NBA Trade Rumors: 7 veterans who could help a contender

2. Rudy Gay, San Antonio Spurs

At 16-12, the San Antonio Spurs currently sit fifth in the cutthroat Western Conference. However, they have four veterans—DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay and Patty Mills—in the final year of their respective contracts.

If the Spurs stand pat at the deadline and push for a playoff spot, they run the risk of losing any (or all) of DeRozan, Aldridge, Gay and Mills in free agency this summer. They’ll have to decide how best to balance their short- and long-term outlook while weighing whether to be buyers or sellers.

DeRozan once seemed certain to leave San Antonio in free agency, but he’s having an All-Star-caliber season thanks to his reinvention as a point forward. Aldridge isn’t likely to generate much interest in his depleted state, but contenders figure to call the Spurs about Gay and Mills to see whether either is available.

Gay is no longer the 20-points-per-game scorer that he was in his prime, but he’s turned himself into a microwave scoring threat off the bench over the past few seasons. His outside shooting ability makes him perfect for a small-ball 4 role, although he can slide down to the 3 if paired with a traditional frontcourt, too.

Some contenders may struggle to match Gay’s $14.5 million salary in trade negotiations, which could limit his market. But if the Boston Celtics decide to dip into their $28.5 million traded player exception, they’d be a particularly intriguing destination given their need to bolster their frontcourt and wing rotation behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.