The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be doing fine though filling up the small forward spot could be a big shot in the arm for coach Billy Donovan’s charges. And the name that immediately comes to mind is Rudy Gay.
Rudy Gay is not expected to return to the Sacramento Kings after this season, spurring NBA trade rumors that could go down this year. If nothing materializes, chances are the Thunder will go after him in the offseason.
Curiously, this is not the first time that Rudy Gay has been linked to the Thunder. He was previously courted by OKC and the package included Cameron Payne. The deal went sour when Payne suffered a broken foot, Yahoo Sports reported.
Nevertheless, such hasn’t totally dashed the hopes of the Thunder who could use a big time wing player for added firepower, CBS reported. The question now is when will OKC make their move?
The Kings could catch a break if they agree to a trade right now, getting at least some assets rather than see Gay walk for nothing. But the Thunder may be wise to the idea, opting to wait for the Summer to do their own negotiations with the 30-year-old star.
Acquiring Gay right now could be a big risk considering Gay is likely to be waiting for the offseason to get higher pay. The scenario could change if Sam Presti is able to come up with a package that would entice Gay to sign for a longer tenure.
The Thunder are doing just fine even with the departure of Kevin Durant, thanks mainly to the monster performance of Russell Westbrook. Gay could be a big help though the business side of things points to a more logical chase in the Summer.
If not the Thunder, Gay could make a temporary stop to another team though that comes with a risk. The first team to snag him may try to make a move to have him for keeps – meaning everything will depend on the numbers crunch.