On defense, the trading Gasol for Gay is a huge drop-off. Gasol was not built for the fast-paced offense, but he might now be able to contribute the way he is used to on the offensive side of the floor. With the talent that this team has on the floor, this might be the perfect way to score points. In the last two games, Los Angeles has run more of a schoolyard-type offense with Bryant running the offense at point guard, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. They realized that the Mike D'Antoni offense does not work for this team. In addition, the team seems to have made a drastic change that will improve the team without making any trades.Īfter dropping to 17-25 on the season, the Lakers finally had an epiphany. Gay's Player Efficiency Rating of 14.1 would rank ninth on Los Angeles.ĭespite his ability to put up points, there is little chance he improves the Lakers offensively. Even though he is a solid free-throw shooter, he does not get himself to the line often enough. His shooting percentage is a low 40.4 percentage, and that drops to only 30.1 percent from behind the arc. He averages only 17 points per game despite the fact that he takes 16.4 shots per game. The problem is that the small forward is very inefficient with his scoring. He is a perimeter player who takes a lot of shots in order to score, but they already have one of those in Kobe Bryant. Gay simply does not fit in with the Lakers. Unfortunately, this does not make as much sense as it does on paper. Finally, the Lakers would get a big-time playmaker.
Memphis would then get some future payroll flexibility by getting rid of Gay. In this deal, the eighth-place Boston Celtics would trade veteran Paul Pierce for some rebounding help in Pau Gasol. We've heard more than one rival team speculate that a three-way deal where Pierce lands in Memphis, Gasol goes to Boston and Gay joins the Lakers makes "some sense." Sources say that the Celtics and Grizzlies have indeed held some exploratory trade talks since Gay hit the market. One potential option that would do more harm than good is a trade to acquire Rudy Gay.Īccording to ESPN's Marc Stein, this type of deal is actually possible: Do not reproduce without permission.The Los Angeles Lakers are looking pretty much everywhere for ways to improve the team. Young has an average of 7.3 points, 0.6 assists, 1.8 rebounds and only a total of 19 minutes play time in the last season. Young's stats are not really improving but the change of team could be good for him and possibly revive his career.
Gay who originated from Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors has average points of 18.4 per game and 79% in free throw line.Īs for Young and Williams, Sacramento Kings could use their skills especially William's veteran experience since he was a former player of Sixers, Raptors, Hawks and Lakers (if ever). Rudy Gay just turned 30 last August and by the next season will earn as much as $13.3 million until he chose his player option which will get him $14.3 million in 2017 to 2018. These 2 teams are among the best and playing for them will give him better opportunities. Speculations indicate that other teams such as Cleveland and Golden State are included in his choice.
However, Lakers may not be the only team Gay could be interested in. The only question is which team he will go to next? This implies that Gay is decided to leave the team.
In addition, Gay has already informed Sacramento Kings management about his decision to use his 2017 player option to be an unrestricted free agent. It can be recalled that Bryant announced his retirement last season so the team does need good players to be able to compete with the best. Allegedly, Lakers are willing to trade Nick Young and Lou Williams to get Gay in return.įrom his superstar presence, built and skills that are as good as, or possibly better than Bryant's, he is probably one of the top contenders for the vacant position in the team. Once again, Rudy Gay is rumored to be traded to another team because of his skills and star power in exchange of 2 from Los Angeles Lakers.