Day 41: The Kings make an insane trade for Rudy Gay

(Illustration courtesy of Timothy McAuliffe/ESPN)

So, I was all prepared to devote the top half of this article to Kobe Bryant and how he looked yesterday, what with his return being a big deal and all. And then it was announced that the Kings and Raptors -- who the Lakers played yesterday -- had pulled off a massive deal with all sorts of fantasy implications, so it makes sense that that transaction should take precedence in today's Daily. In the deal, Rudy Gay goes Sacramento in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Chuck Hayes and Patrick Patterson.

Essentially, two of the most aimless, incompetent franchises in the NBA decided to make a deal showcasing how dumb they are. Yes, it makes sense for Toronto to firmly ingratiate themselves in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes when they had no chance of winning with Gay, who also happened to have a giant contract. But then why did they trade for Gay in the first place, in a trade that cost them promising bigman Ed Davis and a second round draft pick? Maybe the Raptors come out of this with a better future, but just what exactly has their gameplan been over the last 11 months? Because they come across as a franchise that's making up a strategy as they go, which is never a good idea.

And as for Sacramento, I have absolutely no clue what the hell they're doing. If ever there's a year to go into tank-mode, this is it. If ever there's a year where it pays to be an extremely bad basketball team, this is it. So what have the Kings done? They've marginally improved themselves now to such a degree that it's totally conceivable that they could miss out on the biggest studs of this year's draft. And besides that, they've now brought in a player who's going to stunt the development of Ben McLemore and Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Williams, who they just frickin' traded for. And for what? So they can spend $17 million this year on a player who can opt of his contract just one year from now? On a player who would never sign a long-term deal in Sacramento if his life depended on it? My god, what a disastrously idiotic transaction by the Kings.

Anyway, here's how this trade shakes things up in fantasy basketball:

• Isaiah Thomas is now the undisputed starting point guard in Sacramento, which secures him as a terrific fantasy option the rest of the way. Greivis Vasquez, who now has to contend for minutes at point guard behind Kyle Lowry in Toronto, is absolutely droppable -- though Lowry is so injury-prone that he should still be on your watch list.
• Ben McLemore and Marcus Thornton suffer tremendously from Gay's arrival. Whichever one of them starts is the better fantasy option (that's McLemore at the moment), but it's hard to see either being anything more than a so-so play now, as Gay is something of a ball-hog.
• Derrick Williams' value probably goes right down the drain, not that he had a lot of it to begin with.
• Maybe, just maybe, Jimmer Fredette will finally move into the Kings' rotation, though it'll take a miracle for him to actually become a decent stat-producer.
• Terrence Ross might get more of a run in Toronto now that Gay is gone. Ross is a good three-point shooter and was being criminally underused, though it's possible Landry Fields -- who started in Gay's place at small forward yesterday -- and John Salmons could impede him from being much of a factor.
• Patrick Patterson now joins a bizarre three-man timeshare at power forward with Tyler Hansbrough and Amir Johnson (who had 32-and-10 yesterday). Johnson is the one to own right now, though it'll be worth watching just how many minutes Hansbrough and Patterson earn on a nightly basis. Steve Novak and Chuck Hayes are also in the mix. (Why have the Raptors collected so many power forwards????)
• DeMar DeRozan, who had 26-5-and-5 on Sunday, is now the Raptors' primary scoring option. If anyone is the biggest beneficiary of Gay's departure, it's DeRozan, who might be one of the league's leading scorers from here on out.

Really though, I'm still kind of in shock that the Kings could be this dumb. What the hell do they think they're accomplishing with this move? Well, anyway, let's get onto some regular fantasy blurbs.

• The entire Lakers starting lineup played awful in Kobe's debut. In 28 minutes, Kobe Bryant was 2-9 for the floor with 9 points, 8 rebounds and 8 turnovers. Steve Blake went 1-6 and Pau Gasol (who was bothered by a bum ankle) went 3-11. No one in the Lakers' starting five scored in double-digits, while each of their five players who came off the bench scored in double-digits. In other words, it's more or less impossible to read anything from this game, so you shouldn't be panicking just yet if you own Steve Blake or Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol. Give them some time to get used to each other again. On Blake, it's doubtful that Steve Nash will accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip, so it looks like he has at least another two weeks in him as the Lakers' starting point guard. Don't abandon him just yet.
• Avery Bradley had an odd afternoon for the Celtics, putting up 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 three's and 2 assists. The Celtics interim point guard has been solid this season, though his value is likely to evaporate when Rajon Rondo returns some time in the next two months. And of course, it helps that the Celtics were playing the Knicks, who they destroyed by 39 points. (Which is odd, since the Knicks just beat the Nets by 30 and the Magic by 38. So who says momentum is a real thing?)
• Ray Allen got the start for the constantly-resting Dwyane Wade, and he responded by putting up 18 points and 2 three's against Detroit. Allen isn't all that useful coming off that bench, but when he's filling in for D-Wade like this, he makes for a nice streaming option.
• Brandon Jennings was pretty good versus Miami, going for 19 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Jennings is having a largely excellent season, though it shouldn't be overlooked that he is a turnover machine right now. He produced a whopping 22 turnovers last week, and it's very hard to ever win that category when you're playing someone like that. I mean, I'm not poo-pooing him, but I'm just sayin'. The dude needs to take better care of the ball.
• Terrence Jones was terrific on Sunday, scoring 16 points and adding 13 rebounds, 2 three's, 2 steals and 5 blocks. Jones, quite simply, has been tremendous since he got promoted to the starting lineup. But I can't help but feel that the good times are about to end, as the Rockets are poised to trade Omer Asik this month, and they'll no doubt look to acquire a power forward for him. A power forward that, in all likeliness, will take Jones' job. I highly, highly recommend selling high on him while you have the chance.
• Dwight Howard went for 20-22-3-2-and-3 against Orlando on Sunday. No. 12 has 58 rebounds in his last three games, so reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.
• Paul George went for 32 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 three's, though he was bested by Kevin Durant, who put up 36 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 three's. There's not much to say about them, other than that they're both amazing, spectacular players who are great to own in fantasy basketball right now.
• I was very sad to learn recently that Spill.com, one of my favorite websites, is going to be shut down this month. Obviously, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to direct you to a website that's about to become defunct. But the guys at Spill are fantastic at what they do, and if you're in the need for some funny podcasts as you hit the road during the holiday season, I can't recommend them enough. (Also, Brian is apparently being brought back on Family Guy, just as I and everyone else suspected. Way to toy with your fanbase, Seth MacFarlane.)