We’ve spent this summer expecting that the Sacramento Kings would trade Rudy Gay. Rudy had one of his worst seasons of his career last season, and has spent the summer confirming that he’s unhappy with his situation. We’ve followed rumors of teams he might be interested in, or teams that might be interesting in acquiring him. But as the summer drags on and it begins to seem like Rudy could still be on the opening day roster, I’ve started wondering if that could actually be a blessing in disguise. So without further ado, here are the four reasons the Kings shouldn’t trade Rudy Gay this summer.

Rudy’s value is the lowest it’s been since he was in Toronto

When the Kings acquired Rudy Gay, it was a head-scratching move. But then Gay came to Sacramento and played really well. Prior to last season’s disaster, Rudy was playing really good basketball for the Kings. Last season saw George Karl’s system minimize Rudy. The ball was taken out of his hands, leading to the worst season of Gay’s career since his rookie season. This made Rudy unhappy, and understandably so, and led to some of the vocal desire for a change of scenery.

Rudy is coming off a bad season, and has publicly weakened the Kings’ negotiating power in trades. That’s not when you want to trade him. Hold onto Rudy and let him show that he’s still capable of being better than he was last season.

Rudy Gay is a professional

Rudy may be unhappy here, but we know he’s going to show up for work and play hard for the team. He won’t be a locker room distraction. He won’t fight with teammates or coaches. If the Kings works on trading Rudy during the season instead of during the summer, they know they can do so without worrying about him hurting the team’s chemistry.

Teams are overvaluing their assets

Every offseason, every team has talked themselves into what they did over the summer. Teams believe that players will work well together. Teams believe players will fit their coaches system. But we know that within a few weeks of the season, that will have changed for some organizations. The Hornets immediately regretted their acquisition of Lance Stephenson. The Bucks quickly realized their mistake with Greg Monroe. And while neither of those inspire confidence when thinking about what the Kings could get for Rudy, they demonstrate a larger point. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. The first few weeks of a season will punch teams in the mouth, and loosen up what assets are available.

The Kings could use Rudy as a point-forward to help with the lack of point guard

Point Rudy! Day 51 of Point Guard Watch means that I’m entertaining these ideas. The league goes small and stretches the floor? Let’s roll out a 6’8” point guard who is a career 34% three point shooter!