NBA Rumors: Miami Heat Could Target Rudy Gay In Trade Talks?


Rudy Gay has been being shopped by the Sacramento Kings in trade talks all offseason long. It is obvious that the Kings don’t want to keep him, but they are not willing to trade him for a low price. There are a few teams that have shown interest in acquiring him, but so far no traction has been seen in talks.

Many reports came out that the Indiana Pacers had shown interest in acquiring Gay. They have been linked to Gay twice this offseason and seem like one of the most interested teams in trading for him.

Looking at other teams around the NBA that could use a player like Gay, one team in particular stands out.

The Miami Heat have had an incredibly rough offseason thus far. Pat Riley was able to re-sign star big man Hassan Whiteside to open free agency, but ended up losing face of the franchise shooting guard Dwyane Wade to the Chicago Bulls. It was a brutal loss for the Heat, but they can help rebound by trading for a player like Gay.

Charles Rahrig of FanSided opined that the Heat are one of the top landing spots for Gay.

Rudy Gay could end up being traded to the Miami Heat.
[AP Photo/Brandon Dill]
Last season with the Kings, Gay averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He is still a solid defender, although there are times where he lacks motivation on that end of the court. Miami lost Luol Deng in free agency as well, which leaves a hole at the small forward position that Gay could fill.

Whiteside is without question the focal point of the Heat’s offense at this point in time. If Chris Bosh is able to return from his blood clot issues, the Heat would have a fighting chance in the Eastern Conference. Adding Gay to both of those players, the Heat could make the playoffs as the sixth seed or higher.

Goran Dragic is a solid point guard but has had some consistency problems. He will be asked to step up and take a much bigger role in 2016-17, and it will be interesting to see if he can handle it.

There are a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference that took a big step forward this season. Miami nearly made the conference finals last season, but are likely to drop off in a big way.

What could the Heat put together as a trade package for the Kings to acquire Gay?

The Sacramento Kings must trade Rudy Gay.
[AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli]
That could be the biggest issue for the two sides. Miami could put together a deal with draft picks being the centerpiece of the deal. They could also throw a young piece like Josh Richardson into the trade.

Sacramento will more than likely get a much better deal than anything the Heat could offer elsewhere. That being said, Riley should still make an aggressive pitch to the Kings and do whatever he can to make a deal.

It will be interesting to see what the rest of the NBA offseason holds. There are still a lot of teams looking to make a deal and other teams looking to sell some veteran players. Miami has to find a way to get in on a trade for a legitimate scorer if they want to have a shot at being serious playoff contenders.

Gay would be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Heat if they are able to acquire him. He would be able to shoulder a large portion of the scoring load. Riley has likely already been in contact with the Kings, but only time will tell if their offer even intrigues Sacramento.

Do you think the Miami Heat would be a good landing spot for Rudy Gay? Would he make them a contender in the Eastern Conference assuming Chris Bosh is able to come back healthy? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[AP Photo/David Zalubowski]

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