Every once in a while, one needs a jolt, which I received while considering the current roster of the Toronto Raptors. The impact of one trade, that of moving Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings, continues to reverberate.
THE Deal
On December 9, 2013, Masai Ujiri traded Rudy Gay plus spare parts (Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray) to the Sacramento Kings in return for Chuck Hayes, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Greivis Vasquez. On the surface, the deal was regarded as addition by subtraction. Rudy’s ball-sticking ways were not a fit with what the Raptors were trying to do offensively, and he was a defensive nonentity.