Report: Sacramento Kings Nearing Deal To Acquire Rudy Gay From Toronto Raptors

Dec 1, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors small forward Rudy Gay (22) drives the ball past Denver Nuggets small forward Jordan Hamilton (1) during the third quarter of a game at the Air Canada Centre. Denver won the game 112-98. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, citing league sources, reported via Twitter Sunday that the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors are nearing agreement on a deal that wound send small forward Rudy Gay to the Kings in a seven-player trade.

Wojnarowski reported that Greivis Vasquez would be heading to Toronto in the return for Gay, along with Chuck Hayes, Patrick Patterson and John Salmons. Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy would also come to the Kings.

The Woj-bomb via Twitter:

Gay has had a rough year with the Raptors. Despite being fifth in the league at 18.6 field-goal attempts per game, the 27-year-old is not among the top 20 in the NBA in scoring.

Gay is shooting a career-worst 38.8 percent from the floor this season, including 22-of-59 from 3-point range (37.3 percent). He’s averaging 19.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game for Toronto.

His offensive rating is a career-low 93 (points per 100 possessions) and his player efficiency rating of 15.9 is just better than the league average of 15.

The Raptors picked Gay up late last January in a three-team trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons, with Gay winding up with Toronto, Jose Calderon going from Toronto to Detroit and Tayshaun Prince moving from the Pistons to the Grizzlies.

There’s no question the Kings need some offensive punch, but for a team with a tendency to play “hero ball” in pressure situations, a volume shooter who isn’t shooting well might not be the best addition.

It would give the Kings an interesting dynamic, however, with the expectation that Isaiah Thomas would take over the starting point guard duties with Vasquez gone.

Vasquez has started all 18 games for Sacramento this season, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 assists per game in 25.8 minutes per game, shooting 43.3 percent overall and 32 percent from 3. Vasquez came to the Kings from New Orleans last summer as part of the Tyreke Evans sign-and-trade deal.

Salmons and Patterson began the season in the starting lineup, but have recently been benched. Salmons is averaging 5.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 24.7 minutes a night, having come off the bench for 10 games while shooting 35 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from 3. Patterson started six games and has been slumping, averaging 6.9 points and 5.8 rebounds on 41 percent shooting, just 23.1 percent from deep in 24.4 minutes per game

Hayes is averaging 11.2 minutes, 2.1 points and 2.9 rebounds.

Gray has only played in four games, getting 20 minutes, five points and eight rebounds. Acy has played 61 minutes in seven games, with 19 points and 15 boards.