Rudy Gay
After opting out of the final year of his contract with the San Antonio Spurs, Rudy Gay will officially hit the ranks of unrestricted free agency. He didn’t have an overly impressive season this past year in San Antonio, but much like Trevor Ariza, he’s an experienced vet who, at the right price, could bring some nice tools to the Jazz.
Gay has primarily played at the three-spot in the past, but with the Spurs he spent most of his time as a four. Depending on the opponents Utah faces and the types of lineups they want to employ, this could be a highly desirable skill. Rudy Gay’s scoring took a big dip as primarily a reserve player with the Spurs, but he’s averaged 17.9 points per game over his career, and has logged several seasons breaking the 20-point per game mark.
In other words, Gay can score, and that scoring aptitude could very well help bolster a Jazz offense that at times went stagnant. If plugged in effectively to Utah’s offense, he could very well be a nice scoring threat that added dynamism to either the first or second unit.
The downside to Gay is that he’s not all that efficient. He shot above his career marks from the field last season at 47.1 percent, but was well below his marks from deep as he shot just 31.4 percent from behind the arc. He’s also not that great of a passer and has a reputation of being a ball-stopper. In other words, his scoring could be nice, but his style might not quite be a fit.
Now that Rudy Gay has officially opted out of the final year of his contract, @RoundballRuckus discusses whether or not the Utah Jazz would be wise to pursue him in free agency.https://t.co/hbS6ceGNx3
— The J-Notes (@TheJNotes) June 20, 2018
His price is somewhat in question, too. He opted out of nearly $9 million guaranteed for 2018-19. Presumably his reasoning for doing so would be to seek more money elsewhere. Then again, it’s also feasible that he’d be willing to take a similar annual amount, but for a bit more long-term security. Considering how tight the market is going to be this summer, I’d hope his thinking was more along the lines of the latter.
But even if he could be had for Mid-Level Exception money, the Jazz would have to weigh carefully if an aging player who has a bit of a spotty injury history would be worth the long-term commitment.
I really like Gay as a scorer and a potentially versatile 3-4 combo. However, given his lack of efficiency and questions about his age, health and cost, I don’t know that he will ultimately be one of the best options for the Jazz.