Washington Wizards Reportedly Interested in Rudy Gay

According to the Washington Post, the latest team to express interest in possibly trading for Rudy Gay is the Washington Wizards. The Commercial Appeal says the Wizards are offering Bradley Beal as part of the trade package: “The Wizards have had conversations with the Memphis Grizzlies in recent days to discuss what it would take to acquire Baltimore native Rudy Gay, two sources with knowledge of the discussions confirmed. One source familiar with the Wizards’ plans added that they are ‘pushing for’ the services of a borderline all-star talent that leads the Grizzlies in scoring at 17.8 points per game. […] CSN Bay Area’s Ric Bucher recently reported that the Wizards made a ‘good’ offer to the Grizzlies, without mentioning the details. But the Wizards have positioned themselves to take advantage of the new luxury tax penalties by raiding teams looking to deal quality players for expiring contracts, draft picks and/or young prospects. A source with knowledge of the Wizards’ thinking contended that defining the asset swap required for a talent such as Gay would be an ongoing process. Many around the league have also expressed interest in Gay. […] According to a person with knowledge of those conversations, Gay is likely to remain a Grizzly through the end of this season. The message to Gay at the moment is that if he is dealt by the league’s Feb. 21 trade deadline, then the Griz will have been offered a no-brainer scenario. For example, the Griz have entertained the Washington Wizards’ offer for Gay. The crux of that exchange would have the Griz receiving rookie shooting guard Bradley Beal in a larger package. The proposals for (Zach) Randolph have been even weaker. None of the potential deals has merit because they aren’t believed to be strong enough to keep the Griz on their current pace.”