The Toronto Raptors are a bit of a mess right now, and they really have a lot of spots they need to fix up if they expect to make it back to contention anytime soon. One possible way to upgrade things is to get themselves moving in the offseason by trading for top players in their prime.
Rudy Gay is one of the best guys around that might be shopped around this summer by an NBA contender. The Grizzlies forward would be a great scoring option for Memphis.
Chad Ford of ESPN seems to believe that Gay is part of a bigger overall grand strategy for Toronto though. If Gay ends up in Toronto, it would be part of a concerted effort to land a bigger prize for Canada: Suns point guard Steve Nash.
I agree that the Raptors are looking to move the pick. They've been trying to package it with another young player like Ed Davis and a vet (Bargnani or Calderon). I think they want a big time player on the wing so that they can lure Steve Nash this summer. The guy most people in the league believe they are after via trade is Rudy Gay.
Landing Nash would be huge for a Toronto team that needs a point guard, and bringing Gay alongside Nash could put Toronto back in a position to at least hope to get back in the race for the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
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