The Golden State Warriors need a player to replace both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. That player may be Rudy Gay, and it’s more likely than you think.
There aren’t many players that perfectly fit into the Golden State Warriors offseason plans, but San Antonio Spurs’ free agent forward Rudy Gay does. However, he’d likely have to take a pay cut to play with Golden State.
Gay has been underrated his entire career. In the prime of his career, Gay scored over 21 points per game. Then, he, like Durant did in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, ruptured his Achilles. The devasting injury typically decimates the individual’s career.
One of the few to bounce back just as strong, Gay could bring a valuable asset, one that knows how to battle through injury. He stands 6-foot-8 and is 32 years old. That said, Gay is coming off a one-year, $10 million contract with San Antonio.
Gay would likely be forced into the mid-level exception. That’s just over $5 million which obviously isn’t ideal since he’s coming off a season averaging just under 14 points per game. Gay deserves to earn an eight-figure salary.
He won’t be a big-name free agent this offseason, and like throughout his career, he’ll likely go unnoticed. Golden State must be on notice, and it’s likely that he’ll also draw interest from other contenders.
That being said, let’s get into four reasons why the Warriors should consider signing Gay with the team’s MLE.