The Memphis Grizzlies play their first game since the trade of Rudy Gay when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:00 pm ET.
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Under new owner Robert Pera, Memphis has tried to cut salary and avoid getting hit with luxury taxes for the two next two seasons. That process started when the team sent Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby to Cleveland for Jon Leuer on Jan. 22.
While long rumored that they were eager to trade Gay, it seemed the Grizzlies might wait as they weren't going to have to pay $4 million in luxury taxes this season. Instead, they shipped the swingman and reserve center Hamed Haddadi to Toronto on Wednesday for Jose Calderon, Ed Davis and a second-round draft pick in 2013.
Memphis then sent Calderon to Detroit for veteran forward Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye. The deal will keep the Grizzlies from having to pay Gay the rest of the $16.5 million he was due this season or the $37 million that was coming to him over the next two.
The Grizzlies (29-15) have won five of seven and are 3-1 since trading Speights. Gay scored 26 points and made the go-ahead shot with 13.3 seconds left in a 103-100 win in Philadelphia on Monday.
Marc Gasol had a season-high 27 points and Jerryd Bayless had easily his best scoring performance of 2012-13 with 21 points.
They'll have to to face the Thunder (34-11), who will likely be eager to rebound from a lackluster showing on their season-high road trip.
Oklahoma City alternated wins and losses in each of its six road games and fell 105-96 to the Los Angeles Lakers in Sunday's finale.
Kevin Durant scored 35 points in that defeat, giving him an average of 35.5 over his last six games, but only one other player had more than 10. Westbrook finished with 17 points and 13 assists but missed 16 of 22 shots.
The Thunder are 19-3 at home and have won three straight there, but one of their losses was a 107-97 defeat to Memphis on Nov. 14. Gay had 28 points and Zach Randolph added 20 as the Grizzlies won for the third time in the past four regular-season visits to Oklahoma City.
