Trade rumors between the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers involving Rudy Gay and Monta Ellis are swirling around the NBA at the moment as both clubs try to refine their rosters heading into the new season.
The 30-year-old, 10-year pro has been involved in trade rumors since the beginning of summer especially from the time when he publicly aired his grievances with the squad and its officials. He even cited the statuses of fellow veterans Paul Pierce and Jamal Crawford as his "dream" situation in which stability and security of tenure is all he wanted.
With that, rumors abound that the former Connecticut standout will be wearing another team's jersey once the 2016-2017 season begins next month.
Reports were out that Gay had patched up his differences with the Kings after a recent lengthy talk with general manager Vlade Divac, but trade rumors persist as SB Nation indicated that "a trade still seems the most likely case for Rudy" and that Sacramento could "lower their asking price, or another team will become more desperate for help and increase their offer".
At his age, Gay is still an efficient player as he averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 steals in 34.0 minutes of playing time per night under sacked head coach George Karl last season.
The season before that, he averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 5.9 boards, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in 35.4 minutes also for the Kings, which means he is still in fine form for whichever team acquires him.
The report said that this is the reason why Divac is not going to let him go "if they couldn't get what they perceived to be a fair return".
Chat Sports Net suggested that a trade with the Pacers for 30-year-old shooting guard Ellis could be feasible for the Kings if they really wanted to offload Gay.
The article noted that Indiana is ready to part ways with the former NBA Most Improved Player awardee as the team is ready to modify their style of play in the upcoming season.
With a starting lineup consisting of Paul George, Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young, and Jeff Teague, Ellis' skill set is no longer that fitting for new head coach Nate McMillan's system.
Meanwhile, for Sacramento, Ellis could provide much-needed guard depth as he can play both one and two-guard positions. He could spell starting point guard Darren Collison, who does not have a decent backup yet, or start alongside him as a shooting guard.