Written by Jonathan Lee

Follow @thejonlee on Twitter

Rudy Gay Trade Impact On Grizzlies, Raptors, and Pistons

The Grizzlies have found a taker for Rudy Gay. Memphis is sending its leading scorer to Toronto in exchange for forward Ed Davis and guard Jose Calderon. This deal is expected to expand to three teams as Calderon will be sent to Detroit with forwards Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye landing in Memphis.

MEMPHIS

Additions: Ed Davis, Tayshaun Prince, and Austin Daye
Subtractions: Rudy Gay



Recently hired John Hollinger was tasked with saving the team money and avoiding the luxury tax. He accomplished this earlier in January with a minor trade, but still went through with sending away Gay and his $16+ million yearly contract. The simulations show that Memphis made improvements as well to their roster, and should be able to easily replace the production lost through the additions of Prince, Daye, and Davis.

Gay is shooting a career-low 40.8 percent from the field this year, and was not living up to his hefty contract which is ultimately the reason he was shipped out. The trade rumors may not have been helping his mental state, but the bottom line is that he has not been producing on the court and the Grizzlies save plenty of cash in this deal.

TORONTO

Addition: Rudy Gay
Subtractions: Ed Davis, Jose Calderon

DETROIT

Addition: Jose Calderon
Subtractions: Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye



Toronto finally gets a premier swing man, albeit one with a sizable contract. Detroit does benefit by adding a solid point guard in Calderon to help facilitate the offense off the bench. The Pistons are a fringe contender for the playoffs, and may view the 8th seed as within reach given the Rajon Rondo injury for Boston and the struggles of Philadelphia. The computer shows this trade improving the Pistons by 1.5 wins over the rest of the season.