NBA Off-Season News Thread: Roy extends 80/5, AI to Grizz, Chandler/Okafor swap, Marquis to C's.

[superofficial]

[h3]FREE AGENCY: Heisley wants Iverson[/h3]
Allen Iverson | Pistons
The Commercial Appeal reports Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley wants to meet with Allen Iverson and is seriously considering a one-year, $5M offer.
According to the newspaper, there is little to no support for signing Iverson in the organization. Heisley will make the final call and he is leaning toward the risk-reward given Iverson's marketing appeal.

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by 541 Exile 562

WHAT . . THE EFF??

In perhaps the most crucial and defining time of his tenure as Trail Blazers general manager, Kevin Pritchard is wrestling with failure. http://
A late-hour betrayal by Hedo Turkoglu and agent Lon Babby wiped out his master plan, and put him too far behind in the race for another coveted free agent, Trevor Ariza, who was snapped up by Houston.

Trades he envisioned being accepted have fallen apart.

Even efforts with his own players have gone astray. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, seeking big dollar contract extensions, remain stalled in the negotiating process.

Now, it appears Pritchard is preparing for perhaps his last big pitch of the summer. Sources say the Blazers are putting together what they consider a "toxic" offer to Utah's Paul Millsap, a restricted free agent power forward. If Millsap signs an offer sheet, Utah will have seven days to match the Blazers offer, but the Blazers hope they structure the deal to make it difficult to do so.

If the Millsap plan doesn't go through, the Blazers will go after free agent Brandon Bass, a young power forward who played for Dallas last season.

In the meantime, there are small fires all around One Center Court.

That Roy is unsigned is particularly alarming and a signal that negotiations have snagged. Word is that Roy wants to sign for the maximum allowed five years, but the Blazers only want to commit to four years. A five-year deal would cost Portland about $82 million, although it won't be determined until the 2010-11 salary cap is set.

That a player of Roy's talent and character wants to lock in his future with your club should be embraced and lauded. Instead, the team is nickel-and-diming him with the amount of years. It's bad form.

If there was ever a no-brainer in extensions, it's that of Roy. You give him the maximum contract allowed. No hesitation. No questions asked. No nothing, other than showing him the courtesy of signing him the minute the signing moratorium ended Tuesday night.

Toronto did it with former No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani, who inked a 5-year, $50 million deal.

If Bargnani has earned that type of respect, certainly Aldridge and Roy have. Especially Roy. He has done everything asked of him on the court, where he has put himself on track to become the franchise's greatest player of all time, and off the court, becoming the team's go-to player for public appearances and community relations as well as tirelessly serving as the team's spokesman to the media.

The Bargnani signing, by the way, was just more fuel to the fire engulfing Pritchard.

The Blazers had hoped to get off paying Aldridge around $10 million a year, but now that the market has been established with Bargnani at $10 million per year, the Blazers' will surely have to pony up at least $11 million per year for Aldridge. At least.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, has gone right for the Blazers this summer.

On Wednesday morning, Pritchard sounded weary and defeated, and refused to comment on his summer shortcomings.

Pritchard is trying to keep his spirits afloat by clinging to this lifesaver -- the Blazers are a young team that won 54 games and has $7.7 million in cap space. It is why some people inside the Blazers walls are suggesting that it is more and more probable that Pritchard either stays put with this roster or makes only a minor move, along the lines of acquiring a role player rather than a starter.

If there is a ray of hope for the Blazers, it came Tuesday night in a memo from the NBA offices that forecasted that the tax threshold for the 2010-11 season will probably drop dramatically. Because of declining attendance in the league, some have forecasted the threshold -- at $69 million this season -- could plummet to anywhere from $61 million to $64 million next summer.

That would put up to 70 percent of the league over the threshold, forcing them to pay a dollar for every dollar they are over the threshold. In that scenario, some teams, like the Lakers, New Orleans and Washington could be looking at luxury tax bills in excess of $30 million.

That's good news for a team like the Blazers, who right now sport a payroll right at $50 million. It's sensible to assume some owners will study that memo from the league, cringe at the thought of paying a huge luxury tax, and order the general manager to slash payroll. That would put Portland in the enviable position of buying at a time when everyone is selling, giving them the ability to pull off a financially uneven trade.

Up until now, it has been one mishap after another for the Blazers. They have nothing to show during a summer when improvement has been made by San Antonio (Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess), the Lakers (Ron Artest) and Houston (Trevor Ariza) while Dallas (Jason Kidd), Utah (Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur) retained key players. Dallas is also reportedly picking up Shawn Marion from Toronto.

The Blazers?

Adding Millsap, a fierce rebounder, could help a team that was shoved around by Houston in a first-round playoff loss. And it could be a dagger to a divisional rival.

At the same time, a Millsap signing could soothe what has been a miserable summer for Pritchard.

In the meantime, the word is the Blazers are staying up late into the night throwing around ideas. All the while, the golden aura that once surrounded Pritchard dims.

I pray to Jesus this is false information. If Pritchard was actually willing to sign Turkoglu for 5 years but Roy for only 4 . . . . then I have no idea what to think about this organization. This is absolutely baffling to me.

Now, lets see if Pritchard can really manage this team. I knew he would start slipping up soon becasue people been giving the guy too much credit.

I'm surprised nobody talking about how dumb it would be for them to make an offer for Millsap. I have a feeling that Aldridge is going to leave once hisdeal is up.

 

[air max 87]

If the blazers not givin roy that contract is true

, I think the blazers should stay put, not signin/turk/millsap isn't THAT big a deal, they shouldlock up Roy though.... the blazers another year together, oden becomin healthy, some playoff burn, I think portland has potential to be a top 4 team.

 

[CP1708]

*whistling quietly to self*

Been sayin......been sayin.......




AV for 50 mil.

 

[lifelessons]

the blazers have a promising team....idk what that gm is thinking

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by CP1708


*whistling quietly to self*

Been sayin......been sayin.......




AV for 50 mil.

It would be so funny if Roy leaves because of how he's being treated. There's no way in hell I wouldn't offer him the max at the age of 25. Twoall-star appearances in a 3-year career, career averages of 20,5 and 4, and basically carries the team on his back. But, they were so easy to try and give Turka 5yr/50mil deal. It would've really pissed Roy off if they actually signed him and they didn't give him the deal he wanted.

The GM is overrated just like Presti. People like to overlook their mistakes most of the time because they the best to ever handle a team.

Prtichard went from wanting Turk to Odom to now Millsap. He's trying tosign the most random talent on this team and traded away a solid PG for nothing. What are the chances of that core staying in Portland anyway if the GM isrefusing to pay them the money they want? If they're going to build with a young team, they have to keep them together.

I can see that deals are going to happen. They already let Serg go for crap. Frye is leaving. More than likely Outlaw is going to leave. Roy and Aldridge justmay leave if they try %(@& them over on their contract.

In that article about the Grizz-Mavs-Raps deal, they were talking about OKC just holding on to their cap space to give extensions to their current players.Now, I hope that doesn't mean Presti is a cheap GM right?

 

[tuna629]

watching this year's mavs, i always thought their main problem was that no one on the team had the ability to create their own shot in a half court setother than dirk ... Jho is very inconsistent, JET was not as good as last year ... their offense often became very stagnant. And im not sure if the addition ofmarion helps that. props to cuban though, for willing to spend money to try to make his team competitive.

 

[CP1708]

Hold on, readin back a few pages, is there an argument that the Mavs on paper are just as good as the Spurs?????

I'm reading that wrong, right?

I mean.

It was mentioned on the radio here about when Pritchard backed out of a potential deal that would have landed Bass and Dev Harris from Dallas.

I'm wondering if that was the Sergio hang up Quick was talkin about. But Dev, Roy, LA.......that would be a pretty nice young run and gun type team tobuild around. And they thought Oden would be the goods to throw in with those 3. But, oh well.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

Originally Posted by EnEyeKayEe

Best 5 players on the floor:

Tony Parker >>>>>>>>>> J. Kidd
Manu >>>>> J. Howard
RJ >>>>>>>>>> Marion
McDyess <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Dirk
TD >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Gortat

See, that's where I disagree.

Kidd is about as good as TP is really. In match-ups, of course TP is better because he's younger, but he's not the distributor that Kidd is, and his defense isn't anywhere near Kidd's.

Manu and Josh are pretty close IMO, especially with both being injured.

In normal situations, RJ would be better than Marion, but with a PG like Kidd? We'll see who has a bigger impact on their new team, I'll keep it at that.

TD and Dirk are interchangeable IMO. TD is much better defensively, but Dirk's capable of handling the ball, and a better offensive player, while TD is a better passer, rebounder, and shotblocker.

Gortat is about 12 years younger than Gortat,

. Dyess is a good rebounder and has a nice mid-range shot, but that's about it.

And I said I wasn't getting into it..

Japan, someone hacked into your account. Better change your password.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Josh Howard has never been at any point in time on the same level as Manu Ginobili, injured or not, such a suggestion is absurd.

 

[jdb1523]

*whistling quietly to self*

Been sayin......been sayin.......




AV for 50 mil.

Incentives my friend, incentives....I hope. Only $42m is guaranteed.

I'm just hoping he cut his hair and is working on his jumper this summer.

 

[jdb1523]

That Roy is unsigned is particularly alarming and a signal that negotiations have snagged. Word is that Roy wants to sign for the maximum allowed five years, but the Blazers only want to commit to four years.

If this is true, I'm done with these idiots.

Annoyed Chester > calm Chester

 

[yungmatt]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH


This dude really said Kidd is about as good as TP.

 

[bhzmafia14]

And Nas...

Buckner's contract can be reduced to 1-2mil I believe if they buy him out. So, basically Stackhouse buyout matched Buckner's buyout. They both would bereduced to the same level.

Knowing that Memphis has a chance to back out of the Randolph deal, I would rather continue to weigh my options.

Clippers need us, we don't need them. If we were to wait it out the rest of the off-season, they would still be willing to trade us Z-Bo. The value of guyslike Lee and Millsap are lowering due to the fact that no one is really offering them anything. They want too much money. I would like to see Memphis go afterOdom and they can definitely offer him what he wants as long as its short-term. Maybe a 4-year deal with the last year being a team/player option.

I just really want Heisley/Wallace to be smart about this. Getting Randolph that damn early doesn't make sense.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by JDB1523

*whistling quietly to self*

Been sayin......been sayin.......




AV for 50 mil.

Incentives my friend, incentives....I hope. Only $42m is guaranteed.

I'm just hoping he cut his hair and is working on his jumper this summer.



Oh I'm laughin at the 50 mil, but I ain't whistlin over you guys, I'm waitin for all the Blazer fans to come in and tell me I'm wrong again. LittleMike included.

Been sayin forever and ever them dudes at 1 center court don't got a clue to save their own lives. They may even get the deals done, but how much damagewill they have done? Why dude chasin from one free agent to the next after he gets turned down? But this is some messiah these people beleive in?

My man Chester knows his stuff, he don't believe the hype like all them other robots do. So he's on the right path.

 

[rockybalboa25]

Insider Request:
Chad Ford's Top 25 Free Agents Remaining

http://insider.espn.go.co...ge%3dFreeAgents09-090709

 

[i nasmatic i]

Originally Posted by bhzmafia14

And Nas...

Buckner's contract can be reduced to 1-2mil I believe if they buy him out. So, basically Stackhouse buyout matched Buckner's buyout. They both would be reduced to the same level.

Knowing that Memphis has a chance to back out of the Randolph deal, I would rather continue to weigh my options.

Clippers need us, we don't need them. If we were to wait it out the rest of the off-season, they would still be willing to trade us Z-Bo. The value of guys like Lee and Millsap are lowering due to the fact that no one is really offering them anything. They want too much money. I would like to see Memphis go after Odom and they can definitely offer him what he wants as long as its short-term. Maybe a 4-year deal with the last year being a team/player option.

I just really want Heisley/Wallace to be smart about this. Getting Randolph that damn early doesn't make sense.

Millsap please. Hell, take Booz off of Utah's hands. He'll put up the same stats as ZBo and only has a year left.

 

[goldmember]

Originally Posted by CP1708

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

Originally Posted by EnEyeKayEe

Best 5 players on the floor:

Tony Parker >>>>>>>>>> J. Kidd
Manu >>>>> J. Howard
RJ >>>>>>>>>> Marion
McDyess <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Dirk
TD >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Gortat

See, that's where I disagree.

Kidd is about as good as TP is really. In match-ups, of course TP is better because he's younger, but he's not the distributor that Kidd is, and his defense isn't anywhere near Kidd's.

Manu and Josh are pretty close IMO, especially with both being injured.

In normal situations, RJ would be better than Marion, but with a PG like Kidd? We'll see who has a bigger impact on their new team, I'll keep it at that.

TD and Dirk are interchangeable IMO. TD is much better defensively, but Dirk's capable of handling the ball, and a better offensive player, while TD is a better passer, rebounder, and shotblocker.

Gortat is about 12 years younger than Gortat,

. Dyess is a good rebounder and has a nice mid-range shot, but that's about it.

And I said I wasn't getting into it..

Japan, someone hacked into your account. Better change your password.

 

[superofficial]

he annual free-agent frenzy has begun in earnest. NBA general managers have thrown an economic crisis and a lowered salary cap to the wind and are spending bigbucks again this year.
Ben Gordon earned the richest deal of the group, netting a five-year, $55 millioncontract from the Pistons. Hedo Turkoglu, Ron Artest, TrevorAriza, Rasheed Wallace, Shawn Marion, AntonioMcDyess and Charlie Villanueva all changed teams quickly. And a few free agentssuch as Jason Kidd, Anderson Varejao and MikeBibby decided to re-up with their teams.

Despite the initial flurry, a number of free agents remain on the market. The majority of them are restricted free agents. Most GMs are reluctant to makeoffers to restricted free agents because they have to wait seven days to see whether the player's current team will match that offer. That fear has keptmost off the market so far.

With very few teams -- the Thunder, Kings, and Blazers -- significantly under the cap, most of these players will have to settle for re-signing with theirown teams, the midlevel exception or sign-and-trades.

Here's the latest look at which players are available and where they could land:

Key:
UFA = unrestricted free agent
RFA = restricted free agent
(teams have seven days to match any offer for a restricted free agent)

1. David Lee, Knicks (RFA)
Teams interested: Knicks, Blazers, Thunder
Salary range: $8-10 million per year

Lee is a double-double machine who has become a favorite among New York fans and coaches around the league. The Knicks have a goal of clearing cap space for2010, meaning they might not be in a position to match a substantial offer sheet. So Lee is the rare top-notch restricted free agent whom an opposing teammight be able to steal away. At least in theory. The Grizzlies flirted with making him an offer but then backed away. The Blazers also have toyed with the ideabut haven't pulled the trigger.

2. Paul Millsap, Jazz (RFA)
Teams interested: Jazz, Thunder
Salary range: $8-10 million per year

With Carlos Boozer out for most of this past season, Millsap proved he has thepotential to be an All-Star power forward. He is unstoppable on the boards and can put the ball in the basket. Detroit, Memphis and Oklahoma City were allpotentially interested, but no one has made him an offer, and the Thunder are the only team left with enough money to do it.

The Jazz want to bring him back. But because Boozer hasn't opted out of his contract, there's a small chance the Jazz won't be able to matchanother team's offer to Millsap, especially if it's a huge offer of $10 million-plus per year. With that big offer looking less and less likely, he mayhave to settle for less to play in Utah or, alternatively, take the one-year qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2010.

3. Lamar Odom, Lakers (UFA)
Teams interested: Lakers, Cavs
Salary range: $6-8 million per year


Odom is one of the most interesting free agents on the open market. With Kobe, PauGasol and Andrew Bynum on L.A.'s roster, the Lakers don't desperatelyneed him, especially now that they've spent $33 million on Ron Artest.

Still, Odom is a great team guy who can rebound and initiate the offense, and he doesn't need the ball to be effective. He wants a lot of money to staywith the Lakers, but if they won't pay it … who will? He may have to settle for the midlevel exception if he can't do a deal with L.A.

4. Andre Miller, Sixers (UFA)
Teams interested: Sixers, Blazers, Pacers
Salary range: $5.5-7 million per year

At age 33, Miller is coming off two of the best seasons of his career. Can the Sixers afford to lose him? Some GM who needs a veteran point guard will bewilling to gamble on him this summer … if Miller gives up his $10 million per season demands.

5. Marvin Williams, Hawks (RFA)
Teams interested: Hawks, ???
Salary range: $5.5-7 million per year

Williams has as much raw talent as anyone else in the draft class of 2005, but he has been frustratingly inconsistent in his first four seasons with theHawks. Williams has struggled to receive any offers from a team because rival GMs are convinced the Hawks will match. Although he probably will stay inAtlanta, he hasn't played well enough to earn anything close to the $60-64 million, five-year contract that fellow '05 classmate Danny Granger signed this past fall.

6. Raymond Felton, Bobcats (RFA)
Teams interested: Bobcats, Sixers
Salary range: $5-6 million per year

Felton has been looking over his shoulder at Larry Brown's young protégé, .J.Augustin, who performed well enough as a rookie that it's unlikely the Bobcats would match a big offer sheet for Felton.

Felton can dish out assists, but his poor shooting has hampered his career. If the Bobcats can get Felton for the midlevel exception, I think they'llkeep him. Given that all the money has really dried up out there, I think his return to the Bobcats is likely.

7. Josh Childress, Hawks (RFA)
Teams interested: Bucks, Pacers
Salary range: $4-6 million per year

Childress shocked many in the NBA by deciding to bolt for Greece last summer. He'll likely be back in the NBA eventually, but it's unclear whetherhe'll decide to return in the fall. However, with bad blood lingering over how his negotiations went with Atlanta last summer, he probably won't returnto the Hawks even though they still hold his rights.

8. Ramon Sessions, Bucks (RFA)
Teams interested: Bucks, Warriors, Heat, Blazers, Pacers, Rockets
Salary range: $4-6 million per year

Teams are always in pursuit of point guards, especially ones who won't break the bank, and Sessions has caught the eye of a number of teams. With theBucks struggling financially, they may not be able to match an offer.

9. Allen Iverson, Pistons (UFA)
Teams interested: Grizzlies, Bobcats, Bulls, Heat
Salary range: $3-5 million per year

Iverson's late-season disappearance didn't help his reputation. He's still a good player, but two nagging questions will hurt his case for a bigdeal: One, with the exception of that magical season in Philly under Larry Brown, is Iverson a winner? Two, does he have much left? The answer to the firstquestion seems to be no. The answer to the second question seems to be a qualified yes. The Grizzlies seem to have the most interest at the moment with ownerMichael Heisley pondering whether to offer Iverson a one-year, $5 million deal.

10. Nate Robinson, Knicks (RFA)
Teams interested: Knicks, Kings
Salary range: $3-5 million per year
The Knicks probably can't afford to keep Robinson as they try to re-sign David Lee and clear cap space for LeBron James (and/or others). Look for Sacramento, among other teams, to make a run at him,especially after the Kings made a big play for him at the trade deadline.

11. Jarrett Jack, Pacers (RFA)
Teams interested: Pacers, Sixers, Warriors
Salary range: $3-4 million per year

Jack beat out T.J. Ford for the Pacers' starting point guard position at theend of the season. He might get offers in the range of the midlevel exception, and it's not clear whether the Pacers can afford to re-sign him.

12. Linas Kleiza, Nuggets (RFA)
Teams interested: Nuggets, Knicks, Cavs, Raptors
Salary range: $3-5 million per year

Kleiza is an up-and-coming forward who drew a lot of interest at the trade deadline. He's physical and can score and should land a deal around themidlevel exception.

13. Glen Davis, Celtics (RFA)
Teams interested: Celtics, Pistons
Salary range: $3-5 million per year

Davis might be expendable now that the Celtics have signed Rasheed Wallace. Still,teams are wary of giving him an offer sheet on the off chance that the Celtics could match.

14. Grant Hill, Suns (UFA)
Teams interested: Suns, Knicks, Celtics
Salary range: $3-5 million per year

Hill is mulling offers from both the Suns and Knicks. The Suns provide a more stable situation, but the Knicks look to be offering more money. That's alittle bizarre considering where the Knicks are in their developmental process … but you know Mike D'Antoni loves his former Suns players.

15. Brandon Bass, Mavericks (UFA)
Teams interested: Mavericks, Pistons, Magic, Blazers
Salary range: $2.5-4 million per year

Bass is big, athletic and still pretty young. All that is appealing to teams that need size and can get Bass for less than the midlevel exception. I thinkthe Pistons are in the lead for his services at the moment.

16. Channing Frye, Blazers (UFA)
Teams interested: Suns, Cavs, Nuggets
Salary range: $2.5-4 million per year

Frye has been a somewhat popular free agent for a few reasons: He's big, young, unrestricted and should come cheap. Right now, it seems it's down tothe Cavs and Blazers.

17. Marquis Daniels, Pacers (UFA)
Teams interested: Pacers, Rockets, Mavericks
Salary range: $2.5 to $4 million per year


Daniels is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He's 28, in the prime of his career, and really could help a team coming off the bench. Hejust has to come to grips with the fact that he won't make $7 million a year anymore.

18. Drew Gooden, Spurs (UFA)
Teams interested: ???
Salary range: $2.5-4 million per year

Gooden's situation has been surprisingly quiet. He's big, talented and still pretty young. But he has a bad rep around the league and can't seemto find a home.

19. Joe Smith, Cavs (UFA)
Teams interested: Cavs, Magic, Hornets
Salary range: $2-4 million per year


Smith continues to be a solid low-post option off the bench, especially for a title contender.

20. Chris Wilcox, Knicks (UFA)
Teams interested: Wizards
Salary range: $2-4 million

Wilcox has enormous athletic ability and is still relatively young. However, he's struggling to find a team willing to give him big bucks.

21. Hakim Warrick, Grizzlies (RFA)
Teams interested: Grizzlies, ???
Salary range: $2-4 million

Warrick has talent, and a number of teams would target him if he weren't a restricted free agent. The Grizzlies won't match a huge offer, but Idon't think anyone is inclined to give him one anyway.

22. Rasho Nesterovic, Pacers (UFA)
Teams interested: Spurs, Rockets, Magic
Salary range: $2.5-4 million

Nesterovic may have lost a step or two, but he's still a pretty effective post man, especially on the offensive end. For a team that is thin at center,he could be a really nice addition to play 15 to 20 minutes a night.

23. Rashad McCants, Kings (UFA)
Teams interested: ??
Salary range: $2 to $4 million

McCants doesn't have the world's greatest off-the-court rep, but on the court, he's still an excellent scorer with deep range on his jump shot.

24. Ike Diogu, Kings (UFA)
Teams interested: Kings
Salary range: $2-4 million


Diogu has battled injuries and struggled to crack the rotation in Golden State, Indiana, Portland and Sacramento. But when he has played, he has shown aknack for scoring the basketball. Teams won't spend much on him, but he has a skill that is in demand.

25. Carlos Delfino, Raptors (RFA)
Teams interested: ??
Salary range: $2 to $4 million

Delfino has great size for his position, can shoot the basketball and should come cheaply now that the Raptors have spent all of their money on Hedo Turkoglu.

Other unrestricted notables: Leon Powe, Celtics; Sean May, Bobcats; Ronald Murray, Hawks; Stromile Swift, Nets; Robert Swift, Thunder; Keith Bogans, Bucks; Johan Petro, Nuggets; Bobby Jackson, Kings; Luther Head, Heat; Rodney Carney, Wolves; Cedric Simmons, Kings; Damon Jones, Bucks; Desmond Mason, Thunder; Chris Mihm, Grizzlies; Gerald Green, Mavericks; Wally Szczerbiak, Cavs; Jason Collins, Timberwolves; Jarron Collins, Jazz; Shelden Williams, Wolves; Stephon Marbury, Celtics; Mikki Moore, Celtics; Juwan Howard, Bobcats; Joey Graham, Raptors; Maceo Baston, Pacers; RobKurz, Warriors; Morris Almond, Jazz.

Other restricted notables: Carlos Delfino, Raptors; Jamario Moon, Raptors; Aaron Gray, Bulls; Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks; Josh McRoberts, Pacers.

 

[youngtriz]

the blazers better lock down Roy and L.A. NOW.... Roy is young and wants to play for the balzers... you dont find a lot of young athletes that want to play forportland...

 

[CP1708]

[h2]Sources: Teams agree to Marion deal[/h2]
Comment Email Print Share
By Chad Ford and Marc Stein
ESPN.com

The Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors, living up to the wild tenor of the past few weeks in the NBA, have hatched a complicated sign-and-trade arrangement that went through numerous constructions Wednesday before resulting in an agreement in principle that will send Shawn Marion to Dallas and also absorb the Raptors' much-anticipated signing of Hedo Turkoglu.

[h4]NBA Rumor Central[/h4]

ESPN Insider has the updated buzz from the National Basketball Association rumor mill.
Story

Sources close to the negotiations told ESPN.com on Wednesday night a trade call has been scheduled with the league office for Thursday, indicating all sides have agreed to the terms of a transaction that, in its final form, will also involve the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic.

Sources said the Mavericks, after securing Memphis' participation as a third-team facilitator, contacted numerous teams to expand the deal and believed they were close to securing a fourth trade partner from the Eastern Conference. That team, according to ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, was the Chicago Bulls and would have landed Tim Thomas with the Mavericks.

But one source close to the process later told ESPN.com that the deal was scaled back to a three-team arrangement without Chicago before it was expanded yet again to fold in the Raptors' signing of Turkoglu.

The deal, according to sources, calls for the Mavericks to acquire Marion and Kris Humphries from Toronto and Greg Buckner from Memphis, with Marion to receive a five-year contract worth an estimated $39 million. Buckner has had two previous stints with the Mavericks but is likely to be released, sources said.

The Grizzlies will land Jerry Stackhouse from Dallas and a substantial cash payment to buy out Stackhouse's contract. Only $2 million of Stackhouse's $7.25 million salary next season is guaranteed, as long as he is waived by Aug. 10.

The Raptors will receive Devean George and Antoine Wright from the Mavericks, while also preserving their $5.9 million mid-level exception for the coming season by turning their acquisition of Turkoglu -- who is getting a five-year deal worth an estimated $53 million -- into a sign-and-trade as opposed to an outright signing. Assembling the trade this way could also enable Toronto to re-sign Carlos Delfino, after it appeared that the Raptors would have to renounce Delfino to help make room for the Turkoglu signing.

The Magic, meanwhile, were motivated to join in the trade because their participation, as opposed to merely letting Turkoglu walk, will create a valuable trade exception they can use in future deals worth around $7 million.

The inclusion of Humphries, Wright and George gave the Raptors more financial incentive to help Marion find a new home via sign-and-trade, as both George and Wright are heading into the final year of their contracts, while Humphries has two years left on his deal. Toronto, furthermore, is in need of a shooting guard after Anthony Parker signed Wednesday with the Cleveland Cavaliers, so adding Wright gives them a credible starter until newly drafted DeMar DeRozan is ready to contribute.

The main thrust of Wednesday's involved maneuvering, though, is Marion's move to Dallas, since Turkoglu's commitment to join the Raptors has been known since last weekend.

The Mavericks are hoping that the combination of Marion and Orlando restricted free agent Marcin Gortat -- along with the re-signing of Jason Kidd -- will greatly improve the depth and flexibility possessed by a team that won 50 games last season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before losing to Denver. The Magic can match the five-year, $34 million offer sheet Gortat has signed with Dallas but are expected to let him go.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban has said for months he was prepared to be as aggressive as possible this summer as opposed to waiting for the free-agent bonanza of 2010, when Dallas was initially expected to have substantial cap space. With these moves, Dallas can start Marion at small forward next to Dirk Nowitzki and shift Josh Howard to shooting guard, with Sixth Man Award winner Jason Terry staying in a bench role. The Mavericks also believe that they will have a strong small-ball unit when they elect not to play Gortat or Erick Dampier, featuring Howard at small forward, Marion at power forward and Nowitzki at center.

Sources say the Mavericks are determined to keep Howard even with Marion on the way, believing that Howard will have a strong season with free agency looming in the summer of 2010. If there's a concern for Dallas, it's that Marion will be yet another key member of their core over the age of 30, joining Nowitzki (31), Kidd (36), Jason Terry (31) and Howard (who turns 30 next April).

Marion earned $17.8 million last season and was traded for the second straight February when Miami sent him to Toronto in a swap for Jermaine O'Neal. He went from Phoenix to Miami one year earlier in the Shaquille O'Neal trade.

Yet sources say Toronto was intent on re-signing Marion until the Raptors realized that they had an 11th-hour shot at convincing Turkoglu to back out of a verbal commitment he had given the Portland Trail Blazers, having seen late-season signs of promise in Marion's collaboration alongside Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.

A deal with Dallas appeared to Marion's best and last hope for securing a new contract starting above the $5.9 million mid-level exception, given that the Cavaliers -- despite their recent pursuits of Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest and a well-chronicled need for a combo forward -- were not making a hard push for him.

The Mavericks on Wednesday also signed free-agent swingman Quinton Ross to improve their perimeter defense and replace the outgoing Wright. Dallas' moves also would appear to make it unlikely that it will try to bring back free-agent forward Brandon Bass.

"It's been a long day of looking at spreadsheets, reading NBA cap rules and rubbing my eyes," Cuban said via his Twitter account.

Marc Stein and Chad Ford are senior NBA writers for ESPN.com. ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher contributed to this report.

 

[air max 87]

The blazers should've called orlando right after the final and made a move for alston, he may not be a long term solution, but he would've been anupgrade, they don't need forwards, they need someone who can pass and put in a few buckets I.E. Skip

 

[N41D]

Originally Posted by Osh Kosh Bosh

Josh Howard has never been at any point in time on the same level as Manu Ginobili, injured or not, such a suggestion is absurd.

Stop it... I love Manu's game, but you've got a seriously inflated view of what Manu is...

When Josh Howard is healthy, he's every bit as good as Manu Ginobili...

 

[CP1708]

In the first quarter maybe, but Josh ain't all that, healthy or not.

Manu been thru and done a lot in his career, Josh puts up some nice numbers sometimes, but so does Zach Randolph.

 

[N41D]

*shrugs*

I love Manu, but whatever... I've killed Josh as much as anybody, but acting like there's some big difference between him and Manu is hysterical...