Celtics Linked to Rudy Gay as Potential Trade Target – Heavy.com
Getty Rudy Gay of the Utah Jazz, who was linked to the Boston Celtics.
So far this offseason, the Boston Celtics have already made some crucial additions to their roster. After making it all the way to the NBA Finals last year, Brad Stevens already added two rotational pieces in Danilo Gallinari and Malcolm Brogdon.
Stevens signed Gallinari in free agency after he was waived by the San Antonio Spurs and traded five players to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Brogdon. And while those two moves have strengthened their bench unit, there could still be more deals to be made.
One suggestion brought up in Brian Robb’s mailbag for MassLive is trading for Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay. As the Jazz get set to enter a full-on rebuild, Gay could be available. While Robb isn’t too fond of the idea, Gay’s past connections to head coach Ime Udoka could make the move possible.
“Given that Boston already landed a pair of offensive-minded additions in Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari this offseason, I’d be surprised if they are willing to give up an asset and take on another $6 million contract for a guy who may not even earn minutes on a nightly basis,” Robb wrote on July 22. “With that said, Ime Udoka likely has a relationship with him from his San Antonio days so if Gay finds himself bought out by Utah, he’d make plenty of sense on a minimum deal.”
At the same time, Robb did admit that adding Gay to the roster probably wouldn’t come at a hefty price.
Trading for Gay Could Be Easy
Former Celtics GM, Danny Ainge, is in the midst of retooling the Jazz roster. He traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and is rumored to be shopping Donvan Mitchell as well. So, as the team begins to reset the roster, snagging Gay wouldn’t come at a high price.
“The 35-year-old could certainly be had on the cheap after falling out of Utah’s rotation in the final couple of months of last season,” Robb wrote. “Gay picked up a $6.4 million player option for next year so Utah would certainly be eager to move him if they move into full rebuild mode.”
Last season marked Gay’s first year in Utah after spending four in San Antonio. In his 55 appearances, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on 41.4% shooting from the field and 34.5% shooting from behind the three-point line.
It marked the first year of his career that Gay failed to average at least 10 points per game, and he played a career-low 18.9 minutes per game. In turn, Robb questioned whether or not he’d make an impact in Boston’s rotation.
Questions Regarding Reliability
By the time next season starts, Gay will be 36 years old and entering his 17th season in the league. As pointed out by Robb, there could be some questions regarding just how much the veteran forward has left in the tank.
“t’s fair to wonder right now just how much Gay has left in the tank. He shot a career low 41.4 percent from the field last year and he’s also never been known for his defense,” Robb noted. “The Celtics could use another wing but ideally it’s one who can also defend a little bit and that’s something Gay won’t be able to do reliably at this stage of his career.”
So, while adding Robb to the rotation probably wouldn’t cost the Celtics too much in a trade, whether or not he’d provide much value is another question.