Opinion: Is It Time For Rudy Gay To Be Dealt?
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings will face some major decisions this offseason, and one of these situations may be whether they will want to keep Rudy Gay going forward.
Since Gay came to Sacramento via trade in 2013, he has been a focal point in the Kings offense.
In the 2 ½ seasons that he has been King, Gay has averaged 19.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He also has made 46.5% of his total shots on the court, 34.2% from the perimeter, and 83% from the free-throw line.
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Based on the core numbers, Gay has done a solid job in being one of the top scorers for the Kings, but the questions still remain whether he should keep on being a pivotal point for the Kings’ future.
Express Yourself
People from the Sacramento Kings community, we want to hear from you. Should the Sacramento Kings move Rudy Gay this offseason?
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Should the Kings consider trading Rudy Gay this offseason?
— A Royal Pain (@ARoyalPain) June 26, 2016
Rafe’s Thoughts
Although Gay’s numbers show that he has been an effective scorer for the Kings, he is not a legit second scoring option in my opinion.
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Based on the splits, he plays at a high level when he and DeMarcus Cousins are playing together, but when Boogie is absent, he underperforms.
Last season in games where Gay played without the talents of Cousins (being the first scoring option), he averaged just 17.6 points on shooting 39.5% from the floor and 27% from the perimeter.
For teams that are competitive they at least need two players on their team that can put the ball in the bucket at a frequent rate, and for Rudy Gay, he just hasn’t been consistent enough to be a reliable second option going forward.
I think that Rudy Gay is a good player that can help a team with other assets on their roster. The thing, however, is that the Kings don’t have many assets, therefore, it would be best if Gay were to be dealt this summer.
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If Gay were to be put on the trading block this summer he should bring good value back to the Kings (possibly young players or draft picks) if a deal is made, which could potentially help the Kings going forth. Worst case, it clears cap space for the Kings to use when free agency comes along.