Rudy Gay trade: Grizzlies’ F dealt to Raptors, Tayshaun Prince goes to Memphis

The head coach said that while he would not have traded Gay if it was up to him, he will accept the decision that ownership made. Ron Higgins of The Commercial Appeal has the quotes:

Hollins also admitted that although he is disappointed that Gay is no longer in Memphis, he and the team must get over it and move forward:

But unless you count a draft day deal, being traded was something new.

“It was just good to get a win,” Gay said. “There are so many other things going on. It’s the first time I’ve had to go through it. It just felt good to play basketball.”

TORONTO -- It’s Rudy Gay day at the Air Canada Centre.

The Raptors’ newly acquired small forward will debut his new uniform against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night and he met with the media on Friday afternoon to make his first impression.

Gay has averaged 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists through 42 games with Memphis this season. He should have no problem stepping in and becoming the Raptors’ leading scorer right away.

And man, he is so very wrong about what the Rudy Gay trade means.

The problem I have is that Woj argues that the Gay trade means the end of the super team.

While Hollins has not had much to say on the topic, it can be inferred from these quotes to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal that he’s none too pleased:

Hollins, if you recall, spoke out in a radio interview about trading Gay a couple of weeks ago when the rumors started to really heat up. The coach defended his now former player against the analytics crowd that insisted it would not be a bad thing to ship the small forward out of town:

From the podcast:

One of the move’s biggest critics, Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, said that Memphis owner Robert Pera doesn’t care about winning. Levien dismissed the criticism as Wojnarowski’s distaste for ESPN -- former ESPN stats guru John Hollinger is now in the Grizzlies’ front office.

Davis was efficient (15.8 PER, 58.3 percent TS) and effective (12.1 percent offensive rebound rate, 120 ORtg) during in his rookie season, but his numbers dipped in year two before jumping back this year. In 45 games with the Raptors for 2012-13, Davis posted 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game with a 57.0 True Shooting mark and a career-high 18.1 PER with six double-doubles in 24 starts.

A developing big man on a cheap deal with proven starters in his way to block any huge production could become a boon for Memphis if the team chooses to approach Davis about signing an extension. If he finds a way to break through and take the league by storm from the bench, it probably means Memphis is in an excellent position to compete for a top-four finish in that NBA season. Davis is a part of the Rudy Gay trade that the Grizzlies can’t possibly lose.

When you’re a team 6.5 games out of the No. 8 seed in a conference where that No. 8 seed might finish the season below .500 and will be little more than ritual sacrifice to the eventual No. 1 seed, you’ve got to make that trade.

When you have a moody point guard who has clashed with the coach at like 20 different NBA stops and could be gone at season’s end, and might blow up a dozen more times during a quixotic “playoff chase,” you should totally trade the team’s only other starter-worthy point guard and roll the dice. YOLO.

The move helped the Pistons shed a $7.7 million commitment in 2014-15 by turning Prince’s deal into Calderon’s expiring contract, but the move wasn’t entirely about the money. Calderon may turn out to be the pure point guard the Pistons need, but the real subtext to the deal is that the Pistons know they are in no position to give a veteran like Prince the opportunity to go on a deep playoff run over the next two years.

Now he’s moving on to Memphis for a shot at postseason glory again, and his mark on the Pistons franchise is a big one. Prince earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors for four consecutive years from 2004-05 to 2007-08 during his career with the Pistons. Here is a broad look at his legacy in Detroit, via the team press release after the trade announcement:

Calderon had been on the trading block for the better part of two years in Toronto, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a quality player.

The assists aren’t just a product of time on the floor, either. Calderon has also assisted on an estimated 39.9 percent of teammate field goals while on the floor for the 14,909 minutes of his career. That Assist Percentage mark is notably high.

Daye never quite emerged as the heir-apparent to Prince after the Pistons selected him with the No. 15 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, and the proof is that Detroit felt comfortable enough to trade Prince and Daye away in the same deal, to the same team.

The 24-year-old out of Gonzaga came into the league with the physical tools to become a versatile contributor on both ends of the floor, but his virtues never quite materialized. Consider this: Daye has recorded only one double-double in 206 career games, and it came on April 7, 2010. His career averages of 5.8 points on 40.9 percent shooting, 2.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.8 turnovers are uninspiring, and his 11.9 career PER is underwhelming, but there are reasons to believe that Daye is finally starting to hit his stride.

As with any deal in the new fiscally-conscious NBA, the Rudy Gay trade involving the Grizzlies, Raptors and Pistons can be analyzed from many different angles. Some might lament the three-team deal that sent Gay to the Raptors, Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis to the Grizzlies and Jose Calderon to the Pistons because the best team involved traded its leading scorer for financial reasons. I think it makes the whole thing all the more fascinating.

Regardless, it’s important to look at each side’s unique situation when evaluating this deal. Here’s my best attempt to do that.

But this poor fan has no clue. And for goodness’ sake, how many dedicated Tayshaun Prince fans are out there anyway? This was an away game for Detroit, by the way. He ventured in as a brave visiting fan to sit next to the tunnel, and his favorite player isn’t even there. And, no less, he’s cheering for the last remaining Piston from that 2004 championship team, as they take on the Pacers in what used to be a huge rivalry game.

The team trots out through the tunnel to warm up, but Prince is not among them. The fan is confused. He leans over the railing to peer into the catacombs of the arena. Perhaps Tayshaun’s just getting some more stretching in first. Maybe he’s chatting with someone. But no, he’s not there either. “What’s the deal?” the fan wonders, resigning to simply shrug with his hands. And so the fan hops on his phone and finds out the bad news.

The trade news moved quickly on Wednesday, as multiple reporters said that Toronto and Memphis had finally found another partner to get a deal done.

PROFANITY WARNING

Whether or not this trade calms him or not is still up for debate. Though he no longer has to face Rudy Gay on an opponent’s team making a shot to beat the Raptors, he could very well face more trauma resulting from his buzzer-beating jump shots for the Raptors.

It should come as no surprise that John Hollinger’s trade analysis tool on ESPN agrees with the deal John Hollinger’s new NBA team just completed.

(Via Bill Simmons).

Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News reports that Prince and Daye were called into head coach Lawrence Frank’s office, meaning the deal could become official soon. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski also confirmed Daye was part of the deal, though there are differing reports about whether Detroit will also give up a second-round draft pick.

David Aldridge and Sam Amick of USA Today report the Pistons will give up a pick in addition to shipping off Prince and Daye.

Which is, of course, pretty much perfect.

The Grizzlies enter the night fourth in the Western Conference at 29-15.

He is a capable offensive force, averaging 11.7 points and shooting the three-pointer at an accurate 43.4 percent this season. And he’ll also fill Gay’s void on the defensive end, where his length and smarts will fit in well for the Grizzlies, who at 29-15 are in fourth place in the Western Conference.

Carter has one year remaining on his contract, and ESPN Dallas’ Tim MacMahon writes why exactly the Mavs would be a good third option for the Gay deal to work.

Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal also reports that a deal with the Raptors is close, and the sides are reportedly almost done finding a third team to be included in the trade. However, Tillery reports that there are two alternative deals on the table if an agreement with Toronto cannot be reached by the end of this weekend.

With both sides deep into negotiations, the Raptors are now reportedly trying to find a third team that’s willing to facilitate the deal by acquiring Calderon. There’s no lack of interest in the veteran, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein on the radio this morning, but the need to find a third team complicates the situation.

Details of a feasible trade have not been established, but the two sides remain in ongoing discussions. The news comes in the wake of new Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien proclaiming that the front office was satisfied with the complexion of the current team, and that they would more than likely do nothing as the trade deadline approaches.

It’s correct to say that Gay’s much more likely to stick around past the trade deadline. In reality, though, the Grizzlies just kicked the can down the road.

Ultimately, if the Grizzlies want to avoid future luxury tax bills, they’re going to have to trade one of their high-salaried players. That puts us right back where we were when these rumors first started. Gasol is too valuable, Conley is too cost-efficient and Randolph is too old. That leaves Gay as the player that likely will be dealt.