The Miami Heat are going to be very active this offseason and it’s for obvious reasons. This is an opportunity to begin searching for ways to return to contention in the Eastern Conference, as then search to either trade or sign a perennial All-Star begins.
In addition to bringing in a whale, the Heat must primarily focus their concerns on the impending free agencies of Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn, two names who headline as top free-agents in Miami’s youth. Then, you also have the possible negotiations of a maximum extension of star Jimmy Butler.
However, it’s never too early to take note of potential assets and this free agency class has plenty of underrated players who could be game-changers for this franchise. A low-end option to be considered, is San Antonio Spurs veteran forward Rudy Gay.
Once a former borderline All-Star for the Memphis Grizzlies, Gay has just finished his fourth-consecutive season with the Spurs. A fourteen-year NBA veteran in the back-end of his career, Gay likely won’t cross the radar for many teams this summer — as he’ll be turning 35 in August.
However, there’s many reasons for why players of his age still hold value.
The Miami Heat could find massive value in Rudy Gay, but what kind and how much?
In the Spurs’, 100-96, Play-In Game loss on May 19th against the Memphis Grizzlies, Gay did everything he could to keep his team’s season alive. While he finished with 20 points and seven rebounds on just 8-for-21 shooting, Rudy gave the Spurs some valuable fourth-quarter scoring with nine points and seven of them coming in the final three minutes of regulation.
After sinking a pair of threes late in the fourth, the effort just wasn’t enough to keep Ja Morant and the Grizzles from further advancing towards a Playoff spot. Rudy, however, demonstrated that he’s still a very dependable option in late-game situations, finishing the year as San Antonio’s third-leading scorer during the fourth quarter and overtime periods (211).
To be fair, Rudy may never stop giving you buckets, but he’s also still a very capable defender and rebounder with a 7’3” wingspan. However, an underrated ability in his career is being a capable ball-handler who can also play in the open-court.
What would a Miami Heat deal look like for Rudy Gay if it were to happen?
In July of 2019, Gay signed a two-year and $32 million contract to remain with the Spurs, who were very intent to competing in the Western Conference — with other high-quality scorers in DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Now, with those aspirations out the window, the Spurs have geared themselves towards a youth movement.
The Heat, however, have more recent postseason clarity that should and will inspire them to remain competitive in their respective conference. Miami has done a successful job of obtaining solid veteran forwards before, such as Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill, and Jae Crowder from Memphis during last year’s trade deadline.
And of course, the addition of Trevor Ariza from the Oklahoma City Thunder back in March is nothing to sneeze at. In comparison to those recent acquisitions though, Rudy adds a different dynamic to the game and with a stronger scoring element.
A reasonable offer for Gay would be a two-year deal worth $15.9 million, with an annual salary of $7.9 million for both years. As the Heat should be a top suitor for the 14-year veteran, he would greatly fulfill the team’s need of a skilled half-court scorer from all-three levels.
This is while also providing more length and stability in the Heat’s front-court, as well as great involvement in smaller-lineups. Any team that can pick him up this summer would be getting an absolute steal, even at those rates and with his age.
Rudy can still play!