In the middle of yet another long losing streak and with the possibility of a postseason birth looking bleaker than Mitt Romney's political future, the Suns are looking to mix things up on their roster.
One of the possible roster moves could be the acquisition of Grizzlies star forward Rudy Gay, according to a report from Yahoo Sports. There is no framework on who would be involved on the Suns end, but the Grizzlies are said to be wanting at least Jared Dudley and first round picks.
In his seventh year in the NBA, Gay is the star of a Memphis squad which is one of the better teams in the entire Western Conference. In 31 games this season, Gay is averaging just under 18 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
With the Grizzlies being a title contender, it is a bit surprising that they would be looking to shop Gay, but their front office wants to avoid paying the league's luxury tax over the next couple seasons. Gay is getting paid $16.4 million this season and is due $17.8 million and $19.3 million the following two seasons after that.
Because of how much money he is making, some Suns fans are questioning how interested Phoenix is in acquiring Gay. Trading for Gay would mean the Suns would have very little money to spend elsewhere over the coming seasons ahead. They would be stuck with Gay for the next 2+ years as their star player on the roster.
Trading for Gay would mean the Suns would have to give up plenty of draft picks as well. As of now, the Suns have five first round picks over the next three drafts because of all the trades they made during the offseason. Would it be worth mortgaging the future for a player like the Grizzlies star?
Bringing Gay into the fold would only make the Michael Beasley situation even more confusing. The Suns would be paying more than $22 million to two guys who play the exact same position. That is a lot of money for an organization that doesn't have the luxury to be playing in a market like Los Angeles and New York.
At the end of the day, this is probably a deal that doesn't end up getting done. The Grizzlies would be smart to ride things out with Gay and see if they can make a deep playoff run with him. Plus, they could probably get a lot more for him during the offseason with another team with more assets at their disposal.
You have to applaud the Suns front office for trying though. They remain eager to improve this roster going forward and as a fan, you have to like that.
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