, and the humble Lakers rookie deserves to start in place of veteran Luol Deng.

Oram cites Ingram’s preparation and focus, as well as head coach Luke Walton‘s recent praise of the young forward, as reasons why change should come to the Lakers’ lineup.

“There’s plenty of times where the best answer for our success is Brandon,” Walton told Oram after the Lakers took down Indiana on Friday, “And there’s plenty of times where we just want to challenge the hell out of him and see how he responds.”

In 11 January games, Ingram has upped his production, averaging 11.5 points per game versus the 7.1 he recorded in December.

Unless Walton fears a promotion would “douse Ingram’s competitive fire” Oram argues that starting the rookie is a “no-brainer”.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

No stranger to trade rumors, P.J. Tucker is well aware of the business side of basketball, writes Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic. “It’s part of business,” the Suns forward said Thursday. “Contract year. Being a defensive player, a lot of teams are looking to make an addition to (help) fight for a championship.”
Second-year Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell tweaked his knee Friday, but the mild MCL strain may not even force him to miss time, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t think it’s as bad as I initially thought,” Walton said of the fall. “When I saw him go down, I was pretty worried, but he said he felt all right when I checked on him at halftime.” Russell will undergo an MRI on Saturday.
The Achilles injury suffered by Rudy Gay will impact more than just the Kings. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders explores all of the ripple effects that the Gay news could have on the trade market throughout the league as teams that considered making bids for the forward will have to look elsewhere.

Stein’s Latest: Nurkic, Millsap, Gay, Tucker

January 20th, 2017 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The latest column from ESPN.com’s Marc Stein is filled with fresh rumors as next month’s trade deadline approaches. We’ve already shared the Bulls’ interest in Chris Bosh and the Magic’s offer for Goran Dragic. Here are some more intriguing trade tidbits:

Nuggets big man Jusuf Nurkic is almost certain to be traded before the February 23rd deadline. Denver officials admitted that pairing Nurkic with Nikola Jokic didn’t work, and they want to ship him to a team where he has a chance to be a starting center.
Teams are very skeptical about the Hawks‘ assertion that All-Star forward Paul Millsap has been pulled from trade consideration. The 31-year-old has a player option worth nearly $21.5MM for next season and is expected to test the free agent market.
The Kings had numerous offers for Rudy Gay, mostly during the offseason but also more recently, but elected to keep him in hopes of earning a playoff spot. The Thunder, Heat and Blazers were the most interested teams last summer. Gay is out for the season after tearing an Achilles tendon Wednesday night.
The Kings would like to find teams willing to take Ben McLemore and Arron Afflalo.
The Clippers offered the Suns a future second-round pick for P.J. Tucker, but Phoenix is holding out for a first-rounder. The Clippers owe their first-round pick this year to Toronto and in 2019 to Boston, so the next first-rounder they could offer would be in 2021.
Tucker and Brandon Knight are considered the most available Suns. Coach Earl Watson said this week that the team will not trade veteran center Tyson Chandler.
The Nuggets would like to sign Alonzo Gee to another 10-day contract once Mo Williams clears waivers. Gee’s first 10-day contract expired Wednesday, the same day Williams was waived after being acquired in a trade with the Hawks.

MRI Confirms Rudy Gay Tore Achilles Tendon

January 19th, 2017 at 4:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

JANUARY 19th, 4:24 PM: Gay’s MRI confirmed full tear of his left Achilles, Kings radio reporter Sean Cunningham tweets. He’ll have surgery in the coming days, Cunningham adds.

JANUARY 18th, 11:50 PM: Kings star Rudy Gay suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in Wednesday’s game against the Pacers, tweets James Ham of CSNBayArea.com.

That was the preliminary diagnosis from the Kings’ medical staff. An MRI will be conducted Thursday to confirm the injury.

Gay had to be carried off the court after being hurt on a non-contact play late in the third quarter.

If the diagnosis is correct, it would mean the end of Gay’s season and possibly his time in Sacramento. He had proclaimed before training camp that he planned to opt out of his $14,263,566 deal for next year and test the free agent market. However, that could change now depending on the severity of the injury.

It would also remove a big name from the trade market barely a month before the Feb. 23rd deadline. The Kings were widely expected to find a taker for Gay rather than lose him for nothing once the season ended.

Sacramento will not be able to file for a Disabled Player Exception to replace Gay, tweets Bobby Marks of the Vertical, who notes that the deadline passed on Sunday.

This is Gay’s fourth year with the Kings after being acquired in a trade with Toronto midway through the 2013/14 season. He is averaging 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in 29 games.

Community Shootaround: Rudy Gay

December 28th, 2016 at 7:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Rudy Gay, whose contract will expire after this season, clearly doesn’t want to be in Sacramento long-term. However, the Kings may be reluctant to trade him away since he’s playing well and the team is in position to end its playoff drought, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors details in his Trade Candidate piece.

If the Kings decide to pull the trigger on a trade, Gay would fit in nicely with several teams. Adams lists the Magic, Thunder, Pacers and Rockets among the teams to watch out for.

That leads us to tonight’s topic: Which team would be the best fit for Rudy Gay?

The Magic have some interesting pieces to offer the Kings. The Thunder could offer Sacramento a point guard of the future in Cameron Payne. The Pacers’ path to acquiring Gay could involve sending Monta Ellis plus a draft pick, as Adams suggested, to the Kings. The Rockets would need to get creative if they are going to acquire Gay without giving away a member of their core, but GM Daryl Morey has been known to make surprising deal or two.

Are one of these teams the best fit for Gay or would joining another franchise be best for his game? Let us know in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

Trade Candidate: Rudy Gay

December 27th, 2016 at 5:33pm CST by Luke Adams

In the months leading up to February’s trade deadline, Hoops Rumors will be taking a closer look at several players we consider trade candidates, discussing their value, speculating on potential destinations, and explaining why they are – or should be – available. These players won’t necessarily be dealt in advance of the deadline, but it won’t be surprising if they are.

Rudy Gay, F
Sacramento Kings
2016/17 salary: $13,333,333
$14,263,566 player option for 2017/18
Trade restrictions: None

Even if an NBA player has no intention to re-sign with his current team when he becomes a free agent, he’ll often say all the right things to reporters. When your contract is winding down, it’s easy to say that you’d love to be back with your current team, since that’s what just about everyone says.

With that precedent in mind, Rudy Gay‘s comments in an interview with Sactown Royalty this past July came as a bit of a shock. Rather than repeating the usual sentiments about his coming free agency, Gay bemoaned the lack of stability and consistency in Sacramento, suggesting that he hadn’t had “the kind of communication” that he wanted with the team. At the time, nearly one month into free agency, Gay also didn’t seem too interested in who his teammates for the coming season would be.

“I don’t know,” Gay replied when he was asked about new head coach Dave Joerger and the Kings’ roster. “Honestly, I haven’t paid attention. I don’t even know who our new players are to be honest with you. I’ve just been focused on trying to be healthy and trying to get in shape and get ready for the season, wherever that might be.”

Gay’s ominous “wherever that might be” line was a fairly strong signal that his long-term plan didn’t necessarily include a lengthy stay in Sacramento. But just in case Gay’s motivations weren’t 100% clear, a report surfaced before training camp began in September indicating that the veteran forward had informed the Kings he would opt out of his contract in 2017. Although the Kings still hadn’t shown an inclination to move him at that time, it seemed nearly certain that Gay was planning to sign elsewhere in the summer of ’17.

Gay’s public comments about his future could have created problems in Sacramento, but the team has handled the situation pretty admirably so far. Although trade rumors and speculation persist, Joerger has made the 30-year-old a focal point of the offense, and Gay has responded by being his usual productive self. In 24 games this season, the former eighth overall pick has averaged 18.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.5 SPG.

With Gay playing well, and the Kings climbing up the Western Conference standings into a playoff spot, the situation in Sacramento is about to become even more interesting. On one hand, not a whole lot has changed since the summer. Gay still figures to opt out in July, having recently changed agents in anticipation of his free agency. Unless playing for Joerger really appeals to him, the veteran forward will likely explore the market and sign elsewhere. If the Kings want to avoid being left empty-handed if and when he departs, it still makes sense to move him by February’s deadline.

On the other hand though, it has been more than a decade since the Kings were in the postseason, and team ownership badly wants to end that playoff drought. At 14-17, Sacramento hasn’t exactly been a powerhouse, and the team’s grip on the No. 8 seed in the West is precarious. Still, if there’s a chance to participate in a playoff series, the Kings are unlikely to trade one of their top contributors, and Gay has been just that — the team has a +1.9 net rating when he’s on the court, and a -9.2 rating when he’s not.

If Sacramento explores a trade of Gay, there are a few teams that could be fits. According to various reports, the Magic, Thunder, Pacers, and Rockets are among the clubs that have expressed interest and/or spoken to the Kings about Gay.

What exactly would those teams be willing to give up for Gay? Well, the Magic and Rockets are over the cap, so they’d have to send out plenty of salary to take on Gay’s $13MM+ deal. That could mean starting with Jeff Green ($15MM) or Nikola Vucevic ($11.75MM) for Orlando, though I’m not sure the Kings would be eager to add more frontcourt depth. For Houston, Corey Brewer‘s $7.6MM contract could make sense, but the team would have to sweeten the pot with a young player and/or draft picks. Ditto for the Pacers and Monta Ellis ($10.76MM).

The Thunder have room to take on salary, and have reportedly discussed a deal with the Kings that would have included point guard Cameron Payne. Oklahoma City, which could use an offensive player on the wing to help take some of the scoring load off Russell Westbrook, might be the best fit, but a deal centered around Payne wouldn’t make Sacramento a better team this season.

The Kings are in a tricky spot. The worst-case scenario for the team would be to hang onto Gay, miss the playoffs, then lose him in free agency. But even if keeping the veteran forward results in a postseason berth, it’s hard to view that as a big win for the franchise. As the probable No. 8 seed, the Kings would likely be playing for the right to get swept in the first round by the Warriors.

Acquiring a young player like Payne, who is under contract through 2019, would be a much better long-term outcome than losing Gay for nothing. But we don’t know for sure what the entire hypothetical deal with OKC would look like, or if the Thunder are willing to make such a deal. The Kings are unlikely to get a huge haul for Gay, since potential trade partners will have the same concerns about his looming free agency and will be wary of giving up much for him. But Sacramento still should be reluctant to move the UConn product for 50 cents on the dollar.

For now, there’s no rush for Sacramento to make a move. The trade deadline is nearly two months away, and the standings could look much different by that point. If the Kings are six or seven games out of a playoff spot by then, their decision looks simpler — they should try to get what they can for Gay. If they’re still right in the thick of things, the Kings will be more inclined to keep their second-leading scorer and avoid downgrading their current roster.

What do you think? Should the Kings trade or keep Gay? Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts and possible trade ideas.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southeast Notes: Gay, Dragic, McRoberts

December 24th, 2016 at 8:47am CST by Austin Kent

The Magic have had conversations with the Kings about Rudy Gay, says Steve Kyler over Twitter. In his 11th season as a pro, the 30-year-old forward has shown an ability to produce despite turmoil and instability in Sacramento.

In 23 games so far this year, Gay has posted 18.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Kings and he does so with a reasonable $13.3MM contract, positioning him as a possible answer to the Magic’s offensive woes.

With so much going sideways in Orlando after an aggressive offseason of acquisitions, the decision to kick the tires on another established veteran falls in line with the approach they’ve been taking to their rebuild. Over the summer the Magic brought aboard veterans Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green, all with hefty contracts.

It’s unclear who would be on the way out of Orlando in such a deal, but there would need to be something significant exchanged as the Magic currently sit above the 2016/17 salary cap.

Also coming out of the Southeast Division:

Goran Dragic doesn’t know where the rumors started that suggested he was “open to a trade,” writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The 30-year-old guard insists that he is happy with the Heat.
If the Heat can find a taker for forward Josh McRoberts, he won’t come with much of a price tag adds Windermere in his latest Ask Ira feature. Windermere cites McRoberts’ 2017/18 player option worth $6MM as the biggest deterrent limiting the veteran’s value.
The Wizards were in the mix for Luol Deng this summer, says Zach Lowe of ESPN. The two parties had been discussing a three-year deal worth $20MM less than what the 31-year-old forward ultimately signed with the Lakers.