NBA Free Agency 2017 Player Profile: Rudy Gay

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Jan 10, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) after a play against the Detroit Pistons during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Detroit Pistons 100-94. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Salary

This is a tough one to figure. On the one hand, Gay will be 31 when the 2017-18 NBA season starts, he’s coming off of an Achilles injury, and he’s been traded twice already in his career–and were it not for his injury, it’d probably be thrice.

Those qualifications do not leap out and make anybody think to offer a big money deal. The annual salary will be affected, certainly, but the length of potential deals might be an even bigger factor that’s changed because of the injury.

Signing a player to a bad deal that lasts two years isn’t fun for NBA teams, but it’s at least short-term, and often there’s a way to dump an expensive expiring contract, making it some other team’s problem. Inking a player to a huge four-year deal can cripple a franchise if done poorly enough.

Rudy Gay might get a big dollar amount, but he likely won’t get a lot of years. Something like two years for $20-something million would be the most I’d expect. Jeff Green got a one-year, $15 million deal last season–that might make sense here too, although it feels like an overpay.

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