"You still have to have a roster that allows you to deal with the big fives who are out there. But I think the league has changed pretty dramatically, and I can see him playing more minutes at the five," he said. "I don't think there would be any problem with that. "I was always very careful over the last five, six years not to play him too many minutes at center. The plan still could be to have the three-time All-Star log most of his minutes at the four, but it's important to remember what Kerr told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami in March. One important caveat is Hollinger is assuming the Warriors make this move if the team decides Draymond Green's primary position is center, which would allow Gay to play alongside him at power forward. "Thus, acquiring Gay doesn’t narrow the Warriors’ options, it actually expands them - they can either ride out the season with Gay, or flip his expiring deal any time prior to the trade deadline." "Gay’s expiring contract gives Golden State an enduring form of trade currency that doesn’t expire until the trade deadline and can take back a contract worth up to $20 million," Hollinger added. But it's possible that Golden State isn't willing to part ways with him yet, unless he's included in a trade that nets a superstar. Looney underwent surgery May 19 to repair a core muscle injury, and it's unclear if he ever will be the "foundational piece" he was during the 2017-19 seasons. "Trading, say, Kevon Looney and a future second (round pick) for Gay would make the tax hit on the Warriors’ side less gargantuan and add a future pick for the next-gen Spurs," The Athletic's John Hollinger writes.Ĭoach Steve Kerr is a big believer in Looney, who is scheduled to make around $4.8 million next year. He wanted the 24-year-old to play around 30 minutes per game last season, but that plan got derailed because of myriad injuries. Should Golden State strike a deal with the San Antonio Spurs that would send Rudy Gay - who has a salary cap hit of $14.5 million in 2020-21 - to the Bay Area? In a nutshell, that means they can acquire a player in a trade that makes up to that amount.
![spurs rudy gay contract spurs rudy gay contract](https://cdn.nba.com/manage/2020/10/rudy-gay-dunks-4-19-18-784x513.jpg)
When the Warriors traded Andre Iguodala (plus a future first-round draft pick) to the Memphis Grizzlies last July, they acquired a $17.2 million traded player exception.