Trade season is just around the corner and rumors are abound. According to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops, one potential trade involves Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay:
The Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans are two of several teams that have aggressively worked the phones. The Kings called the Pelicans and offered Gay for [Ryan] Anderson, league sources tell SheridanHoops.
This is certainly an interesting hypothetical. In making this trade, the Kings could get a proven stretch-four in Ryan Anderson to space the floor around Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins. This could be the trade that makes the Kings just good enough to make the playoffs.
The Pelicans on the other hand, would not be gaining much. Perhaps getting a scorer like Rudy Gay will be enough to get them out of the rut they are in to make a run at the playoffs. With Quincy Pondexter out for the rest of the season, there is a bit of a hole on the wing for someone like Gay. But adding Gay to a team with Eric Gordon and especially Tyreke Evans seems redundant. That’s not to mention that Gay is under contract at a high salary at least through next season with a player option for the following year. That could impact the Pelicans’ chances at getting free agents while also making the team good enough to keep them out of the running of a top draft pick. In short, the trade does not make much sense for them.
Ryan Anderson will be a valuable commodity for the Pelicans in the next month. On an expiring contract, the Pelicans should absolutely see what they can get for the power forward. However, their main objective should be to gain assets, whether they be young players or draft picks, that they can build around. The current makeup of the team is not going to get it done as a consistent playoff contender.
