Jan 12, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Memphis Grizzlies small forward Rudy Gay (22) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Grizzlies 104-83. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Rudy Gay trade rumors can finally be put to rest.

According to reports, the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors have agreed to a deal in principle that will send Gay and center Hamed Haddidi north of the border to Toronto in exchange for point guard Jose Calderon and emerging young forward Ed Davis.

Going online now: ESPN sources say Grizzlies and Raps have deal in place to swap Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi for Ed Davis and Jose Calderon

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 30, 2013

Memphis would then send Calderon to the Detroit Pistons for a package that includes Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye.

Toronto will also send a second-round pick to the Grizzlies as part of the deal.

GRADE THE TRADE (Memphis Grizzlies): C 

New owner Robert Para was desperately trying to move Gay for quite a while now, if only for financial reasons. Rudy is owed $16.5 million for the current season, $17.9 for 2013-14 and a whopping $19.3 in 2014-15.

From a talent-standpoint, losing Gay is going to hurt. He was the leading scorer (17.2 points per game) on a roster that’s only averaging 93.4 points a night, which is fifth-worst in the NBA.

His (former) teammates are clearly unhappy with the move.

Wow

— Mike Conley (@mconley11) January 30, 2013

WoW. I’m speechless.

— Tony Wroten (@TWroten_LOE) January 30, 2013

The Grizzlies weren’t exactly bottom-feeders in the Western Conference before this deal. They currently own a record of 29-15, which is good enough for the fourth seed (home-court advantage). It’s also just 5.5 games out of first place (San Antonio Spurs).

This trade changes a lot, and I’m not entirely sure it’s for the better.

Rudy Gay was clearly struggling with his shot for most of the year (40% from the field), but he was still the team’s primary weapon on offense. You can’t lose a player of that significance and expect everything to be peaches and cream once he’s gone.

It doesn’t work like that.

Ed Davis is a solid backup power forward who will provide some much-needed insurance behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in the frontcourt, now that Marreese Speights is in Cleveland. Davis had started 24 of 45 games for Toronto and was averaging 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds. He was starting to show major improvement in his game after moving into the starting lineup with Andrea Bargnani being hurt, but he’s obviously going to be regulated to the Grizzlies bench upon his arrival.

Tayshaun Prince has spent his entire 11-year career with Detroit. He’s been a part of seven Pistons playoff teams, including the one that captured the 2004 NBA Championship. He’s currently averaging 11.8 points and 4.6 rebounds on the season. He’s an extreme downgrade at the small forward position compared to Rudy, but he’s a cheaper alternative, and that’s all Memphis really concerned themselves with in this deal. He can still produce, but he will never match Gay’s production.

It will be interesting to see what kind of effect this trade has on the Grizzlies ability to maintain their position in the conference heading towards the playoffs. They haven’t blown up the roster to the point where they are giving up on this season, but there is enough change

GRADE THE TRADE (Toronto Raptors): B -

As a resident of Toronto and a diehard fan of the franchise for as long as I can remember, I find myself torn on how to feel about this trade.

Jose Calderon is one of only three players to suit up for Toronto 500 times or more. Personally, it will be weird for me to turn on a game and not see him running the point.

It was a breath of fresh air to watch Davis really come into his own this season. With more minutes and a greater role, Ed was truly starting to blossom and live up to his potential.

That’s the thing though. If they were ever going to trade him, now was the perfect time. His value was at its highest. For that reason alone, it makes sense.

Rudy Gay is the closest thing the Raptors have had to a “franchise player” since Chris Bosh bolted for South Beach. The team loves blowing leads at the end of games (as evident by recent losses in the month of January), so Gay will surely help in that respect.

However, when you look up and down the roster and notice the gluttony of wing players this team has (Gay, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Alan Anderson, Landry Fields, Linas Kleiza), it brings up the question of how exactly the playing time is going to be distributed.

Here’s a look at Rudy’s current numbers in comparison to his new Raptors teammate, DeMar DeRozan…

It makes me worry.

Gay is three years older, yet he’s only putting up slightly better numbers than his younger counterpart.

Did Toronto really need him? Well, they didn’t really, but they certainly wanted him, as they’ll be paying him “star money” over the next two seasons.

Is he going to make the Raptors a playoff contender?

It’s possible. I still believe the ceiling for Toronto is that eighth seed. I believed that before this trade and I still stand by that.

Are the Raptors a better team because of this deal? I can’t answer that, and that’s not a scapegoat of an answer. I just don’t know. If Rudy can somehow elevate his game and find new life with a new team, than Toronto will be all the better because of it. He’s a talented enough player to make a difference, I’m just not sure how much of a difference that will be.

GRADE THE TRADE (Detroit Pistons) B +

Clearing the two years and $15 million left on Prince’s contract is huge for Detroit, as the team now finds itself $25 million under the salary cap.

Jose Calderon’s contract comes off the books at the end of the season for $10 million dollars.

The Pistons finally have a pure point guard to run the offense, which will benefit guys like Greg Monroe and rookie Andre Drummond a great deal. Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight are more-or-less combo guards, so I expect to see Calderon start at the point and have Knight move over to the 2 spot.

Chris Walder is the Editor here at Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports

Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden–USA TODAY Sports

The Rudy Gay sweepstakes inches ever so closer to a definitive conclusion.

According to a report by Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Toronto Raptors are engaged in serious trade talks with the Memphis Grizzlies over possibly acquiring Gay.

Even though the logistics of a potential deal have not been fully worked out, Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors staff remain vigilant in their attempts to land this coveted wingman.

Sources say that point guard Jose Calderon and emerging power forward Ed Davis are the main pieces Toronto is dangling in front of Memphis at the moment.

Stein also mentioned how a third team could possibly be brought in to make a deal work. Former #1 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft Andrea Bargnani and backup point guard Kyle Lowry are also on the chopping block.

Toronto has expressed interest in Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur, as well.

Gay has two years left on his contract valued at over $35 million dollars.

Memphis recently dealt Marreese Speights, Josh Selby, Wayne Ellington and a protected 2015 first-round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Jon Leuer in order to clear cap-space.

Does this potential trade make sense for both teams?

Not at all.

While Rudy Gay is a tremendous talent, the Raptors really have no major need for him. Sure, the roster is extremely lacking in players who can close out games and dominate the fourth quarter, but Toronto has enough wing players to last a lifetime with DeMar DeRozan, rookie Terrence Ross, free-agent signing Landry Fields and Alan Anderson coming off the bench.

Where would Gay fit in with all of that? Would more deals need to be made?

Besides, with the way Ed Davis has been coming on as of late (Between January 9-26, Davis is averaging a team-high 14.9 points and 8.2 rebounds), it’s not going to be that easy to just give up on him with the way he’s currently producing for the team.

Adding Rudy to the Raptors would, at best, make them a low-seeded playoff team. If getting smoked in four games by an elite Eastern Conference powerhouse in the first round of the postseason is something they strive to do, then so be it. That’s their ceiling if they make this deal.

Memphis would like nothing more than to keep Gay and continue to have him be an integral part of the Grizzlies strong early season run (29-15, fourth in Western Conference), but as always, the power of the mighty dollar waves its mighty hand. With Gay’s struggles, the teams lack of depth and that huge contract weighing them down (even with the team now under the luxury tax), perhaps new owner Robert Pera will have no other choice but to cut ties with their star and deal him before February 21st.

However, it’s more than likely that the core of Gay, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and newly annointed all-star Zach Randolph will stay together for the  remainder of the season, make a strong playoff push, and then Memphis management will look at the possibility of trading Gay over the course of the summer instead.

Although, with Rudy’s name at the forefront of trade rumors for such a long time, how could they not deal him at this point?

With just 24 days left before the deadline, Rudy Gay trade talks will only continue to heat up.

Chris Walder is the Editor here at Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports