Recent rumors have emerged that the Oklahoma City Thunder are willing to offer three players just to acquire Rudy Gay from the Sacramento Kings.
Gay had been the subject of a lot of trade rumors since the end of last season. The speculations have gained ground when the former Connecticut standout told reporters earlier in the summer that he is "unhappy" with the Kings and wishes to have "more stability" in his career. He then admitted that he could not find it in Sacramento.
He even cited the current situations of fellow veterans Paul Pierce and Jamal Crawford with the Los Angeles Clippers as the kind of secured tenure that he is looking for at this point of his career.
Gay is reportedly keen on opting out of his contract next summer, which will make him an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Bleacher Report indicated that the 10-year pro is "unlikely to negotiate a new deal to return to the franchise", which means that the Kings are in danger of losing the versatile wingman for nothing if they do not trade him in or before this season's February deadline.
With the said premise, latest rumors are out that the Thunder are interested in acquiring Gay and they are prepared to give up Cameron Payne, Ersan Ilyasova, and Kyle Singler to get the high-scoring forward, as per Sportsrageous.
OKC are currently thin in their wingmen options with Andre Roberson not playing up to expectations at the moment. Gay will instantly solve that issue, although the team may relinquish much-needed bench depth to get him.
Should the Thunder successfully acquire Gay, head coach Billy Donovan will have another offensive option in their starting unit that will ease the burden off main man Russell Westbrook and newcomer Victor Oladipo.
A starting five composed of Westbrook, Oladipo, Steven Adams, Domas Sabonis, and Gay would definitely be one of the strongest in the league.
Westbrook recently said that he is "ready to lead the team with composure" and he would need the assistance of reliable veterans to do so. Gay is experienced enough to support Westbrook in his leadership role both on and off the court.
Aside from the offensive and leadership roles, Gay could also bring perimeter defense for the Thunder as he has been considered as one of the best wing defenders.
