Bye Bye Rudy, Goodbye

The Rudy Gay Trade Principle Players

Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi go to Toronto
Jose Calderon goes to Detroit
Ed Davis, Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye and a second-round pick to Memphis

While on its surface this trade appears to be a potential title contender dumping salary due to a recent slump in the standings, the reality is that once the deal is finalized, the Grizzlies will have most likely strengthened their team for the present and for the future.

With the Memphis offense revolving primarily around Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay has proven to be a less than ideal fit. For a player slated to make $37 million over the next two seasons, this was a problem.

Gay is not your typical catch and shoot player. He’s only shooting 31 percent from three this year and is at a pedestrian 34 percent for his career. He excelled at shooting (thus earning his $80 million contract) two seasons ago when Randolph was not in the picture.

While I’m not sure this trade gets the Grizzlies closer to a championship—it doesn’t get them any farther away either.

Ed Davis is a terrific young piece who adds superfluous depth to a fearsome Grizzlies frontline that includes Gasol, Randolph, Darrell Arthur, and John Leuer. This makes me believe that John Hollinger could also be looking to flip Davis to another team, since Davis has real value and is on a rookie contract.

Perhaps the Celtics for Courtney Lee, or the Magic for JJ Redick? Another player or two would have to be put into the equation to make those deals work, but what the Grizzlies desperately need is someone who can space the floor.

Tayshaun Prince provides some relief in that regard, shooting a career best 43 percent from beyond the arc this season, and unlike Gay, is much more accustomed and well suited to play off the ball. He also is a plus defensive player who will make the Grizzlies, already top-5 defense, that much more formidable. Furthermore, he has seven years of playoff experience that includes six trips to the Eastern Conference finals, two trips to the finals, and one NBA championship.

Austin Daye provides more shooting (52 percent from three this season) and depth off the Grizzlies bench and can play both forward positions.

As for Toronto, with the ball mainly going through him pre-ZBo, Gay shot 39 percent from three and 47 percent overall. The thinking on Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo’s part is that his shooting will return to form once he becomes the main option again.

It’s not a terrible deal for Toronto despite what many would have you believe. No one was offering anything of significance for Andrea Bargnani. It made sense then to trade Davis in order to get something valuable in return. The price for Gay is steep, but the Raptors now have some legitimate depth and a starting rotation that is versatile, uber athletic, and most importantly clear cut.

With Calderon gone, the injury-prone, but wildly talented Kyle Lowry is the point guard (for better or worse). With Davis gone, Andrea Bargnani will resume starting at the power forward (for better or worse) and thus avoid any potential drama that would have ensued upon his return in two weeks. Amir Johnson, who is signed at $6.1 million over the next two seasons, is also an option at the four, especially when when promising rookie big man Jonas Valanciunas returns from his broken finger. With Gay, DeMar Derozan, and Terrence Ross on the wings, the Raps might just have the most athletic 2-3 combo this side of Dwyane Wade and Lebron James.

Is that a championship caliber group? At this point not at all, but there remains plenty of potential for growth as Gay and Lowry are 26, Johnson is 25, DeRozon is 23, Ross is 21 and Valanciunas is 20. Bargnani is the elder of the bunch at 28. In a watered down eastern conference, the Raps will now have a real shot at the playoffs this year. There is some superfluous depth at the wing positions, especially with Landry Fields signed for the next two years at nearly $15 million. Remember, his contract is pretty untradeable thanks to its poison pill, backloaded structuring. Then there's Alan Anderson, who has been a solid producer. On top of that, the team still has Linas Kleiza (who they'll probably amnesty) and Mickael Pietrus. So, there's certainly some sorting to do. That, or more trades coming.

Five years after trading away Chauncey Billups and waiting for Rodney Stuckey to develop into a starting point guard, the Pistons finally scrapped that idea and have gone out and gotten a true floor general. Whether they decide to invest in the 31-year-old Spaniard (who is a free agent) following this season remains to be seen. But in the interim, he’ll be a valuable asset to a young team trying to make the postseason.

Calderon knows how to get everyone involved and will be especially helpful for young bigmen Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.

However, the real benefit of the deal for Detroit is that they clear the final two years and $15 million left on Prince’s deal, which will drop them $25 million under the salary cap to begin free agency this summer.