He’s been getting fewer and fewer minutes as the months have gone by and his production hasn’t been great. Would that be enough for the Spurs to part with Gay? It should be. If the prize is a late first rounder, two second rounders or a viable prospect, it would definitely be worth the risk for most good teams. Any team that is interested in but can’t get Marcus Morris will probably want to get a similar player, and Gay fits the bill. The way the market is shaping up should also help, since it doesn’t appear there are a lot of sellers. Whether those teams would be willing to part with real assets to add a veteran on a down year with another season on his contract is doubtful, but it only takes one front office who believes Gay could bounce back to get a deal done. The Clippers, Bucks, Heat and Mavericks immediately come to mind, but there are others. Several teams could use Gay’s scoring, rebounding and positional versatility, including some contenders. On a veteran team with ambitions to make a deep run and without being asked to be almost exclusively a floor spacer, Gay could go back to being a perfect modern combo forward. Now he’s not doing well, which has led to Gregg Popovich demoting him, but there’s no reason to think he can’t do well elsewhere just because he’s not thriving as a Spur anymore. When things in Sacramento went south he complained, but then he was a positive influence in San Antonio. He was a disaster in Toronto only to bounce back with the Kings. Gay has only thrived in situations in which he’s been comfortable. Those two factors, however, are what could make him a reasonable trade target for a contender despite his struggles. Considering he’s on the books for next season after signing an extension last summer, it’s less than ideal that he not only is playing poorly but also seems to have lost some of the coach’s trust and doesn’t look particularly happy in San Antonio. Gregg Popovich has often decided to go with four guards on the floor at the same time rather than play Gay, who has looked disengaged on some nights. His defense has not been as good as it was last season, and his turnovers are up while his assists are down. After having a career year from beyond the arc, he has regressed immensely as a shooter. The lack of buzz about a potential deal including the veteran combo forward is frankly a little surprising, since he would be a good addition to a number of good teams, and the Spurs should absolutely be willing to move him. Someone who has conspicuously been absent from most trade talk is Rudy Gay. Similarly, it’s not a shock that other teams are inquiring about the very useful Jakob Poeltl. DeMarre Carroll and Marco Bellineli are reportedly available, which is understandable, considering their place in the rotation and the roster makeup. There have been other smaller rumors that make sense. Insiders are not completely discarding it as a possibility, but at this point it would be surprising to see San Antonio make a big trade. As the trade deadline approaches, the rumblings about the Spurs potentially dealing one of DeMar DeRozan or LaMarcus Aldridge are dying out.