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Over the weekend, we learned that the Washington Wizards reportedly made a "good" offer for Memphis Grizzlies small forward Rudy Gay. We didn't know what the offer was, but it spurred a very spirited debate. Nevertheless, I think most people would not be in favor of the scenario that was reported in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal today:
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.
First of all: I don't think the Wizards are actually going to do this. They invested a lot when they drafted Beal and he's justified that investment recently, so they aren't going to throw that investment away for Rudy Gay. It's one thing to do it for James Harden, who is young and has proven he can be the best player on a pretty good team. It's another to do it for Gay, who is Joe Johnson on a good day. This reeks of the Grizzlies trying to drive up Gay's price to all suitors in a trade.
But if this is anything more, I have one message to the Wizards: don't you dare do this. Beal is a 19-year old that was picked in the draft last year, complements John Wall beautifully, is just starting to come on and is under team control on a rookie contract for the next three years. Gay is a 26-year-old decent, but inefficient wing scorer making $16-18 million per season over the same time frame that may or may not complement John Wall. This is the kind of trade teams that never get good make. Don't do it, Wizards.
I'm all for looking at the possibility of acquiring Gay, but trading Beal for him would be an awful idea.
UPDATE: According to Michael Lee, the Wizards are "pushing for" Gay's services, but trying to figure out a swap that works for both sides would be an "ongoing process." In addition, Chris Miller of CSN Washington reports that including Beal "doesn't make sense." David Aldridge of TNT had this to say of the Wizards' thinking: "They like Gay. They love Beal."