Hot Deadline Action: Gay to the Raps

In the first big trade of the season, here's what everybody came away with.

TORONTO                                WP48           
Rudy Gay (12-13)                        .040              
Rudy Gay (Career)                       . 76                

Hamad Haddadi (12-13)              - .001            
Hamad Haddadi (Career)               .087

MEMPHIS 
Ed Davis (12-13)                         .191
Ed Davis (Career)                        .199    

Tayshaun Prince (12-13)              .087
Tayshaun Prince (Career)             .130

Austin Daye (12-13)                    .137
Austin Daye (Career)                    .23

DETROIT
Jose Calderon (12-13)                  .234
Jose Calderon (Career)                 .201

Analysis: There was one guy in this trade with a giant contract and no history of efficient production and a whole lot was given up to get him. Bryan Colangelo may still have a pretty good reputation around the league but this is just the latest in a pretty long line of grievous errors on his part. Now, don't get me wrong, it is not inconceivable that a lineup of Lowry, Fields, Gay, Amir Johnson, and Valanciunas could be a factor in the East, especially if they can find a way to get from under the contracts of Bargnani and/or Derozan, but trading your best young player and an expiring contract for a defensively challenged over-shooter (on a team already overstuffed with defensively challenged over-shooters) does nothing to further that aim.

For Memphis, I kind of wished they had hung on to Calderon for the stretch run and figured out another way to fill out their roster, but this is still a pretty nice deal. They realized that giving Gay a big contract, though it may have felt necessary at the time, wasn't a very good idea, and they were able to get out from under it in fine fashion. Daye has always looked the part and his DI was quite respectable coming out of Gonzaga. In limited minutes this season has been quite productive, though to date he has still disappointed.
Has the light switched on? Did Memphis pull a fast one? That will determine whether this was a good trade or a great one. Prince is decent and 7M isn't exactly prohibitive if they want to dump him in a year or two.

Detroit gets Prince off the books and gets some return for Daye, whom they had clearly lost patience with. That opens up more minutes for the very solid Kyle Singler and is a step in the right general direction for that franchise.


WP as of 1/31/13 - Taken from www.thenbageek.com