San Antonio Spurs: Grading 3 potential trade partners for Rudy Gay

Trade talk is heating up around the San Antonio Spurs veteran forward

I’ve been writing about potential San Antonio Spurs trades for so long that I’m starting to feel like George R.R. Martin promising he’ll finally publish The Winds of Winter. Honestly, it’s starting to feel a bit disingenuous to continue writing about something I’m quite confident won’t happen. But there’s no rest in the blog game so let’s run it back one more time.

It might be hard for you to take me seriously after that but this could actually be the year the Spurs finally make a big move at the deadline. I’m not just saying that, there’s been more smoke floating around the team this year than there has in years past, and with good reason.

San Antonio is an excellent position to make a deadline deal if that’s the path they want to go down. They’ve got several veterans on expiring deals, all of whom could help a contender and could likely be had for the right price.

Either one of Rudy Gay or LaMarcus Aldridge could help a title-contending team. They’re both getting a bit long in the tooth but both have shown that they’ve got gas left in the tank and I’m sure they’d ramp their play up to the highest level if it could help them capture the championship that has so far eluded them.

He’s been an important part of the team for the past three seasons but Rudy’s time in San Antonio could be coming to an end. Here are the trade partners that would make the most sense for the San Antonio Spurs if they want to move the veteran forward.

New York Knicks swap a young player for more veteran help

One of the most surprising parts of the season has been the solid play of the New York Knicks. Led by their new head coach Tom Thibodeau and an All-Star level campaign from Julius Randel, the Knicks are very much in the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference. If they want to solidify their chances, adding Rudy Gay could help.

In terms of tradeable assets, the Knicks don’t have too much to offer the Spurs. Or at least there doesn’t seem like there would be a lot that they’d be willing to give up. Immanuel Quickley, Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, and the rest of their young core should be off the table and I don’t think you’re getting a first-round pick for Rudy at this point.

But the Knicks probably would be willing to give up Kevin Knox in exchange for a better chance at making the playoffs for the first time since 2013. They’ve all but given up on him at this point and it sounds like he’s available.

Spurs Get

Kevin Knox

Knicks Get

Rudy Gay

To be frank, Knox has been a disappointment so far. After being drafted 9th overall back in 2018, Knox has really had one solid season in New York – his rookie year. It’s been a pretty consistent backward slide since then.

Call it misplaced optimism if you want but I’m not ready to pass a verdict on an incredibly gifted young player who had the misfortune of starting his career in a pressure cooker of a media market while surrounded by disfunction at almost every level.

This move wouldn’t help the Spurs in the short term but if there is a team in the league that could help Knox reach the potential that scouts saw in him a few years ago it’s San Antonio. Given their situation, I think you’ve got a chance to swap a 34-year-old for a 21 year old full of untapped potential if you’re the Spurs.

If we’re being honest, San Antonio isn’t winning the title this year. And I wouldn’t mind kicking a return to the playoffs down the road a year if it means adding a former first-round pick to the group of young players the Spurs are developing. This certainly isn’t the best trade option out there for Gay, but it’s one that the Spurs should consider looking into.

Trade Grade: C+

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