NBA Trade News: Thunder trying to acquire Rudy Gay

The Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to trade for Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay, according to several reports.

The Thunder, which have began the season with a 7-5 record, are still searching for a quality starting small forward in the aftermath of Kevin Durant's exit during the summer.

Coach Billy Donovan has been starting Andre Roberson at the 3 spot with Victor Oladipo and Russell Westbrook forming the starting backcourt. However, the Thunder could use a more reliable option at the wing.

Gay, who owns a US$14.2 million (AU$19.2 million) Player Option ahead of the 2017-18 season, has already revealed his intention to leave Sacramento in free agency next July, per CBS Sports. Therefore, the Kings would be better off shipping the swingman ahead of February's trade deadline.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported Thursday that the Thunder will try to make a move for Gay in the near future.

"They (Thunder) remain interested in bigger wings, including Rudy Gay, sources say, in part because such a player would slide everyone down to their intended spots: Oladipo to the bench, and Andre Roberson back to defending shooting guards," Lowe revealed.

To Lowe's point, Roberson was more effective as a starting two-guard last season. During the playoffs, Roberson played lockdown defence on Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson all through the seven games of the Western Conference Finals.

Since moving Roberson to the 3, the Thunder lineup is a lot smaller in size and has shown vulnerability while going up against teams with dominating wing players, case in point the loss to the Warriors earlier this month.

Rudy Gay: What can OKC offer?

Gay, on a contract year, has started the new season on a positive note. He's averaging a career-high tally of 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting an impressive 42 percent from downtown.

Typically, a talented player like Gay would be worth the asking price. However, the Kings have little leverage in trade negotiations since the versatile forward will be a free agent next summer. Therefore, Sacramento could trade Gay for a haul of future draft picks.

The Thunder have approximately US$7 million (AU$9.4 million) left in cap room. At the most, they can offer a package of Kyle Singler, Cameron Payne and the 2020 protected draft pick acquired during the Jerami Grant trade earlier in the summer. Would that be a decent enough haul to entice the Kings? Probably not. But as stated before, the Kings don't have much leverage and would be better off acquiring future assets instead of losing Gay in free agency next year.

If OKC can somehow land Gay, they would be a serious threat to the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers. Simply put, Westbrook would find a consistent scorer to defer to.

Rudy Gay is expected to attract the attention of many teams in free agency next year.