NBA Trade Rumors; With Rudy Gay Traded, Is Zach Randolph on the Trade Block Next?

Rudy Gay is now officially a Toronto Raptor. But with the Memphis Grizzlies still trimming costs, speculation has risen as to whether or not Zach Randolph could be the next target to go.

The Grizzlies, among the top defensive teams in the NBA and a fierce competitor in the Western Conference, dramatically altered their chemistry by shipping Gay, their leading scorer, to Toronto in a three-team deal Wednesday night.

While the Grizzlies are a deep playoff threat and have a 29-15 win-loss record, the team has been ordered to cut costs under new owner Robert Pera.

Just last week, the Grizzlies traded key reserve Marreese Spreights and two others to Cleveland to cut $6.4 million off the payroll, and trading Gay, who signed a five-year, $82 million contract in 2010 with Memphis--both moves to cut $40 million over three years from the Grizzlies' payroll.

And while high-ranking team officials have said that the ultimate goal of the franchise is to be both financially viable but frequently competitive, the new cost-conscious nature of the franchise has left some wondering one question--What is star forward Zach Randolph's future?

Randolph is now the highest paid player on the Grizzlies' payroll, the scoring, rebounding and defensive threat due to earn $17.8 million next season and with a $16.5 million option for 2014-15. Not that he isn't worth the money, with Randolph second in the NBA in rebounds (11.6 this season) and scoring 15.8 points this season, in addition to being one of the most physical defending forwards in the NBA, a big reason for Memphis' defensive stopping reputation.

However, with the Grizzlies' new penny-saving strategy, they could be in the market to shop the 31-year-old, 11-year veteran. Previously, it was reported that the Grizzlies were flirting with the idea of trading Randolph to the Houston Rockets, who have plenty of salary cap space and a slew of young players--minus James Harden, of course--that Memphis could choose from.

With the Spreights trade, it was assumed that the Grizzlies would move to keep their nucleus of Gay, Randolph and Marc Gasol together for a few more years, but that was obviously not the case. And the move would benefit both the Rockets, who could pair the defensive-minded Randolph alongside Harden and Jeremy Lin, and the Grizzlies would shed another big contract off their payroll.

The Grizzlies acquired 23-year-old Ed Davis in the Gay trade. And Davis, who is younger and earns less than Randolph, is another reason why the Grizzlies could consider shopping their talented power forward soon.