From a salary standpoint, Beal and Ariza would get the Grizzlies under the salary cap, Beal could be a great scorer in the future, and Ariza could soak up minutes at the SF spot. So, you Wizards fans aren’t going to like this, but I would hope Bradley Beal’s name is involved in any trade talks for Rudy Gay. While he’s out, coach Lionel Hollins has at times played a super-big lineup with Darrell Arthur - historically a 4 or 5 guy - at the 3 spot.
The Grizzlies’ roster is pretty thin at the small forward spot, especially since Pondexter went down with an MCL sprain a couple weeks ago. The other thing the Grizzlies need is a forward who can play defense and, sort of like Rudy Gay, create his own shot if the need arises. Without a perimeter shooting threat - which isn’t Gay, by the way, who is not a very good 3-point shooter at all - opponents can pack the paint and shut down the Grizzlies’ two elite post players, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Quincy Pondexter is the best 3-point shooter on the team this year, but he’s more of a Shane Battier type defensive forward than a true shooting guard. KL: The Grizzlies need two things: they desperately need a legitimate outside shooting threat - a shooting guard who can consistently hit the 3. WoA: If the Grizzlies do end up trading Gay, what type of player would they be looking for in return? But Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay make the same amount of money, and one of those guys is irreplaceable, and the sad news for Rudy Gay is that it’s not him. That said, he does things that help this Grizzlies team, and it’s always nice to have a super-athletic wing player who can penetrate and who can create his own shot.
He’s paid like a superstar but he’s a borderline All Star. He’s never attacked the rim as often as he probably should, and his very low number of FT’s this season attests to that. He’s an inefficient scorer, and sometimes his defense is awesome and sometimes it’s nonexistent. Of course, there’s always the question of whether Gay has lived up to his max contract. That’s a lot of money to four guys for a small-market team that can’t afford to pay the luxury tax. The fact of the matter is that the Grizzlies have $58mil committed to four guys next year: Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gay. If Rudy Gay made even $4mil less than he does right now, this conversation isn’t happening. Is this the reason the Grizzlies are shopping him, or is he simply not performing well on the court? Wiz of Awes: Rudy Gay is set to make over 16 million dollars per year over the next few years.