Toronto (7-12) had lost five straight until beating the Los Angeles Lakers 106-94 Sunday night, and the franchise is only at the beginning of a rebuilding process that’s likely years from completion. The trade is by far the biggest and boldest for first-year Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri, who previously worked with D’Alessandro in Denver.
Of the four players going to Toronto, only Hayes has a deal that extends beyond this season. Isaiah Thomas will start at point guard in Vasquez’s place, with Jimmer Fredette and rookie Ray McCallum moving up behind him.įor the Raptors, parting ways with Gay gives them future financial flexibility. The deal also moves up Sacramento’s backcourt rotation. I dont think this is quite as bad a trade for the Kings as most other people do. He’s averaging 18 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his career, but is shooting 38.8 percent this season, the lowest of his career. Anyway, I missed the Rudy Gay trade when it happened. Gay, who was traded from Memphis to Toronto last season, is in his eighth NBA season. The Kings are hoping Gay can provide immediate help - and give fans a reason to keep showing up - while building around him and center DeMarcus Cousins, who received a four-year, $62 million extension before the season. Sacramento entered Monday night with a 5-13 record, losing six straight until beating the NBA-worst Jazz on Saturday night. “We’ve had a lot of really good backups for a long time and now we are acquiring starters. “We need players here in Sacramento and that’s just the bottom line,” said D’Alessandro, who praised the owner’s financial backing on the trade. It’s just the kind of financial risk Ranadive has said he’s willing to take - and the Maloof family that previously owned the team wouldn’t - to try to turn the Kings into a winner. He holds a $19.3 million player option for the 2014-15 season, which he’s widely expected to exercise.