Since the Memphis Grizzlies season ended in the opening round of the postseason with a devastating Game 7 loss on their home court to the Los Angeles Clippers, Rudy Gay has been mixed up in trade rumors involving at least five interested teams.
However, despite the various reports saying the Grizzlies are looking to move their starting small forward in a deal to lower the teams' 2012-13 salary cap figure, franchise majority owner Michael Heisley says that couldn't be further from the truth.
"Our plan was always to protect the core. I've got the core for four years. If we ever decide to do something, it won't be because of salary. We're going to build a team around this core group. We understand Rudy's salary. We understood it when we gave it to him. We're not looking to cut salary. We're looking to try and win a championship."
With Gay due to earn $16.4 million next season and almost $54 million over the next three seasons, it's easy for people to wonder if the team might be willing to move him for the right package of players and draft picks.
However, it's extremely unlikely the Grizzlies would be able to receive fair value for Gay, who averaged 19.0 points per game for Memphis this season in 65 games.
The Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, and the Charlotte Bobcats are reportedly all interested in acquiring Gay should Memphis decide to move him.
According Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Raptors are reportedly interested in acquiring Gay or Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala for a package centering around the eighth overall pick in this month's NBA Draft, Ed Davis, and either Jose Calderon or Andrea Bargnani.
Sam Amico recently reported that the Charlotte Bobcats might be willing to deal the second overall pick in a trade centered around Gay.
It's currently unknown what the Warriors, Magic, and Nets would be willing to offer in a trade involving Gay.
This is the second consecutive offseason in which Gay has found himself engulfed in a swirl of trade rumors, as there were many reports last summer that the team was willing to part with him for the right package after the Grizzlies reached the second round of the playoffs for the first time ever.
They came within a game of reaching the Western Conference Finals without Gay, who injured his shoulder in February and was forced to miss the remainder of the season.
Gay bounced back from the injury this season, however, as he led Memphis to a 41-25 record (good for a franchise-record winning percentage of .621) and helped them clinch the fourth seed in the Western Conference, the first time the Grizzlies had ever held home-court advantage for a playoff series.
Considering the fact that the Grizzlies are coming off of two consecutive postseason appearances in which they won a total of 10 games after the franchise was 0-12 in postseason games prior to last season, I think Memphis would be better served to keep Gay and instead try to find the right mixture of role players to help this team reach the next level.
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