The NBA transitioned from being a league dominated at the centre position to athletes participating in positionless basketball. During the early 2000s, the league was mostly run by players of the forward position. Athletes like LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Ben Wallace are a couple of example players in this instance. Similarly, Rudy Gay was one of the league’s best forward earlier on in his career.
Rudy was the No.8 overall pick during the 2006 NBA Draft. This draft class is well known for accommodating players like Kyle Lowry, Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, JJ Reddick, and PJ Tucker. Most of these players have had successful careers over the last few years, especially Lowry, who was crowned as an NBA Champion in 2019. Rudy had far better statistics than most of his peers and even had a few historic career feats as well.
Rudy Gay was a great two-way player that had an excellent scoring capacity. Between 2007 and 2017, the former UConn star consistently averaged between 18 and 20 points per game. His best season was with the Sacramento Kings during the 2014-2015 season as he averaged 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. During his second season, Rudy finished behind Hedo Türkoglu for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
The Thunder waived Rudy Gay despite agreeing to a $6.4 million one-year deal
Throughout his 17-year career, Rudy Gay has performed alongside some of the best athletes of this generation. Rudy was drafted by the Houston Rockets but they traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies shortly after they selected him. Following an incredible seven-year stint with the Grizzlies, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for a year before ultimately landing a deal with the Sacramento Kings.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have waived Rudy Gay, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 20, 2023
The 2006-07 All-Rookie Team member briefly played under than supervision of Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. This was precisely when Rudy began declining from his usual self. In 2021, he signed an $18.5 million two-year with the Utah Jazz. Rudy barely averaged winning numbers but had a decent stint playing alongside Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
Teams expected to show interest in Rudy Gay:
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Lakers
Dallas Mavericks
Chicago Bulls
New Orleans Pelicans“Gay was healthy last season minus a finger joint sprain that sidelined him for two weeks and a member of Utah’s rotation through most of… pic.twitter.com/9se8G5RBYs
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 21, 2023
He exercised a $6.4 million played option with the Jazz which was valid until 2024. The Jazz ended up trading him to the Atlanta Hawks for John Collins. Atlanta in turn traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Patty Mills that got him a $6.4 million deal. But before Rudy could suit up with the team, the Thunder waived him from the roster making him a free agent. The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, and New Orleans Pelicans have emerged as potential destinatilns for him.