Rudy Gay = Better fit with Hawks than Some may Think...

[Ruckus]

No.....Couldn't agree more. That team would be mediocrity all over again. No to Gay.

Almost any team will look mediocre with Josh as one of your top paid players. Take out Josh, add someone like Al Jefferson or Pekovic - then look to snatch a prodigy SG or PG in the draft. And still have money to add another piece and a top tier coach. Then that lineup plus Gay looks totally different. I am not a fan of Gay either right now but if he could be had for cheaper after the season I think he at least knows his role and position.

[Jody23]

Almost any team will look mediocre with Josh as one of your top paid players. Take out Josh, add someone like Al Jefferson or Pekovic - then look to snatch a prodigy SG or PG in the draft. And still have money to add another piece and a top tier coach. Then that lineup plus Gay looks totally different. I am not a fan of Gay either right now but if he could be had for cheaper after the season I think he at least knows his role and position.

Adding Gay's contract pretty much nullifies the flexibility to build a REAL contender. No way Ferry even touches him. Maybe in two years when he's a free agent, but not with his current contract.

[coachx]

Almost any team will look mediocre with Josh as one of your top paid players. Take out Josh, add someone like Al Jefferson or Pekovic - then look to snatch a prodigy SG or PG in the draft. And still have money to add another piece and a top tier coach. Then that lineup plus Gay looks totally different. I am not a fan of Gay either right now but if he could be had for cheaper after the season I think he at least knows his role and position.

Agreed with everything until the Gay part. He makes J$J type money for the next 2 seasons.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I told you that Memphis was not about to break up that team, before they let this team take it all the way through this season. All of those rumors going around about them trading one of their stars, just to get under the Luxury Tax was just that . . . rumors. They were not going to break up the core of that team.

Here's what they did do though

Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby, Marreesse Speights, AND a protected 1st round pick in 2015 . . . . for Jon Leuer and a 6.4 million trade exception.

That's an absolute HORRIBLE trade, from a personnel standpoint. That would be like us trading Zaza, Ivan, John Jenkins, and a pick . . . for Chris Singleton. But that trade keeps them under the Luxury Tax for this year AND keeps their core group together. But that trade exception may come in handy in a few weeks, if some team wants to unload a player to get under the tax.

They also only have 11 players, so they must sign 2 free agents sometime in the next 24 hours. With the success the Hawks had in bringing back a guy like Jannero Pargo, don't be surprised if Memphis signs 2 guys that could be much better than the bench fillers they gave up . . at a much cheaper price.

Two of those being rumored in Memphis, is Delonte West and Sasha Vujacic, guys who would help them from a shooting standpoint, and possibly even a vet forward like a Kenyon Martin.