GAY’S GREATEST GIFT
The trade three years ago that sent Rudy Gay to Sacramento helped turn the Raptors into perennial contenders,
SACRAMENTO, CALIF.— For a salary dump, it worked out wonderfully.
The Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings met here Sunday as teams continuing to trend in different directions, the Raptors trying to repeat as Eastern Conference finalists at least, the Kings toying with the idea of roster shakeups as they attempt to become relevant in the Western Conference.
In some ways, it can all be traced back to Dec. 9, 2013, and a blockbuster trade that turned out as one-sided as any in Raptors history.
Masai Ujiri, then the Raptors general manager and looking to shed salary and get flexibility for the future, dealt away his highest-paid player for a package of pieces whose arrival in Toronto rejuvenated the franchise.
Ujiri admits it was all a gamble and he didn’t know how it would work out but, almost three years removed, it’s one of the slam dunks of his tenure.
Here’s how it looks today:
WHAT TORONTO GOT
Patrick Patterson: Sunday’s game against the Kings was his 221st in a Toronto uniform as he’s become a key member of the team’s second unit.
The 6-foot-9 forward is in a bit of a shooting slump at the moment but his ability to defend multiple positions has allowed coach Dwane Casey to use him to finish every game.
Patterson becomes a free agent at the end of the season and could treble his $6-million salary on the market.
Greivis Vasquez: He was a solid backup in the 143 games he played with the Raptors and never lacked for confidence. But as much as he gave them while he was on the court, Vasquez proved just as valuable as an asset.
The Raptors traded him on June 25, 2015 to the Milwaukee Bucks to Norm Powell and a conditional 2017 draft pick.
Powell has emerged as a future rotation player, and the pick remains an asset for Ujiri to dangle.
Vasquez is recuperating from an injury now and out of the league, released by Brooklyn earlier this year.
John Salmons: It wasn’t so much what he did in Toronto — he had a bad back and was a shell of himself in seven playoff games after 60 regularseason appearances — but his contract brought back both Lou Williams and Lucas Nogueira in a June 2014 trade. Williams went on to win the league’s sixth-man award during his one season with the Raptors. Nogueira is becoming an important frontcourt backup.
Chuck Hayes: The veteran big man had little impact in Toronto. He appeared in 143 games but mostly in a mop-up or emergency role. He did provide some locker-room leadership but the Raptors let him walk when his contract expired.
WHAT SACRAMENTO GOT
Rudy Gay: The centrepiece of the trade for both teams, Gay was playing is 206th game with Sacramento on Sunday. But it hasn’t worked out nearly as well as the Kings had hoped. Sacramento hasn’t sniffed a post-season spot during Gay’s tenure and it’s been widely reported that he is being shopped around the league.
Gay re-signed with the Kings when the contract the Raptors need to get rid of expired and has one year and about $14 million left on it after this season.
Aaron Gray: The veteran big man was basically cap ballast in the deal; he didn’t play very much in Toronto and didn’t play very much in Sacra- mento, appearing in only 33 games. He was not re-signed when his contract expired and spent time in Detroit before retiring.
Quincy Acy: He was seen as a promising young player when the deal was made, but it never quite worked out for Acy. He played 115 games in Sacramento before being dealt to New York and was released late last week by the Dallas Mavericks.