After what seems like years of speculation, the Memphis Grizzlies finally shipped swingman Rudy Gay out of town in a two team swap with Toronto. Let’s break down the specifics:
Toronto receives:
— Rudy Gay
— Hamed Haddadi
— Second round pick in 2013 Draft
Memphis receives:
— Ed Davis
— Jose Calderon
The Grizz are also expected to be involved in a deal with Detroit which lands them Austin Daye and the last remaining member of the 2004 Pistons championship team, Tayshaun Prince, and then send Calderon to Detroit. All-in-all, the move is understandable for Memphis given the fact they desperately needed to clear cap space. They also receive versatility and veteran experience in Daye and Prince and a young big playing well as of late in Davis.
It’s tough understand what GM Bryan Colangelo sees in this deal, but if the occasional fast break, insane alley-oop is what he’s looking for to fill seats in Toronto, he may have stumbled upon to something. He just has to be willing to deal with the unfathomable amount fadeaway jumpers which are inevitably on the horizon. Meanwhile, also for Toronto, good luck having Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Gay on the books next season. That and DeMar and Rudy are, for better or less, the same player.
The most underrated aspect in today’s wheelings and dealings? By moving Prince and the $15M remaining on his deal, the Pistons move to approximately $25M under the salary cap heading into this summer’s free agency. Or, if they’re really patient, the potentially enticing free agent Class of 2014.