The Facts
On the night of the draft, Jerry West pulled off another major trade in his career when he went ahead and acquired two rotation players. The Grizzlies acquired Stromile Swift and the draft rights to Rudy Gay, the eighth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, from Houston in exchange for Grizzlies forward Shane Battier.
Salaries:
Stromile Swift
06-07 5.4 million
07-08 5.8 million
08-09
Player option at 6.2 million
Rudy Gay
2.6 million is his avg salary per year over the next four seasons
Shane Battier
06-07 5.4
07-08 5.9
08-096.4
09-10 6.8
10-11 7.3
When comparing the salaries, Battier and Swift's contracts are very similar with the exception being that Swift's contract is shorter. Gay's contract is slotted because he is in his rookie contract.
Memphis' Depth Chart:
SG, SF Depth:
Mike Miller
Eddie Jones
Rudy Gay
Dahntay Jones
PF, C Depth:
Pau Gasol
Stromile Swift
Hakim Warrick
Jake Tsakalidis
The Analysis
Jerry West was able to bring in a potential star in Rudy Gay without giving up all that much in return. Gay, who was once regarded as the top player in the draft will immediately come in and play for the Grizzlies. At the end of this season, Eddie Jones will be a free agent and Gay should be ready to step in and take his minutes. In Swift, Memphis also was able to bring back a former first round pick for them. Swift will get significant minutes at the power forward and center spots. He is an athletic player who can change the game through his shot blocking ability. Another plus for the Grizzlies is that Swift is someone who can play multiple positions. The bottom line in this trade is that at worse, Gay will be no better then Shane Battier. At best, Gay could project out to be an all-star for many years to come.
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