His free agency isn't being met with as much fanfare as Jazz All-Star Gordon Hayward's, but teams in the market for a quality small forward aren't sleeping on Rudy Gay.
Gay, who averaged 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per for the Kings in 2016-17, will hold court this weekend, entertaining representatives of teams seeking his services, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Sources: Free agent Rudy Gay hosts meetings in Austin, Texas with interested suitors this weekend. OKC continues to be a team who sees fit.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 29, 2017
NBA FREE AGENCY 2017: Ranking the best players on the market
The Thunder could certainly use a player of Gay's caliber.
Led by MVP Russell Westbrook, who became the first player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson did so in 1961-62, this past season the Thunder went 47-35 and earned the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs before being downed 4-1 by the Rockets in the first round. As big a help as All-Defensive Second Team pick Andre Roberson is on that end of the floor, he's nearly as big a hindrance on offense. He averaged 6.6 points per game, 58th among shooting guards, despite playing 30.1 minutes a night and starting 79 games during the 2016-17 season.
Gay's scoring average would have been ranked ninth among shooting guards and small forwards. His 37.2 percent shooting from 3-point range and 85.5 free-throw percentage would give a much-needed boost to an OKC offense that rated in the bottom half of the league in terms of offensive efficiency (105.0) and field-goal percentage (45.2).
Gay could also be a player of interest for the Celtics should they miss out on signing Hayward or putting together a trade package that would bring Indiana star Paul George to Beantown, reports Steven Kyler of Basketball Insiders.