NBA Exec Says Celtics Should Target ‘Valuable’ Wing With TPE – Heavy.com
Getty Rudy Gay #8 of the Utah Jazz.
After all the moves the Boston Celtics have made during the 2022 NBA Offseason, they have three spots left to fill out the rest of their roster. The Celtics didn’t lose anyone who was consistently involved in their rotation during the 2022 NBA Playoffs and just added Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari into the equation. While the rotation appears to be set, the Celtics could use more help around the wing in case one of their players gets hurt.
According to an Eastern Conference executive, one option that would fill a need for them at the wing would be Rudy Gay. According to the executive, not only would Gay be useful, but he is also potentially available to acquire.
“No one is mistaking Rudy Gay for the guy 10 years ago, but he is still a tough, smart veteran, and it is obvious they’re going to give him away in Utah if they can,” The executive told Heavy.com. “Everyone expects they’d move him, and the Celtics need a wing. If they’re willing to pay the tax for him, it’s just a valuable guy to have on a roster of a team that expects to contend.”
Although acquiring Gay would mean having to pay more in luxury taxes, the executive believed that Gay’s role as someone who could come in for Boston in case of injury would make him worth the cost.
“The contract is not bad for Boston, but they’d have to take on more luxury tax, and that might be a tough sell. But they need someone who is game-ready, who is a pro, who can sit for two weeks then get thrown into the starting five if there is an injury, and you don’t have to worry about him. That’s Rudy. We don’t know how things will look on the Covid front, so you need ready-to-play guys.”
If Gay were to be on Boston’s radar either now or in the distant future, the Celtics wouldn’t necessarily have to use the $17.1 million trade exception they got from the Evan Fournier trade that’s set to expire on July 18, 2022. Boston also has the $6.9 million trade exception from the Juancho Hernangomez trade that won’t expire until January 19, 2023.
Gay is slated to make $6,184,500 during the 2022-23 season, so he would fit into the Hernangomez TPE.
Gay Has Familiarity With Ime Udoka
The Executive also pointed out that Gay has a experience with Celtics’ Head Coach Ime Udoka since Udoka was an assistant for the first two of the four years Gay was with the San Antonio Spurs from 2017 to 2019. However, because Gay also has experience with new Jazz Head Coach Will Hardy from the four years they were with the Spurs, Hardy may not want to let him go.
“He was in San Antonio when Ime was there, so there is a connection. He was also there with Will Hardy, and maybe Utah wants to keep him around to have a veteran Will knows.”
Utah Might Be Starting Over
On July 13, 2022, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Utah Jazz and the New York Knicks have started trade discussions involving Donovan Mitchell.
If Mitchell gets traded away for young players and draft picks, then the Jazz would be signaling that they are starting over. If that were to be the case, there would be no use in keeping a 16-year veteran like Rudy Gay around.